22-yr old new to MD, job offer in Laurel, where to live? (Baltimore: apartment complexes, leasing agent)

[mariakola]

I'm about to finish college, and me and my boyfriend both have job offers in Laurel, MD. I need help locating good places for an apartment. We live in Philadelphia right now, and would like to stay near a city. We're looking for a good nightlife on the weekends and possibly parks nearby. Ideally, we'd like to be able to hop on a train during weekends to D.C. At the same time, we'd like to keep the commuting time down during the week to Laurel, MD.

I've looked into Baltimore, but it didn't seem very appealing.

I was looking at Silver Spring as a start, but am hoping for other suggestions or any feedback you may have.

Thanks!

[ajsmith365]

You could live in Beltsville, Laurel, Columbia or the Hanover, MD area. Rural, suburban areas. All give you access to both DC and Baltimore for urban "adventures". However, none of these places is near a train station or intricate subway system. The prior statement is my DC opinion. Being from DC means a train station is like < 5 minutes walking/driving distance from your house. Just as a country person would tell you that 5 miles is down the street, someone may say that Beltsville, Laurel, Columbia and Hanover are actually close to train station. Also, I will admit that I am not an aficionado of these areas. As I recall from when I worked in Hanover, MD, Hanover has the closest train station near Coca-Cola drive/Dorsey Run Road; Columbia can get to this train station as well (MARC train).

Greenbelt is more realistic in meeting your needs, in my opinion. It is connected with the DC subway systems; thus, access to a rail system. And, it is not far from Laurel. During rush hour, you should be going against traffic both ways. And, you can hit DC and B-more in relatively good time. However, to hit B-more by train, you will have to hop on the subway line to the New Carrollton stop (which is not far) and hop on the MARC to B-more.

[sandkrab]

There is a Marc train station right near the Racetrack in Laurel.

[ajsmith365]

Originally Posted by sandkrab

There is a Marc train station right near the Racetrack in Laurel.

Thanks. See, I told you I wasn't an aficionado of that part of MD.

Thanks, sandkrab.

[HumgBird]

If the metro is a requirement, checkout the DC metro map to see where it stops...Silver Spring is part of the red line that also loops thru DC over to Bethesda.
Metro - Rail - Maps - Rail/Google Map

I'm not sure..is there such a thing as night life in the DC area? ..certainly nothing like what you might find Rush St in Chicago...perhaps somewhere??? maybe some one else can inform us

Once you determine the area, try apartment reviews to see what people are saying about the apartment complexes you are interested in
Apartment Reviews and Ratings- Get Informed and Rent Smarter
From my research, there are a few that rank well. Yes there will always be those who are unhappy no matter what, but when you get several people taking the time to write negative reviews, I personally find that reason to think twice... And,also keep your eyes open for those leasing agents who are all sugar when they are trying to get your money and those who don't disclose all fees you could possibly incur before, during & after your rental. Then... there are those who are so happy they feel compelled to write good things!! ...take it all with a grain of salt

Also, there is craigslist.org, which lists apartments from apartment complexes, condo communities, and private homes.

Good luck!

[GoPhils]

But doesn't the MARC not run on weekends (since that'd be the main time the OP would be wanting to take a train to DC)?

As you mentioned, Silver Spring could be a good fit. Probably one of the only actual cities other than DC or Baltimore that'd be a decent commute to Laurel (against traffic for the most part), and you also have the metro to get to DC on the weekends.

One other place I thought of that has most of what you wanted except for an easy train ride to DC (as far as I know) is Annapolis.

[ajsmith365]

I would say Silver Spring or Greenbelt. Both Greenbelt and Silver Spring have metro access which is 7 days a week. Greenbelt has the edge in proximity to Laurel and offers a better commute to Laurel. However, Silver Spring offers more in development and may be more attractive if you want more of a urban environment.

GoPhils has a good point in regards to the running of the MARC train (I am not certain...I used to ride it Mon-Fri to get to work). Annapolis is nice, but your access to DC will be limited; DC will not be as accessible to Annapolis, via public transportation, as Silver Spring or Annapolis.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by GoPhils

But doesn't the MARC not run on weekends (since that'd be the main time the OP would be wanting to take a train to DC)?

As you mentioned, Silver Spring could be a good fit. Probably one of the only actual cities other than DC or Baltimore that'd be a decent commute to Laurel (against traffic for the most part), and you also have the metro to get to DC on the weekends.

One other place I thought of that has most of what you wanted except for an easy train ride to DC (as far as I know) is Annapolis.

MARC does not run on weekends.

