what's so bad about waldorf? (Baltimore, Bowie: high crime, house, neighborhoods)

[slowlane2]

Where are your jobs located ? That can make a big difference in considering commute times. And there definitely are commuter busses to Waldorf - see http://mta.maryland.gov/services/commuterbus/ (broken link) . And it's not true that there is "only one way in and one way out" of Waldorf -- as residents have the alternative of using either 301, or routes 228/210 to commute to DC and NoVa. The "one way in and...out" comment would apply more instead to Calvert County, MD.

Waldorf has become a big "full-service" hub city whose 2-level shopping Mall, other stores, car dealers, and chain restaurants attract visitors from a large surrounding region, including from southern P.G. County which lacks these things. At least half the greater Waldorf population lives in the huge planned community of "Saint Charles" which has grown up gradually in stages over the past 40 years. But there are also many smaller, quiter areas on the outskirts of Waldorf. Waldorf as was said, is on the receiving end of Black population flight from P.G. County whose schools have long been under-rated. Waldorf has a new minor-league baseball team. As has been said in other discussion threads here, to some extent the areas of Waldorf that are west of 301 and south of route 228, are better and less troubled than the areas east of 301.

[From DC to NC]

Originally Posted by RamblingMan

Have you considered PG County from Fort Washington or further south? When my wife and I were looking in the area we found great values and a lot to like in places like Fort Washington and Accokeek. Public schools in the county are not highly regarded, but if you don't have kids of school age, you can take advantage of the much lower real estate prices. We liked the fact that both places offer waterfront. We wound up buying in Fort Washington, but we were very attracted by the 5+ acre lots in the Moyaone Preserve in Accokeek.

what a great idea. i always thought fort washington and accokeek were too far out but now that we've opened up to going a little further south - these may be great options for us. and the traffic pattern is probably a little better in these areas in comparison to waldorf.

a quick glance at some of the homes for sale down there and i see some good stuff.

thanks a bunch. i think we'll seriously consider these areas.

[From DC to NC]

Originally Posted by slowlane2

Where are your jobs located ? That can make a big difference in considering commute times. And there definitely are commuter busses to Waldorf - see Commuter Bus (http://mta.maryland.gov/services/commuterbus/ - broken link) . And it's not true that there is "only one way in and one way out" of Waldorf -- as residents have the alternative of using either 301, or routes 228/210 to commute to DC and NoVa. The "one way in and...out" comment would apply more instead to Calvert County, MD.

Waldorf has become a big "full-service" hub city whose 2-level shopping Mall, other stores, car dealers, and chain restaurants attract visitors from a large surrounding region, including from southern P.G. County which lacks these things. At least half the greater Waldorf population lives in the huge planned community of "Saint Charles" which has grown up gradually in stages over the past 40 years. But there are also many smaller, quiter areas on the outskirts of Waldorf. Waldorf as was said, is on the receiving end of Black population flight from P.G. County whose schools have long been under-rated. Waldorf has a new minor-league baseball team. As has been said in other discussion threads here, to some extent the areas of Waldorf that are west of 301 and south of route 228, are better and less troubled than the areas east of 301.

well here's the thing re: commute. i already commute a little over an hour to baltimore county every day. as if that commute isn't insane enough, i know that it'll be even crazier with moving further down south. however, i'm prepared to work something out with flex hours (go in early, leave early or in later, out later). plus, i'm not sure that i'll be working in b-county for the rest of my life. my hubby works in dc. he goes in pretty early but will probably get caught up in rush hour traffic in the evening.

the one-way in and out comment has scared me a little. multiple route options would be great. someone told me that if i familiarize myself with back roads, i'd be fine.

[FilthyRich]

Step foot in pg you get shot? Talk about paranoid.Where in pg your speaking of, Marlow Heights? Can't be clinton/fort washington

[From DC to NC]

Originally Posted by FilthyRich

Step foot in pg you get shot? Talk about paranoid.Where in pg your speaking of, Marlow Heights? Can't be clinton/fort washington

sounds like you misunderstood my question. re-read my sentence, slowly. what i'm asking is: are those who speak bad about waldorf speaking based on facts or are they just false perceptions just like those who think if you step foot in pg, something bad will happen to you.

i've lived in pg for the last 10 years - i know that pg is not as bad as most think. i'm trying to figure out if waldorf is truly crime-ridden or just falsely perceived as such.

[slowlane2]

Exactly where in DC does your husband work? For commuting time's sake, hopefully it's not too far uptown in northwest. Just a difference of 2 miles or so within D.C., can make a huge difference in commute times.

And like I said before, it's not true that there's one way in and one way out. Highways 210, 228, and 301 are all alternatives in and out of Waldorf. It's also not true, as was said, that Waldorf is in the country (it has 80,000 people), or has no public transit (it has both state and county bus lines).

