Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Maryland > Washington, DC suburbs in Maryland
 [Register]
Washington, DC suburbs in Maryland Calvert County, Charles County, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 06-30-2010, 12:38 AM
 
11 posts, read 42,143 times
Reputation: 15

Advertisements

We are moving from Pennsylvania and have a little knowledge about Arlington,VA/Maryland area.

I have got a job in Arlington, VA & wife has got a job in Severna Park, MD.

We want to take up some place in-between, so that we can split the commute time. Can you guys please recommend where should we live?

What would be the safest & the best place to live, considering daily we have to commute to Arlington VA, Severna Park, MD respectively.

I would really appreciate any guidance & thanks in advance!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 06-30-2010, 07:41 AM
 
Location: East Coast of the United States
27,262 posts, read 28,317,220 times
Reputation: 24772
Sounds like Bowie, MD may be a good choice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-30-2010, 08:42 AM
 
Location: Metro Washington DC
15,395 posts, read 25,638,532 times
Reputation: 10394
Considering that you can use Metro or MARC, and buses to get where you need to in Arlington easily, it makes sense to live in MD near a Metro or MARC station.

If driving is what you want then it would still be better to be somewhere along 295 or 50 in MD.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-30-2010, 11:56 PM
 
11 posts, read 42,143 times
Reputation: 15
Thanks for the replies. Is Bowie a safe place? Somebody mentioned that we will be better off if we live in Columbia or Laurel? What do you guys suggest.. considering both of us need to daily commute to Arlington, VA and Severna Park, MD respectively.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-03-2010, 08:22 PM
 
198 posts, read 923,208 times
Reputation: 85
I would suggest Bowie or Crofton, MD as good midway points.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-24-2010, 11:48 PM
 
Location: Rockville, MD
150 posts, read 594,062 times
Reputation: 44
I would suggest Greenbelt or something close to the green line, that way you could theoretically take metro to work, granted your job is close enough from a stop.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-25-2010, 01:04 AM
 
1,021 posts, read 2,292,868 times
Reputation: 1478
Bowie is a good halfway point but actually a better halfway point would be the communities of Mitchellville and adjacent Woodmore. Bowie is a little off to the north of the midway point between Severna Park and Arlington while Mitchellville/Woodmore are directly along the US-50 corridor which would serve as the main thoroughfare (along with MD-2) between your to job sites.

Mitchellville/Woodmore have decent but not spectacular grocery and dining (mostly the ilk of Safeways and chain restaurants) and are near Six Flags America and near decent golf courses if any of that style of entertainment is your cup of tea. Mitchellville/Woodmore are generally safe and I don't know if you have kids but the schools are pretty mediocre. They are not horrible but better schools are in Laurel, Greenbelt, and Bowie proper. But the high school zones are very large in the area (the largest population-wise in the state) so some of the school zones may extend into Bowie anyway. Mitchellville/Woodmore is also a really high income area, complete with a highly educated, high earner population with real estate prices that come in tow with such a description.

Now the bugaboo that no one has surprisingly mentioned as of yet; even though Mitchellville/Woodmore is essentially the exact midpoint between Arlington and Severna Park, its claim to fame is that it is the wealthiest black majority community in all of the United States. It is situated within a nice (some would consider unaffordable) area in Prince George's County which is noted for being the wealthiest black majority county in all of the U.S. However, in addition to having the largest high schools in MD and the county being the second largest jurisdiction in MD after Montgomery County, Prince George's County straddles SE Washington DC and contains many "inner city" problems (notably poor performing schools and a very high crime rate only surpassed in the state by Baltimore).

You should view other threads about the perception of Prince George's County by Maryland residents. The Mitchellville/Woodmore area is nice but it is in PG County and there appears to be a decided stigma against the county dominated by the inner-city problems overconcentrated inside and along the Beltway. Many African-Americans believe it is racial. For example, people might tell you to live in Bowie even though Mitchellville/Woodmore is higher income and geographically more advantageous to your commute. But Bowie is still PG County yet somehow less stigmatized. If you visit the area you would likely be visually impressed by the large, new homes and upscale landscape but once again there is a social connotation to living in the area that you would have to decide whether you want to take it on or not.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-25-2010, 02:07 AM
 
10,581 posts, read 11,994,134 times
Reputation: 16721
These points are in no particular order:

-- First of all what kind of housing inventory are you looking for? (Condo, townhouse, SFH) Buying, renting?
-- Do you need shopping, schools, transit?
-- Will you be driving or taking public transportation?
-- From Bowie it's easier/less stressful to get to Severna Park than it is to get to Arlington. Thus, driving to Severna Park is a breeze -- and much shorter than getting to Arlington. In morning drive: Severna Park 25-30 minutes; Arlington: an hour.

