Please tell me about Upper Marlboro, Md (Frederick, Clinton: real estate, foreclosures)

[Mira5]

Hello. My friend and I are going to look at prospective rental properties this weekend. He will be moving to the area to work at Andrews Air Force Base. He's a single guy, no children, 40's and can spend about $2000/month.

We had it narrowed down to Alexandria and Upper Marlboro. He contacted a realtor who strongly suggested that he stay away from Upper Marlboro. She said that many of her clients are trying to leave UM due to the increasing crime.

I've only read positive comments on Upper Marlboro. Can anyone tell me the real story---is Upper Marlboro a safe place?

Please help us. My friend is flying in from Florida tomorrow morning and we're going to go house-hunting. Any advice would be very appreciated.

[bowian]

I lived in UM from 2001 to 2004 -- Hollaway Estates in the Rosaryville area. Mainly quiet, pretty area. I would live in UM again if not for the schools. I don't think I'd live in Hollaway Estates again, however. Parts of it had a few issues back in the day (knucklehead teens and a few break-ins). Those issues (plus the need for more amenities and access to better medical care) led to us moving in 2004. In UM, you have some good, quiet areas and a few with issues -- it depends on the neighborhood or even the part of the neighborhood. There are nice areas off both Rt. 301 (which is more rural-looking) and Rt. 202 (which is more on the beaten path). The areas off 301 are closer to Andrews. I would check crime stats with the police station to see where the problem areas are located.

[justtitans]

I was about to defend Upper Marlboro but then I saw the crime reports on the Washington Post website and I got a little concerned. I'm really surprised that the realtor told you that because they aren't really allowed to give out that kind of information. Anyways, there is definitely an uptick in crime there, but if you're going to look in Alexandria, I would advise you do some research yourself and also go to the Northern VA forum and ask them. There are definitely parts in Alexandria that aren't great, but I think they would probably give you better detail than me.

[Mira5]

Thank you for the replies. It's really hard to house-hunt when you can't be sure of the area.

Anyway, I do appreciate the help. I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by meatkins

I was about to defend Upper Marlboro but then I saw the crime reports on the Washington Post website and I got a little concerned. I'm really surprised that the realtor told you that because they aren't really allowed to give out that kind of information. Anyways, there is definitely an uptick in crime there, but if you're going to look in Alexandria, I would advise you do some research yourself and also go to the Northern VA forum and ask them. There are definitely parts in Alexandria that aren't great, but I think they would probably give you better detail than me.

Some of the laws real estate agents are required to follow are beyond absurd. Why can't an agent tell me this house I'm looking at is in a high crime area? Makes no sense.

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by meatkins

I was about to defend Upper Marlboro but then I saw the crime reports on the Washington Post website and I got a little concerned. I'm really surprised that the realtor told you that because they aren't really allowed to give out that kind of information. Anyways, there is definitely an uptick in crime there, but if you're going to look in Alexandria, I would advise you do some research yourself and also go to the Northern VA forum and ask them. There are definitely parts in Alexandria that aren't great, but I think they would probably give you better detail than me.

I don't know if I'm reading the linked stats correctly but it appears Upper Marlboro is below the national average in terms of crime.

[North Beach Person]

When you talk Upper Marlboro you have to differentiate what you're talking about.

The incorporated Town of Upper Marlboro has about 700 residents and is the location of the Prince George's County Courthouse and various ancillary County government functions including the Sasscer Administration Building housing the School Board and upper management levels of the school system. Main Street houses various law offices and former storefronts which are now mainly occupied by bail-bondsman operations. The residential areas include mostly older houses, some as old as the 1700's.

Upper Marlboro the postal area includes the Town as the center and stretches north by west almost to the Washington Beltway at Largo, south by west down MD RTE 301 almost to Clinton (that includes the Marlton sub-division among others such as Queensland), north along RTE 301 a couple miles anyway and includes the Marlboro Meadows subdivision and what used to be called Sugar Hill (that's in the Town, until recently no water or sewer and many houses didn't have electric). The area also stretches south by east past Croom, which is considered very rural although little sub-divisions were growing up in former tobacco farms until the housing implosion. It also stretches west and includes the Villages of Marlboro, a golf course community that does have some issues and a bit further down the road the new Dr. Henry Wise, Jr. High School which services not just Upper Marlboro but various inner Beltway communities, also.

Students who live in Croom, Marlton and east towards Clinton attend Frederick Douglass High School as did the UM town kids and the other sub-divisions I mentioned until Wise opened 5 years ago.

[uggabugga]

^yeah, the postal code area of UM encompasses quite a bit of territory. I'm most familiar with the area around croom and rosaryville, which are beautiful areas with low crime, AFAIK.

[slowlane3]

See Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/Upper_Marlboro,_Maryland
http://en.wikipedia.org/Largo,_Maryland

I wrote parts of these articles myself, by the way.

[justtitans]

When I talk about Upper Marlboro, I usually look at it by zip code. To me 20772 is Upper Marlboro. When I see 20774, I think of Largo or Springdale. As far as the crime, I know certain parts that are definitely quiet but there are some places that have had an uptick in crime. Marlboro Meadows, which has been destroyed by the economy and had like a zillion foreclosures, has had a lot of crime now. I'm not talking about people getting killed or anything, but I'm almost certain the amount of foreclosures that area has had has attracted a lot of vandals.