[From DC to NC]

Originally Posted by slowlane2

Exactly where in DC does your husband work? For commuting time's sake, hopefully it's not too far uptown in northwest. Just a difference of 2 miles or so within D.C., can make a huge difference in commute times.

And like I said before, it's not true that there's one way in and one way out. Highways 210, 228, and 301 are all alternatives in and out of Waldorf. It's also not true, as was said, that Waldorf is in the country (it has 80,000 people), or has no public transit (it has both state and county bus lines).

well he actually does work uptown in nw. does the fact that he has to be at work by 6:30 help? is traffic bad that early in the AM?

am i any better with my commute to baltimore county? i mean, we're already prepared for a longer commute but if it's going to be an absolute nightmare then we may need to think of a plan b.

[TechlawyerinPG]

Waldorf is too disconnected from major job centers of NoVa and DC for my taste...maybe it is ok if you are retired, alternative work schedule or telecommuting full time but I wouldn't do that commute myself...I'd stay in Ft. Wash/Accokeek

Waldorf has more shopping options than most of Southern PG but frankly it is faster for me to get the same stuff in Alexandria and the stores/dining is better there than Waldorf in my opinion

For me my time on the road is a top consideration

I fortunately can go in to the office later and I left Ft. Washington today at 9:30 and arrived in the Dulles area at 10:05...I think that is my new record and I was going with the flow of traffic.

I also want some interesting architecture in my next home...Waldorf is cookie cutter suburbia blah to me. Ft. Wash offers more variety of home styles in my view. Right now my decision making is between suburbia blah in Fairfax, smaller home in Arlington but excellent commuting location or waterfront McMansion/unique contemporary in Ft. Wash. for my next move...all between $700k and $800k. There are so many nice homes in financial distress available closer in in Ft. Wash right now.

I have not driven around Accokeek much before but went to buy something off of Craigslist last week and met a lovely young family (white FYI if relevant to anyone) that lives there on a nice large piece of land and unique architecture home. I stayed for a short while and chatted with them and they love the land and home and location to DC and haven't seen any crime in the 5 years they lived in the area but their 2 young kids are nearing elementary school age and they are worrying about that but thusfar plan to stay and consider private in Alexandria. One thing we talked about was that if you are considering privates and need transport to the schools in Alexandria, most of those options do not service areas further south then Ft. Washington. I loved some of the homes I saw while driving around but I would feel far more disconnected from things like that in Accokeek vs. Ft. Wash. For example, certain service providers and Groupons etc. that I have used will not service areas past Ft. Wash. Being closer to DC and Alexandria is a plus when trying to avail. yourself to popular services. That is just something else to think about when going further south.

[RamblingMan]

Originally Posted by From DC to NC

well he actually does work uptown in nw. does the fact that he has to be at work by 6:30 help? is traffic bad that early in the AM?

am i any better with my commute to baltimore county? i mean, we're already prepared for a longer commute but if it's going to be an absolute nightmare then we may need to think of a plan b.

If your husband plans to arrive at work by 6:30 am, he should find traffic from Ft Washington into DC to be very reasonable.

[RamblingMan]

I also want some interesting architecture in my next home...Waldorf is cookie cutter suburbia blah to me. Ft. Wash offers more variety of home styles in my view. Right now my decision making is between suburbia blah in Fairfax, smaller home in Arlington but excellent commuting location or waterfront McMansion/unique contemporary in Ft. Wash. for my next move...all between $700k and $800k. There are so many nice homes in financial distress available closer in in Ft. Wash right now.


Techlawyer,

If Potomac riverfront within commuting distance of DC is an attraction for you, I think you'll find there's nothing in the metro area that compares to Fort Washington unless you are prepared to spend at least several million dollars. I think Fort Washington's waterfront homes qualify as one of the metro area's best kept secrets. First of all, there's very little Potomac riverfront available in either Virginia or Maryland. Most of it is parkland, military, federal, or otherwise not available for homes. The very few properties upstream of DC are grotesquely expensive and not suitable for anything bigger than a canoe. Downstream of the District, on the Virginia side there's really only Southdown road in Alexandria and one small development just a little further. From there it is all park until you get to Mount Vernon. There's some nice waterfront past Mount Vernon, but from there, the commutes start to become prohibitive. Homes in Southdown and Mount Vernon cost several times more than their equivalents directly across the river in Fort Washington. I guess that a lot of folks don't want to buy those waterfront houses in Fort Washington because they're scared they'll be killed instantly if they set foot in PG. On the other hand, if people really knew the truth, I wouldn't have been able to afford my house in Fort Washington just as I can't afford a house on Southdown Road. Their ignorance is my gain.