-- Depending on WHERE YOU ARE in Bowie you could be right off Route 50 -- or a little farther -- like 7-8 minutes away from it.

Quote:
people might tell you to live in Bowie even though Mitchellville/Woodmore is higher income and geographically more advantageous to your commute.
Not necessarily better for the commute.

-- I find it interesting that it was mentioned that PART of PG straddles DC. This is true. However, no one was suggesting anywhere NEAR that area, so I wonder what the point of the information was.

Bowie straddles Anne Arundel County, and has nothing in common with the 'inner areas' of PG other than being in PG. The demographics are different, the socio-economics are different.

Last edited by selhars; 07-25-2010 at 02:16 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-25-2010, 01:30 PM
 
1,021 posts, read 2,292,868 times
Reputation: 1478
Default Exactly

Quote:
Originally Posted by selhars View Post
-- I find it interesting that it was mentioned that PART of PG straddles DC. This is true. However, no one was suggesting anywhere NEAR that area, so I wonder what the point of the information was.

Bowie straddles Anne Arundel County, and has nothing in common with the 'inner areas' of PG other than being in PG. The demographics are different, the socio-economics are different.
Hence it being peculiar that Silver Spring, Greenbelt, Laurel, and COLUMBIA of all places being suggested but not Mitchellville. Please feel free to Google Map "Arlington, VA to Severna Park, MD" and see if there is any place more centrally located and convenient to both rail and highway than Mitchellville/Woodmore. Mitchellville is directly along US-50 and within very close proximity to the New Carrollton Station (Orange Line). You could also live a little further south into Woodmore to access the Largo Town Center Station (Blue Line) fairly easily. Depending on where you work in Arlington you could use either Metro line without having to switch trains if you prefer mass transit.

But Laurel? Crofton? Columbia? Crofton would be good for a commute to Severna Park but none of the others would be too great to Arlington. I am not lobbying one way or another which I why I am responding based on what information was given. I just find some of the recommendations a bit curious to someone who doesn't know the landscape of PG County very well.

The concept of "Bowie" is amorphous much like most cities in Maryland. The identity of "Bowie", "Columbia", "Silver Spring", "Laurel" extends far beyond the corporate limits of those cities (if they even have them at all). For example, Bowie Town Center and the retail/dining/entertainment complex surrounding that area (which I would consider the "premiere" shopping hub in PG County) isn't any closer to downtown Bowie than it is to Mitchellville, Mitchellville being more convenient to that area due to US-50 anyway. I don't see how Bowie could possibly be a better commute but i digress. Still, I recommend visiting the area and seeing how you like the surroundings.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-26-2010, 02:45 AM
 
10,581 posts, read 11,994,134 times
Reputation: 16721
I live in Bowie very near Route 50 -- and much closer to the 50/197 interchange than either Woodmore or Mitchelville.

The New Carrollton Metro is 7 miles away.

Wether Woodmore is 'close' or 'convenient' to 50 depends on you mean by close and convenient.

If you mean the neighborhoods with Woodmore in their name along Church road, or new 450 near Hillmead (Woodmore North), then they have to go to 50/197 to get onto 450 -- or take 450 West to MLK 704 and get on 50.

If you mean Woodmore -- as in near Enterprise and Woodmore Road. That's not what I would call convenient to or right off Route 50 either.

And Mitchellville near Mount Oak and Mitchellville is not that close either, because the closest 50 exit is at 197. Talking Woodmore road West to 202 will get you to the Beltway, but that's not what was discussed.

I do agree Mitchellville and Woodmore are equidistant to Severna Park and Arlington.

I'd recommend all three Bowie, Mitchellville and Woodmore.

As someone who takes 50 into DC every day -- and doesn't want any more traffic on it than there already is -- I do have to wonder WHY there's no exit for 193 off Rte 50. With all the population that lives near there (Lottsford Vista/Enterprise/Woodmore/Glendale) there's no reason they have to get off 50 at 704/MLK, and come miles on 450 East -- or go all the way to 197 and circle back. There really does need to be an exit there.

But hey, not having an exit from 704 to 197 just makes my commute less congested.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Maryland > Washington, DC suburbs in Maryland
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top