Best areas to live in Silver Spring, MD (Baltimore, College Park: apartment complexes, for rent)

[Cutea85]

Hello,
My fiance and I are relocating to the Silver Spring, MD area this summer. I am from Massachusetts, so I am relatively unfamiliar with this area of Maryland. I have started the apartment search, but I really have no idea what areas of Silver Spring to be looking in. We are a couple in our late 20's, working professionals, and our top priorities are 1) QUIET and 2) SAFE. I will be commuting to work in Falls Church, VA, and he will be commuting to Baltimore several days per week.

I want to live in an area where a single, young female can walk home, or walk around without feeling any danger. My fiance works later than I do, so I want to feel safe being home alone, as well. I know that there are some rough neighborhoods around Silver Spring such as the college park area and Hyattsville (I've been to both areas). Does anyone have recommendations for areas/streets/apartment complexes that they are satisfied with, AND.. recommendations for areas/neighborhoods to avoid?

Much appreciated.

-Cutea

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Cutea85

Does anyone have recommendations for areas/streets/apartment complexes that they are satisfied with

I like The Warwick at University and Arcola. If your budget permits, why not look at renting a house or townhouse? I would feel much safer in a decent townhouse complex than in the typical SS apartment complex.

Alternatively, look for an individually owned condo for rent on Craigslist or Realtor.com. The condo buildings tend to be better built than those designed to be rented, and they tend to have more responsible neighbors. For example, there are a couple of condos in the gated community of Montgomery Chase, renting around $1800/month on Realtor. Two other 2BR condos at 1111 University in a safe and convenient area are renting at about $1500 on Realtor.com, and there are other 1BR's in the same buildings for the $1300's.

[scrapper105]

I live near College Park and Hyattsville and don't think of them as rough, in general. Although there are a couple sketchy streets.

With a commute to Falls Church and Baltimore, living in between the Beltway and the new ICC (Inter County Connector) might be helpful. Although it is tough to find an area that fits that requirement that is quiet and has apartments. Depending on your budget, I might start in the Kensington area and then move east to Hillandale, Forest Glen, and White Oak.

[Cutea85]

Thank you for your suggestions.. the trouble we are finding with Silver Spring is that the nicer 1-bedroom apartments start at $1400+ and there are a lot of cheap ones, but when we read through the ratings of these buildings, there were many problems: roaches, mice, noise, etc. etc. Our budget is around $1200. We didn't want to pay more than that, as we are saving for our wedding.

Does anyone know about Beltsville? I was also looking into individually owned condos, but those are very pricey in SS.. around $1700/month.

[scrapper105]

Most of Beltsville is decent. There are some areas that are safe, just a little scruffy looking but there are also some apartment complexes that have higher crime.

Of course, there are also some really nice apartment complexes across from Ikea.

It is also really easy access to the Beltway, which both of you will use for your commutes. Also a reasonably easy drive to Greenbelt metro for when you want to head downtown.

Probably not a factor in your decision making, but the county council member for that area is great. Mary Lehman.

[RogueMom]

I suggest you look at Anne Arundel County. I lived there and commuted to Silver Spring for work for over a year, from the Pasadena, Maryland area. Yes, it's a long commute to Silver Spring, but do-able. It's a much more affordable, quieter area than Montgomery County, and you are very close to Baltimore.

You are going to have a difficult time finding safe AND affordable in Silver Spring, or anywhere in Montgomery County.

[Cutea85]

Montanamom-
Anne Arundel county is very nice, yes.. However, it wouldn't be convenient for me, since I will be working in Northern Virginia (Fairfax area..) Silver Spring is perfect, because it's a midway point between Baltimore and Northern Virginia. I suppose it will take some work, but perhaps we can get a good deal in SS, or Beltsville. I also heard that Takoma Park is nice, as well as White Oaks.

[2rock]

What kind of two working professionals have a budget limit of around $1,200? Those getting paid minimum wages are working professionals these days? Saving money to buy an island in Bahamas to have a wedding? I hear working professionals who live in aforementioned some rough neighborhoods are laughing at you.

[Cutea85]

2Rock, you have a nerve ridiculing us for our budget. You don't know anything about our situation, so please, save your nasty comments for another forum.

In any case, I might as well address your question. We ARE working professionals, but we also have many expenses, and we don't want to throw thousands of dollars away on rent.. But, this is irrelevant to my original post.

[minhhapd912]

I hope you already found a place that meets your budget and priorities of a good and safe community. I'm also trying to buy a new townhouse in this zip code 20906 area. Does anyone know if this is a good neighborhood. Thanks so much.