Family friendly towns near Gaithersburg (Germantown, Frederick: transplants, house, neighborhoods)

[mpeltzer]

We are moving to Maryland and would like to know what areas are the safest near Gaithersburg. Also, if anyone knows the logistics of living in Frederick (crime, commute, etc.).

[lj07]

I have lived in Frederick County my entire life. The commute to Gaithersburg like said in other messages really is going to depend on the time of the day that you leave. If you can work flexiable hours and leave very early great my husband leaves no later than 4:30 in the morning as not to hit traffic. If there is snow or an accident you could sit for as long as 2 hours plus. In addition due to all the recent new communites the traffic in Frederick county can be a nightmare in itself. I personaly run all my erands leaving my house no later than 7:30 a.m. Frederick county crimes continue to increase every day. Just in yesterdays paper our crime is at the highest it has ever been. According to a recent study Maryland ranks 5 as one of the worse states to live in for crime even beating out California. It's a shame because Maryland once was a beautiful state. The schools in Frederick County are very overcrowded and the debate continue today as to which school will get their additions first. The schools are very test oriented so teachers do not have the flexiablity to be creative that I guess can be a positive or negative. I consider a negative my child is only taught what will be on a test. I am not sure where you are moving from but please do some serious research before coming. Go on line and read the Frederick News post about what is going on in this area.

[Washingtonian]

Check out Clarksburg. It's not to far from Gaithersburg but it has a rural fell. A lot of new and existing homes out there.

[westsideboy]

All of the comments about the bad traffic and overcrowded schools are true. I grit my teeth driving to work every morning, and I work on the other side of town. If I am five minutes late out the door, it translates to 15 extra minutes stuck in traffic.

The county schools are good, but crowded. All public schools are struggling with the NCLB legislation and thus are forced to "teach to the test."

I agree that you should read the Frederick News-Post, but please read the entire article, NOT just the headline. The article about crime in Frederick County yesterday mentions that crime is up from last year, but the larger trend over 5 years is that crime is DOWN. The police officer in the article clearly states, the 5 year trend is the better indicator of crime trends.

Don't let the state's crime rate prevent you moving here. The overwhelming majority of this crime is in Baltimore City and PG county around DC. The rest of the state is safe and a great place to live.

[exburger]

Gaithersburg WAS a nice place to live about 25 years ago. I've watched it decline. I grew up in Gaithersburg, attending Elementary, Jr. High (before it was called Middle School) and graduating from Gaithersburg High School. In my "old" neighborhood we were the only hispanic family living in my neighborhood back in the late 70s and early 80s. When I left Gaithersburg (after buying the home I grew up in from my parents), I did so because I wanted my child to be an upstanding citizen. The neighborhood became a slum. The property value skyrocketed in the reverse direction. My husband's car was keyed down to bare metal by the kids in the neighborhood (no parental supervision EVER), my son needed to get 10 stitches in his head because the kids decided it was fun to throw rocks at each other, and my life was threatened by a 17 year old who's parents laughed when I spoke to them about their child. My next door neighbor had 12 people living in a 3 bedroom townhouse 3 of them were children. The men that lived in the 3 townhouses around me, gathered in the parking lot to drink and talk loudly as well as urinate, even though their homes were less than 10 feet away. I (of hispanic decent now a US Citizen) am embarrased and horrified that hispanics choose to live like they do in Gaithersburg. I never felt scared or grossed out being in Gaithersburg like I do now. I now live in Mt. Airy and am so glad that my child is growing up and attending school out of Gaithersburg.

[bootinka]

Dear people:

I really need help in deciding where to move at in Maryland. I was wondering if you can help me with making a right decision about where to live. I use to live in the East side of Maryland some years ago and that was last moment, so I didn't have time to do any research I had to make the most of it. I now live in South Carolina attending school and I will be graduating in the Spring of 2008, which doesn't give me much time to find what I am looking for.

I have two kids ages 10 and going 3. My 10 year old son is mild mentally delayed with a second diagnosis of mild autisim. My 2 year old is fine thank God. I am a single mother who is going into a career with an associates degree of Administrative Management. I am lookinf for affordable housing do you know of any programs (maybe section 8 in a decent area and I am looking for decent schools in the county & good job contacts that want be to far away from the city.

I know this is a tall order, but I have been researching this and my head still hurts because I want to make the right choices for my two little boys. When I lived in the city it was bad because the school that my oldest son went to was bad overall and he didn't get what he needed. I would really appreciate someone with more insight then me. You can even reach me at my e-mail adddress at bettywilson25@hotmail.com you title the Re: as Relocating to Maryland.

P.S. If anyone else has anything to have I would also be appreciative as well.

Thank you so much


bootinka

[exburger]

Bootinka:

I would recommend Frederick County...Mt. Airy to be exact. Great community, peaceful, reasonable pricing on housing. Special Education in Frederick County is great. My cousin has a child in a Frederick County Public School and the child is autistic. Mt. Airy is 1/2 an hour to Gaithersburg.

[bargainmom]

I personally think this area is a TERRIBLE place to raise a family. It has little or nothing to do with the dreaded "hispanic males"-although a rise in gang violence and the county actually spending tax dollars on illegal alien work centers is a bit much even for a progressive such as myself.

The reason why I would say NO is because: The area is VERY expensive (not just housing but all utilities, insurance and even food) the traffic is HORRIBLE (expect to spend an average of 2 hours a day in mind boggling slow traffic) the taxes are HIGH (property tax on a small townhouse was over $3,000 last year) and there actually is racial tension here. The area is very congested and overcrowded. We have very hot humid summers, too. I guess it depends where you are coming from--NYC this place is a piece of cake. A less crowded area, it may be too tough to handle the nasty people, road rage, etc. Good luck in your decision.

[irishmom]

We live in Columbia, MD. The schools are good here and in the ten years we have been here we have found it to be a quiet and safe place to be. There will be crime anywhere you go, but it seems the crime here is mostly of the bedroom variety. My husband's job is relocating him so we are actually moving up north, but had that not happened we would have been quite content to stay here. Columbia is diverse and your children will know and be friends with people from different cultures, nationalities, religions and races. All working families, so it's the best of the best of everyone. Housing is in high demand here, and it will get worse soon with the opening of new large military bases planned for the area, so now is a good time to come before prices skyrocket again. In our area houses are going around $450-$550...but you can still get that "fixer upper" for $350 or so. My children love it here...close to all the Inner Harbor stuff in Baltimore as well as all DC has to offer.

The biggest drawback to living here, and most placed in Maryland is the traffic. But a lot of companies are happy to vary work times to alleviate that concern. In additon if you work where there is public train transportation the commute can be cut down considerably by utilizing those services. Traveling to DC or surrounding areas will take longer than traveling to Baltimore. More people come into DC to work, but if you can work in Baltimore go for it...much less traffic to contend with.

Good luck in your move, we do love it here but are looking forward to our new adventure as well.

[irishmom]

Oh and the taxes here for my house are $2500 which includes all services. Columbia is also very close to Baltimore which is home to Kennedy Kreiger Institute....very good place for autism care and services. They are the gold standard of care, support, schools and services for autism. Even if you don't live in Columbia it's worth checking out no matter where you do live in Maryland. Respite services, special ed, and therapy services are excellent in Maryland for children with special needs. Also the job market is growing and salaries are high here, not NYC high but still very competive. It's a very good place to grow and prosper as a family. Stay out of the cities and it's great. However if you go north into Frederick and Caroll county be prepared for that red neck racist attitude that abounds there. Same is true if you go too south....Mongomery and Howard Counties are your best bets for diversity. Good luck to you.