Leesburg, VA or Frederick, MD (Arlington, Alexandria: new house, theatre, middle school)

[theatre_lover1976]

My husband is getting a new job in Rockville and we are looking for new houses. We've seen houses in our price range in Leesburg and Frederick but it's hard to get a feel for a town from the internet...

We have 2 small kids (aged 3 and 5) so schools are really important but it seems like both places have halfway decent schools. We know that my husband can take the MARC from Frederick or catch it in Point of Rock is we choose Leesburg.

What we don't know is what the towns are like? Are they rural? Suburbia? Big City? Will we have to drive 20 minutes to the grocery or is there a Target on every corner? How are the arts (music, theatre, etc.)?

Any help would be appreciated!

[FindingZen]

Leesburg and Frederick are former towns that have grown up into "edge cities", thanks (?) to suburban sprawl. While I can't speak specifically about Frederick (although the folks on the MD forum could), I believe both towns are going for the quaint Main Street downtown appeal. The cities are about as urban/active as you will get within their respective counties, for better or worse, but pale in comparison to DC let alone close-in areas such as Alexandria, Arlington or even Bethesda and Rockville.

Your husband would have a significantly longer commute on MARC from Point of Rocks than Frederick. Consider how that may impact your family time with that decision. He should confirm an option to occasionally telecommute to avoid a potential 2-hour one-way drive as MARC has occasional issues.

Originally Posted by theatre_lover1976

My husband is getting a new job in Rockville and we are looking for new houses. We've seen houses in our price range in Leesburg and Frederick but it's hard to get a feel for a town from the internet...

We have 2 small kids (aged 3 and 5) so schools are really important but it seems like both places have halfway decent schools. We know that my husband can take the MARC from Frederick or catch it in Point of Rock is we choose Leesburg.

What we don't know is what the towns are like? Are they rural? Suburbia? Big City? Will we have to drive 20 minutes to the grocery or is there a Target on every corner? How are the arts (music, theatre, etc.)?

Any help would be appreciated!

[5stones]

for commute alone I'd choose the MD side. It's soesy to get from Frederick to Rockville.
Montgomery county schools are very good.
(I used to live in Leesburg so search old post ofr lots of info)

My sis in law lives near Frederick in Montgomery village...lot of nice houses, good schools etc...

The drive to Rockville from the Frederick area in traffic and back roads would probably be 30 minutes. Where from Leesburg...it would be an hour or so(if you are taking the train) less if you drive and take Whites ferry over.

Both towns are simular in that they are old historic downtown areas that are thriving with shopes resturants etc... Frederick is larger. Both areas have ALL the shopping you need with in 10 minutes or less. (not malls....closer to 20-30)

Frederick offers MUCH easier travel into DC via MARC. Leesburg is about an hour if you drive in a weekend or 90minutes if you go into Vienna and take the metro.

I know nothing about kids acctivites in Frederick but imagine they are pretty plentiful.

Leesburg has the big IDA LEE rec center. etc...

[cheesecracker23]

I live in Pt of Rocks, MD it is a very quaint community. There is a somewhat upscale housing dev. and also some farmlands. There is not much in the town it's self, fairly quiet and laid back. The people are friendly and there are 2 small convience stores, a liquor store a Pizza restaraunt ad Post office in Pt of Rocks. Frederick city is approx 15 mins away with all kinds of shopping areas. And the train from Frederick actually travels thru Pt. of Rocks to get to Rockville and other towns in Montgomery county. There is also one of the main roads used to travel by car from Frederick county, md to montgomery county, md it is route 28. It will actuall take you to DC I believe. The elem school is Carroll Manor and has just gotten an expansion. The middle school and high schools are titled Brunswick, they have numerous activities as your usual schools, not alot of violence or things of that manner. My children have liked the schools. Most of the students are country type kids, not total hillbilly type but know how to respect the land and what they have. There are also a few small towns around and between Frederick and Point of Rocks like Jefferson, Burkittsville and Brunswick. Point of Rocks is right along the Potomac river and on the other side of the river is Virginia. Lovettsville, mostly rural, farms, estates etc. within the town of Lovettsville there are a few restaraunts, a bank, po, a 7-11 store. Then Leesburg covers a very large area with different types of areas, country, city (fair size- no skyscrapers or anything) Lots of shopping areas and then one of Va's main highways travels thru Leesburg which is Route 7. It takes you all the way to Eastern and western va. Moderator Cut Good Luck in your search!

[stpickrell]

Ask aboot Frederick on the MD forum. For commute alone I would pick Frederick, and I understand the schools there can be very good.

[South Jersey Styx]

Both towns are about the same distance to Point of Rocks so the time to get to Pt of Rocks depends of exactly where you live in Leesburg or Frederick (further north, west, etc.).

Previous posters have pretty much summed them up -- historic downtowns, plenty of supermarkets, shopping nearby, etc. Frederick is within a 1 hr drive to Baltimore; Leesburg is 1-1 1/2 hr drive to DC. I'm not sure about the congestion/traffic in Frederick. Leesburg has been built up quite a bit lately and the area at Rte 15/Rte 7 can get hairy during rush hour.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by cheesecracker23

Most of the students are country type kids, not total hillbilly type but know how to respect the land and what they have.

Don't believe I've heard students described this way before but I like it!

[FairfaxGuy73]

I have to give a thumbs up to Fredneck too. Despite its location in Maryland, people are friendly and will even talk to you in line at stores, etc. It's really a good mix of commuter professionals and native Marylanders. Don't expect much from the state to the east and south. Incredibly gridlocked roads even in small towns all the way between DC/Montgomery County to Baltimore. The most aggressive and rudest drivers in the area. Although very accessible from Leesburg too, the western part of Maryland is beautiful.

I'm not a big fan of Leesburg. What about Ashburn?

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by FairfaxGuy73

I'm not a big fan of Leesburg. What about Ashburn?

I think Leesburg includes the areas outside of the historic downtown, north and south on Route 15 (new developments) and east in Landsdowne? Ideally, if the OP were looking for something new-ish the areas north on Rte 15 would be ideal for both cost and easy accessibility to Point of Rocks.

Living in Ashburn would add some commute time but again, it just depends on when he leaves and returns for work. Rte 7 has improved b/c of the off/on ramps and there would indeed be less traffic heading north on Rte 15 than those heading east on Rte 7. But I'm sure the OP will be exploring all of these areas during a visit.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by FairfaxGuy73

I'm not a big fan of Leesburg. What about Ashburn?

Odd -- I thought you weren't a fan of newer suburban developments. What about Leesburg do you dislike?