Best Places in Maryland to Live and Commutable to Gallaudet University for Work (Columbia: real estate, crime)

[Derry8107]

Dear Marylanders:

I will be moving to Maryland from Wisconsin this summer for my new job at Gallaudet University near the intersection of New York Ave. and Florida Ave. in Washington, D.C. (Northeast section). I am looking into nice surburbs nearby to live that are commutable to Gallaudet University. Any suggestions would be helpful and deeply appreciated. Also, I have a list of places I have in mind and you could leave your comments/opinions about them.

Montgomery County:

Gaithersburg
Rockville
Potomac
Glen Echo
Kensington
Bethesda
Chevy Chase
Somerset

Other Options:

Odenton
Columbia
Crofton

[Fissure226]

I would most strongly suggest either Rockville or Gaithersburg, granted you're in the market for an averaged priced home. If luxury real estate is your preference, you can't go wrong with Bethesda (which includes Somerset and Glen Echo) or Chevy Chase. I would not recommend Odenton or Crofton simply because you would not gain anything, living there, that would off set that kind of commute. However, Columbia is unique, in that there is nothing really like it in Montgomery County. You should scope it out and see if you would agree, and if you like it.

[Derry8107]

Thanks for your suggestions! I will look more into Rockville and Columbia; I agree that Bethesda and surrounding areas are so expensive!

I have a friend who used to live in Annapolis but lives in Florida now. Anyway, he suggested for me to pick Annapolis because Highway 50 easily takes you straight to Washington, D.C. especially Gallaudet University at New York Ave. and Florida Ave.

What do you think about Annapolis? Is it commutable to D.C. even though it's 30 miles away and very accessible by Highway 50?

I have one more question to ask since I am not familiar with D.C. area.

Is it true that the area at New York Ave. and Florida Ave. in Northeast section of D.C. is in the crime-ridden ghetto full of homeless people?

[MitchArk87]

Have you ever thought about checking out Virginia? In my opinion, I think Virginia is better than Maryland. I never live in Virginia but I visited family there every summer growing up. There are several cities in Virginia that are commuteable to D.C. such as Arlington, McLean, Falls Church, Vienna, and Great Falls. Fairfax and Annandale are nice if you don't mind living further away from D.C.

[J_Lurk]

Well, I'm relatively new to Maryland but I have relatives who live in the New York Ave area of DC, so I wouldn't say it is a crime-ridden ghetto. I'd say it's a redeveloping area.

I'd ignore the previous poster on living in Virginia. I've lived in Virginia, and it is nice, but you don't want that commute.

Annapolis is commutable, but you might want to search this forum for old threads on the topic. In fact, search for old threads on all the areas you mention.

[dkf747]

I used to work at Gallaudet and commute from Gaithersburg. By bus and Metro it takes 90 minutes to get there. Occasionally it can be done faster with the right bus route and Metro combination. Driving from there to Gallaudet can be done from 35 minutes to 2 hours. During rush hours it's closer to 2 hours. Annapolis is a long way, but Croftn would be doable.

Yeah New York Ave and Florida Ave is a little dicey. The area across Florida from Gallaudet has improved alot the past few years, but still has some crime. The worst is Trinidad area to the east of West Virginia Ave. Gallaudet is pretty safe though.

[yablonski]

I work at Gallaudet. The campus is surrounded by iron gates and pretty much sealed off from the surrounding area (not always a good thing -- the university is trying to be more active in the revitalization of the nearby H St and 6th St areas). But for purposes of safety: unless you walk around alone at night, it's not a concern at all.

I've lived/stayed in Bethesda, Takoma Park, Vienna, and Alexandria. The concerns about commutes for Virginia are accurate, but only if you don't plan on riding the metro. Otherwise, you're going to be spending a lot of time in your car almost no matter where you are. If you want to avoid that, check out Takoma Park in Montgomery County -- the drive to Gallaudet is 20 minutes, reliably. It feels like a small, tight-knit suburb. The other places, Rockville and Gaithersburg would definitely meet your criteria of roomy suburbs, but the possibility of 2 hours of traffic on I-495 is very real and sometimes dispiriting.

[craven2311]

I live in Odenton and like it. We are fairly close to DC in general and I think it would most likely be the least expensive of your choices. I can't speak to the Montgomery county area other than the fact that is is very expensive. Annapolis is beautiful but does seem like it would be a long commute.

[Fissure226]

What do you think about Annapolis? Is it commutable to D.C. even though it's 30 miles away and very accessible by Highway 50?

Annapolis is very nice, I have no reservations about it in terms of livability, but in rush hour traffic it will take 45-60 min to get to DC. Just something to consider...

Is it true that the area at New York Ave. and Florida Ave. in Northeast section of D.C. is in the crime-ridden ghetto full of homeless people?

That section is not the worst for crime but it's still a pretty major concern, if you are only a commuter to the area it should not really be a problem.

Most of the homeless people I have seen in DC, usually hang around Downtown, near the Mall or around the Metro Center/Farragut West metro stations, that area.

[beilart]

We live in Annapolis and love it here. Fissure is right though, it would be at least a 45 minute commute during rush hour. But, if you like fun, quaintness, good food, great bars, nice shopping and parks for walking, the commute may not bother you. If you have specific questions, feel free to send me a private message and I will get back to you. We will be on vacation all next week but we are here until Friday about noont this week.