I agree on Silver Spring. It seems to be like it would suit you reasonably well based on your criteria.

Where did you look in Baltimore? Federal Hill and Ridgely's delight are my suggestions for those commuting south on 95. Much cheaper than anything bordering DC, also.

Another thing to consider is that living in Laurel itself can be pretty darn inexpensive for the area and is at least worth looking at. It also has some great parks including the Patuxent wildlife refuge. I have no idea what goes on in Laurel for entertainment, though. On the weekends you can quickly drive to Greenbelt Metro to get to DC.

I think Metro operates a weekday-only bus to various places in Laurel.

[mariakola]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

MARC does not run on weekends.

Where did you look in Baltimore? Federal Hill and Ridgely's delight are my suggestions for those commuting south on 95. Much cheaper than anything bordering DC, also.

Another thing to consider is that living in Laurel itself can be pretty darn inexpensive for the area and is at least worth looking at. It also has some great parks including the Patuxent wildlife refuge. I have no idea what goes on in Laurel for entertainment, though. On the weekends you can quickly drive to Greenbelt Metro to get to DC.

I think Metro operates a weekday-only bus to various places in Laurel.

I didn't look into specific neighborhoods within Baltimore too much. Over the past few weeks, I mainly talked to a number of people who are familiar with that area, and most would point out that it's very small and the crime is worse than in Philly. I looked through Yelp.com and it seemed that the number of businesses of all types was significantly smaller compared to Philly. This is why I'd prefer to be able to quickly access D.C. on the weekends.
I'll take a look into those neighborhoods though. Thanks for pointing them out!

Also, I just checked out Google Maps public transit directions from Laurel, MD to D.C. at this time (~2pm on weekend). It looks like it'd take about an hour and a half, including some walking time.. A bit more of a hassle with the bus first, too, than going in from Laurel. Then again, driving time is only 15 mins (from center of Laurel), as opposed to 21 mins (from center of Silver Spring). These would both change, of course, given where I'd live exactly in either of those places..
I'll look more into Laurel. Assuming I can find a few forms of entertainment in there, it may be a good idea to live closer to work.


Thank you for everyone's suggestions here. There's a lot of things to look at with these decisions, and you've all been very helpful.
Knowing that the MARC doesn't run on weekends is also very useful news to me!

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by mariakola

I didn't look into specific neighborhoods within Baltimore too much. Over the past few weeks, I mainly talked to a number of people who are familiar with that area, and most would point out that it's very small and the crime is worse than in Philly. I looked through Yelp.com and it seemed that the number of businesses of all types was significantly smaller compared to Philly. This is why I'd prefer to be able to quickly access D.C. on the weekends.
I'll take a look into those neighborhoods though. Thanks for pointing them out!

Also, I just checked out Google Maps public transit directions from Laurel, MD to D.C. at this time (~2pm on weekend). It looks like it'd take about an hour and a half, including some walking time.. A bit more of a hassle with the bus first, too, than going in from Laurel. Then again, driving time is only 15 mins (from center of Laurel), as opposed to 21 mins (from center of Silver Spring). These would both change, of course, given where I'd live exactly in either of those places..
I'll look more into Laurel. Assuming I can find a few forms of entertainment in there, it may be a good idea to live closer to work.

Baltimore is fun for the young professional, too, with less of a chest-puffing "so where do you work" kind of scene. It's way more of a working class town and it's a lot less affluent. Which to some (like me) is a good thing. There's plenty of great places to eat, parks, nightlife and it's all way less expensive than DC ... everything here is less expensive than DC and surrounding. Some neighborhoods in baltimore where you'll find those your own age are the ones I mentioned and Hampden, Canton, Fells Point, Charles Village and Mount Vernon. There may be something there for you. Don't hesitiate to visit, it's no more dangerous than Philly. Just like Philly, you know which neighborhoods to avoid and when.

I am biased but I will admit that DC beats Baltimore in a lot of ways; it's got just a ton of people fresh out of college, better public transportation, cleaner, the bars are open an extra hour . I wouldn't say that its safer.

Take a day trip or weekend down here and check out all of these places - it's not too far from Philly! That way you can sort of try them all on, see if they fit you.

I wish I knew more about Laurel but I've only been there a few times. I'd look at the WMATA (Washington transit page) to double-check that google time. I've not had great success with the google transit planner and I always just look at schedules. For example, it says my trip to work takes 1 hr 45 minutes when it actually takes about 50.

I don't love Silver Spring but there is some neat stuff there that I like, like the AFI Silver movie theater.