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Old 05-27-2008, 06:29 PM
 
7 posts, read 32,404 times
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I am from Baltimore, living in DC and working 10 minutes away in Bethesda. I am currently looking for a house and decided, based on price and the things I am looking for, I'd suck up the commute and move to greater B-more, in this case Columbia. Based on what I've read on this site about Germantown, however, which would be closer to work, I was pleasantly surprised to find many affordable and very nice town homes and condos there in my price range!!

Can someone tell me about the commute from Germantown to Bethesda during the week? Also being a city girl, I like the idea of Columbia being between home (B-more) and the District, plus Columbia has a lot of lifestyle amenities that make it attractive.

Can someone also tell me about life in Germantown? (Restaurants, shops, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's) My biggest fear is that I will feel isolated in a part of Maryland I know nothing about. I am an African American professional woman. Is Germantown diverse? And what are the areas to avoid?

Thanks!
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Old 05-28-2008, 07:49 AM
 
Location: Bethesda, MD
658 posts, read 1,785,560 times
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I would actually choose Columbia over Germantown. Commute-wise, Germantown is closer to Bethesda, but you would be traveling south-bound I-270 in the morning and northbound in the evening which can be brutal to deal with. Columbia you may drive more, but if they get around to completing the ICC, you won't have too much to worry about.

IMO, Columbia is more scenic and safer than Germantown and has a active association. Germantown's biggest problem is that more areas have become lower-income and section 8. Not that there is anything wrong with this, but crime has increased and some areas have become very run down. Also Germantown is an unincorporated place so it is made up of different HOA's. However; there are nice areas off Richter Farm rd, Milestone, and the areas off west of Great Seneca Hwy.

Germantown does have a nice town center with restuarants and a movie theatre which Columbia does not have. The nearest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are in Gaithersburg.

Have you looked at Rockville and Silver Spring areas? You might be able to find housing there.

Good Luck!
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Old 05-28-2008, 07:38 PM
 
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Default Thanks!

Rockville and Silver Spring are a little out of my price range. If I had my choice, I'd pick Silver Spring because of its diversity and proximity to Baltimore, Washington and Va -- But maybe that's the next house.

Thanks so much for your repsonse. It really helps!
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Old 05-29-2008, 11:09 AM
 
Location: Maryland
629 posts, read 946,233 times
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Germantown is diverse.

Germantown town center has a lot of retail and restaurants, nice and you'll be close to Gaithersburg town center also. Milestone has a lot to offer also including Wal-Mart, Target, Kohls, Best Buy, etc. and restaurants. There is a Trader Joe's in Gaithersburg near Lakeforest Mall and as for Whole Foods I think the nearest one is Kentlands (Gaithersburg). Mi

As for the commute, there are 2 express buses down 270 to Bethesda Metro, one comes from Milestone and the other from the park and ride lot on Route 124 (Quince Orchard) and 270 in Gaithersburg. There are also ride on buses that will take you to Shady Grove Metro from the Germantown Transit center and Milestone. Because I don't think the driving commute down 270 is very nice. However, IMO the driving commute would be worse coming from Columbia and I don't know if there is transit. My experience with the 270 express buses has been very good.

When we go up to Baltimore we usually take Route 27 to Mount Airy and then take 70 to 695 (Baltimore Beltway)--this takes about an hour.
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Old 05-29-2008, 04:12 PM
 
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Great insight. Thanks!
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Old 05-30-2008, 08:15 AM
 
Location: Bethesda, MD
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Regarding my earlier post, not all of Germantown is bad. As Joykins said, The Milestone area is very nice and has a lot of retail shopping options. Also the Germantown Town Center is pretty nice and there is a new library. However; given the choice of Columbia and Germantown, I would still choose Columbia. Just my opinion though.

Quote:
As for the commute, there are 2 express buses down 270 to Bethesda Metro, one comes from Milestone and the other from the park and ride lot on Route 124 (Quince Orchard) and 270 in Gaithersburg. There are also ride on buses that will take you to Shady Grove Metro from the Germantown Transit center and Milestone. Because I don't think the driving commute down 270 is very nice. However, IMO the driving commute would be worse coming from Columbia and I don't know if there is transit. My experience with the 270 express buses has been very good.
Excellent point. Shady Grove is not too far of a drive from Germantown, so you also have the option to using Metro to work in Bethesda.
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Old 05-30-2008, 08:27 AM
 
Location: Metro Washington DC
15,432 posts, read 25,814,526 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TrippingJay View Post
I would actually choose Columbia over Germantown. Commute-wise, Germantown is closer to Bethesda, but you would be traveling south-bound I-270 in the morning and northbound in the evening which can be brutal to deal with. Columbia you may drive more, but if they get around to completing the ICC, you won't have too much to worry about.
How do you think the ICC will help with a commute from Columbia to Bethesda? Are you thinking this because some of the traffic that now uses the beltway will use the ICC instead? Wouldn't that also make the commute on 270 from Germatown easier? You do know that the ICC will not go anywhere near Betheda, right?

For the original poster, Columbia might be a better fit for you, but the commute from Germantown will be easier than from Columbia.
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Old 05-30-2008, 09:04 AM
 
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I commute daily from Germantown to North Bethesda and it's not as bad of a commute as it sounds, though I do leave for work at about 8:30am and home at about 10 minutes before 5pm. My typical commute takes about 35-40 minutes down Great Seneca to Sam Eig to 270 then Montrose Parkway in Rockville/North Bethesda.

A really nice area of Germantown is the southern part where it borders Boyds to the west and Gaithersburg to the south. I believe it's called the Kingsview Village area. There are alot of really nice townhouses (falling in price into the high 300K and low 400K range) along Richter Farm Road (moving north from 118 to 117).

It's maybe a 35 minutes Ride-On bus ride to the Shady Grove Metro and probably 10-15 minutes Metro to Bethesda. Alternatively, you have several options to get onto 270 from Germantown. From this area of southern Germantown you have the following options. . .

1) Germantown Road (118) at Exit 15
2) Middlebrook Road at Exit 13
3) Clopper Road (117) at Exit 10
4) Sam Eig Highway at Exit 9

All easily accessible via Great Seneca Highway (Rt 119)
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Old 05-31-2008, 07:13 PM
 
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This info really helps! I am going to take a look at Germantown just to explore my options, but I am probably going to choose Columbia based on its lifestyle aspects and more choices housing wise based on what I can afford. Not looking forward to that commute, though.

Thanks so much, guys!
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Old 07-20-2008, 09:05 AM
 
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The commute from Columbia to Bethesda is HORRIBLE at peak times. Avoid at all costs.
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