Anyone from Maryland?

[vhoffman]

My dh is job hunting. We have several potential local offers that seem promising. Then, just yesterday, out of the clear blue, dh gets a "nibble" from Maryland! Hmmmmm...............it would be more money, a better career for dh, etc., but would involve moving, etc.

Anyone out there from Maryland? What's it like there? I can look up cost-lof-living, housing, demographics, etc., but I would still like to hear from actual people who live there. If you live there and had a choice, would you continue to live there or move if you had the chance? It would be a big step for us, but I feel positive towards it. So, what's it like to actually live in Maryland?

 

[Abbie]

Do you know which area of Md.?

I was born and raised here and love it! It is so neat to travel in one direction and be at the beach, or in the other direction and be in the mountains! You can go from one end of the state to the other in under 6 hrs. and see vastly different terrains. The climate is nice, four distinct seasons (usually). People are friendly, cost of living is reasonable for most areas. The closer you get to DC, the more expensive. I can be in Washington D.C. in under an hour (school field trips always go to the Smithsonian) or in NYC for a show in about 3 hrs.

If you know which area you are talking about, someone might be able to give you more information. I'm in the central part of the state and it's beautiful here.

 

[vhoffman]

I don't have the name of the town, but its in the central part of the state. I believe someone said its a master planned community. Glad to hear positive things about the state!

 

[DisneyGerry]

Born and raised

Whereabout?

We are in Crofton right outside DC/ Baltimore/ Annapolis

We love the Fall--althought cold/ damp/ and overcast today

GS

 

[TiggerTails57]

We live in Columbia, love it here
DH is a Ravens fan, loves all the sports here. Also DC/Baltimore are with in easy reach. Housing is expensive, but our house has gone up in value $200.000 in just three years. Good time to buy as some prices are dropping alittle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia,_Maryland

 

[debbi801]

Another born and raised. I'd never live anyplace else, I love it here. The schools are good, the community is great. We live in NW Baltimore County (Owings Mills/Reisterstown area). If you can let me know where exactly you're thinking of, I can give you more info.

 

[LaraK]

I'm in Annapolis right near the Chesapeake Bay. It is expensive here and housing values have skyrocketed, but the market is cooling, so now is the time to get a deal. The DC/Baltimore is very fast paced and "East Coast", but the outer suburbs are still really nice and have a lot of neat towns....it depends a lot on what you're looking for in terms of lifestyle. I tend to go into DC more than Baltimore (although I work in Baltimore) for outings like the zoo or the museums. I can be at our community beach on the Bay in two minutes by car or about 15 on foot. I can be at the ocean in about an hour and a half and in the mountains of western Maryland in about 3 hours. DC and Baltimore are both an hour away (about). I would watch your school system choices carefully. There are many fantastic, nationally ranked schools in Maryland, but some real rotten areas as well.

By the way, you asked if we would live here if we had a choice. DH and I never intended to stay here, it was a stepping stone. I grew up in DC and had moved away, I never thought I'd come back to this area (both parents have moved out of state). But we had such fantastic opportunities here professionally, we stayed. We LOVE where we live. If I won the lottery, I'd just buy a bigger house on the water in my current community. I HATE my commute to work. Many people who live near me have similar brutal commutes into the cities. I don't know if we would leave at this point if we got an offer elsewhere....I think the only state that could really draw us in a this point would be Florida so that I could be closer to my father, who's getting older.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

I love it here in Maryland. I have lived in MD my whole life. I live near Frederick, MD. I really like it in this area because it's away from the commotion of being right near DC, but we're still close enough to DC/Baltimore that we can visit frequently. We're about an hour from Baltimore and a little more to DC. Maryland is such a nice state. The weather is good, with all four seasons. No nasty weather problems, such as hurricanes or tornados. You've got a short drive to get to the beaches or the mountains. It's just perfect here! Housing is expensive, but then again, I don't have much to compare it to. The houses in this area are much less expensive than closer to Baltimore or DC.

Let us know what area so we can give you more information.

 

[LaraK]

No nasty weather problems, such as hurricanes or tornados. QUOTE]
I don't know, we had a tornado a few miles from my house two weeks ago and Tropical Storm Isabel flooded my whole neighboorhood near the water.

 

[tmt martins]

I live in Baltimore City.

