In need of a little help.. (Shepherdstown, Jefferson: crime, income, living)

[sthnbell]

I am from Alabama and soon my husband and I will be relocating to Hanover, MD. After alot of research in surrounding areas, I found the p.o.l to be crazy high (however, that may be due to the fact that I am comparing it to Alabama). I have read some posts on here and found that some people actually commute from WV. After seeing and comparing the price of housing and such, I can sort of understand why. I guess my question is, is a commute from WV to MD doable or would that just be insane ? Or does anyone have suggestions on other areas maybe closer to Hanover that may be more affordable?

I am not at all familiar with anything up there. My husband was in the military for 8 years and we have been all over the SE, but never that far north, so I am a little nervous about this move.

[clintsullivan]

I live just outside Shepherdstown WV in Jefferson County, the most eastern county in WV. I did a google map estimate which came up with an hour and 22 minute drive to Hanover MD. That in itself isn't too bad, but if you are doing it during the standard rush it can be very bad.
More than 50% of the workforce in Jefferson County commutes toward DC; because of that it is considered a bedroom community and is directly affected by the greater DC economy. The cost of living and crime are much lower here than MD, but you have to decide if the commute and its costs are worth it. My father commuted to Gaithersburg for about 20 years and didn't seem to mind too much. I tried it for about a year but decided that it wasn't economically prudent when comparing my income to the costs of commuting. Check out other commuting options like car or van-pools; 4-10hr days, or telecommute if available.
But if you are stuck in Hanover MD for work, I think I would consider living somewhere in northern MD or southern PA. You may want to post this over at the MD and PA forums to get some feel for those areas.
Clint