Crofton or Odenton? (Baltimore, Bowie, Annapolis: for rent, townhouse, buying)

[saigafreak]

Now that my wife and I have finally taken a good look at various areas within commuting distance to Adelphi, we've seemed to narrow it down to either Crofton or Odenton. Both are in Anne Anadel (sp?) county so taxe are slightly lower there. Odenton is easier to commute, but seems to have fewer available homes for rent, but many rave about Crofton and my wife has seen it listed as #84 best place to live on CNN. Which town would be "better" for our situation? Quick backgrounder: we're looking to start a family soon but have no kids right now. Family friendly is pretty important.

[DaddyB]

I've just moved to Crofton. It seems very family friendly, to me. There are good schools, lots of activities for families, and just enough stores, etc. without being overgrown. We have the usual grocery stores, plus a new Target, with a Wegman's, Bed Bath & Beyond, movie theater, and other establishments coming in soon. Bowie, Annapolis, Baltimore, and DC are all fairly close. My only ding on Crofton is that I work in Baltimore and sometimes the traffic on Rt. 3 causes it to take 10-15 minutes to get to I97 (my comments on some of the drivers there would need its own thread). The townhouse we are renting was the nicest place in the price range we were looking at, and we were looking in Howard, Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, and Prince George's.

Odenton also had some nice places, but there are patches of good and bad. Piney Grove (?), which is between Odenton and Crofton would be a good option, I think, from what we saw when we were searching.

Do you have an opportunity to visit any places or do you need to make a decision from afar? The best way to get an idea is to go visit and see what kind of "feel" you get. Don't just go to the homes you are interested in renting/buying, but go in the grocery stores, check out the parks and recreational areas, etc. Maybe visit the local library. Sometimes these sorts of things will give you a good feel for the community.

I'm not that familiar with the commute to Adelphi, but looking at the map, I'm wondering why you are choosing between Odenton and Crofton? Seems like it wouldn't be a very easy commute from either one. I have friends that live in North Laurel (in Howard County). It seems like a nice family-friendly place, and the commute doesn't look too bad (on the map). One thing I've found out about commutes in this area, though, is the map doesn't tell the whole story.

[saigafreak]

Originally Posted by DaddyB

I've just moved to Crofton. It seems very family friendly, to me. There are good schools, lots of activities for families, and just enough stores, etc. without being overgrown. We have the usual grocery stores, plus a new Target, with a Wegman's, Bed Bath & Beyond, movie theater, and other establishments coming in soon. Bowie, Annapolis, Baltimore, and DC are all fairly close. My only ding on Crofton is that I work in Baltimore and sometimes the traffic on Rt. 3 causes it to take 10-15 minutes to get to I97 (my comments on some of the drivers there would need its own thread). The townhouse we are renting was the nicest place in the price range we were looking at, and we were looking in Howard, Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, and Prince George's.

Odenton also had some nice places, but there are patches of good and bad. Piney Grove (?), which is between Odenton and Crofton would be a good option, I think, from what we saw when we were searching.

Do you have an opportunity to visit any places or do you need to make a decision from afar? The best way to get an idea is to go visit and see what kind of "feel" you get. Don't just go to the homes you are interested in renting/buying, but go in the grocery stores, check out the parks and recreational areas, etc. Maybe visit the local library. Sometimes these sorts of things will give you a good feel for the community.

I'm not that familiar with the commute to Adelphi, but looking at the map, I'm wondering why you are choosing between Odenton and Crofton? Seems like it wouldn't be a very easy commute from either one. I have friends that live in North Laurel (in Howard County). It seems like a nice family-friendly place, and the commute doesn't look too bad (on the map). One thing I've found out about commutes in this area, though, is the map doesn't tell the whole story.

Thanks for the suggestions. The commute according to google maps when I pull it up @ 7am across multiple days appears to be "green" (meaning little to no congestion), so I don't expect delays at that time of day on average. Mostly I'm looking at a relatively less congested area to live in. NoVA of course is out due to the hellish commute. Bowie and Laurel were under consideration so long as it's not horrible on the roads, but Laurel looked really bad even on a weekend. I just got a better feel seeing how the library and elementary school were within walking distance in Crofton and how it's well rated for a place to live.

[lasershen111]

Both you can't really go wrong. But I think Odenton might generally be a little more expensive. I worked right near Crofton and it's a great area! Pretty central to a lot of different things and plenty to do. I have no idea about schools though.. but since that's a little far off.. anything regarding that could change anyway.

[adave1]

Originally Posted by lasershen111

Both you can't really go wrong. But I think Odenton might generally be a little more expensive. I worked right near Crofton and it's a great area! Pretty central to a lot of different things and plenty to do. I have no idea about schools though.. but since that's a little far off.. anything regarding that could change anyway.

If you like the MARC then Odenton is the way to go. If you like driving, then go with Crofton because you can get 50 and 97 both quickly by means of Route 3. Also Annapolis is pretty close to Crofton but may take a tad longer from Odenton.

[adave1]

The one thing to consider if living in Odenton is that if you need to drive to DC or Baltimore, you have to use Baltimore Washington Parkway, whereas you can grab 50 and 97 from Crofton. Baltimore Washington Parkway is a disaster. 50 and 97 are kind of far from Odenton.