But with the way it's being ran right now I can not recomend it to anyone 215+murders already this year.

Now MD has many wonderful places to live and many places not so.

But work is good and we are a small drive to everything you would need to do.Beach, sking,great parks .

The only place I would concider to relocate is either Orlando or Souther Cali and it's not just for Disney but overall entertainment factors.

 

[sherreis]

I don't have the name of the town, but its in the central part of the state. I believe someone said its a master planned community. Glad to hear positive things about the state!

My guess is that would be Columbia. It's in one of the most expensive areas to live. We lived there for 13 years and moved away to be able to afford a single family house. Our townhouse there now sells for mid $300s. I live in an area in Carroll County. We're about 40-45 minutes outside of Baltimore. I agree with everyone else. It's a nice place to live except as I get older I hate winters more and more. We get snow but not too much usually. Summers are hot and humid. Good schools in a lot of area and good shopping.

 

[Abbie]

Hi Sherri, we're in Carroll Co. also!

 

[emma'smom]

I grew up in Baltimore City...but have since moved away for professional opportunities. We love where we live now...but if we ever moved...Maryland would be on our list of a places to consider. We would most likely look in the Frederick area (or out a little further...like New Market).

 

[vhoffman]

It is in Columbia, at least the employer is.

At first I was excited about the area, then started looking at housing prices.

It just seems like we couldn't begin to afford anything that would suit our needs, at least right in Columbia. Townhouses start around $300K! We live outside San Antonio, for 300K you could get a mansion! Ok, well, perhaps the housing market is a bit more reasonable outside Columbia? What areas would be a reasonable commute that I could search?

Well, we don't even know if he has a job there, he doesn't even have an offer, just a headhunter who said there was some interest in him in that area. We'll know more Monday. But when things like that happen, I've found they happen fast! DH asked me if I would like to move there, I said it sounds interesting.....The cost of living seems higher, too. We don't have a state income tax here in Texas, but our property taxes are quite high. Also, we have very mild winters. I'm from Ohio originally, so I know what snow and ice are all about! We have brutal summers here, though, 100+ days for almost 2 months.

Well, I was positive towards such a move before looking at real estate prices. Perhaps I'm just looking in the wrong places? Any suggestions for nice areas with reasonable prices close to Columbia? Thanks!

 

[sherreis]

There are plenty of areas outside Columbia where housing will be cheaper. One of the additional things you would need to consider if buying a house in Columbia itself, is there is an additional tax called CPRA. It's like a homeowner's association for Columbia. Way back when when we were looking at houses (that was in 1989) it was approx $50-$75/month. As far as home costs, you're surely not going to have as much house for your money compared to where you live. I miss the convenience of living in that area - accessibility to everywhere, shopping, dining.

Do you have children that you need to be worrying about schools? That makes a difference as well about what area to stay away from.

Summers are definitely less brutal here than the San Antonio area. Your electric bill would be lower even considering that our electric bills are in the process of being raised 72%.


Abbie - Hi neighbor. We're in Hampstead. Where are you?

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

I would look in a place in Carroll county or eastern Frederick County. I live in New Market, which is in Frederick County. Our schools are wonderful, and the cost of living is much better than in Columbia. Mt. Airy is also a little more East, and is about half an hour or so from Columbia. In Carroll County, you could look in Sykesville or Eldersburg.

 

[Disney=Love]

Sorry, just had to drop in here because I'm applying to a college in Maryland. Glad to see it seems like a nice place to live.

 

[tmt martins]

Sorry, just had to drop in here because I'm applying to a college in Maryland. Glad to see it seems like a nice place to live.

Thats good we do have some of the best colleges around.

 

[Mbg98]

Marylanders here as well! we are on the Easternshore and LOVE it! An hour to the beach and an hour and 15 to DC what could be better!

 

[LaraK]

In terms of the housing market, if you want to commute into Columbia, you could consider coming nearer to where I am. I can get to Columbia in about 40 minutes. A three bedroom single family near me is about $350K (reasonable compaired to many areas). If you go about 40 minutes to the north and west of Columbia (I am south and east), you end up in the Carrol County/Westminster area. More west than east, you are in the Fredrick/New Market area. The biggest problem is that you will be in the DC area if you try to get near Columbia. The salaries are bigger, but the housing prices are too.