Are there any "small towns" in the DC/Baltimore area?

[mikehn]

I live in Mt Airy and keep my boats in Grasonville. Moved to mt Airy 12 years ago and considered it small town back then, not any more. Half acre properties go for about half million. If you can find an acre, about 3/4 million. Now Grasonville is small town and commute would be great to Annapolis, but horrible to DC or Baltimore. There are plenty small towns on Maryland's eastern shore, but again the commute would be horrendous to DC/Balt. I think you mentioned something about commuting to Reston. I commuted from Mt Airy to Reston for two years. Now Reston would be a problematic commute no matter where you lived in MD.

 

[Neesy228]

Thank you to everyone offering their opinions! It's so helpful to hear from people who know the area well! I've been compiling a list of places and comments from everyone, so can work through them.

I live in Mt Airy and keep my boats in Grasonville. Moved to mt Airy 12 years ago and considered it small town back then, not any more. Half acre properties go for about half million. If you can find an acre, about 3/4 million. Now Grasonville is small town and commute would be great to Annapolis, but horrible to DC or Baltimore. There are plenty small towns on Maryland's eastern shore, but again the commute would be horrendous to DC/Balt. I think you mentioned something about commuting to Reston. I commuted from Mt Airy to Reston for two years. Now Reston would be a problematic commute no matter where you lived in MD.

So, how would you classify Mt Airy? Suburban? Is it a rapidly growing area? Do you enjoy the area?

Right in the middle of the DC/Baltimore/Annapolis triangle would be Crofton, Odenton, Gambrills. For Odenton, stick to the Piney Orchard area- not the side by the base. I live in the area and have never had problems getting to those three big cities, but it depends on where in DC you are trying to go. There is a MARC train right in Odenton and Piney Orchard even has a community bus that goes to the station. I LOVE it here- community gyms, pools, shopping, and access to everything you could ever want.

However, my lot is measured in FEET, not acres. Im ok with close neighbors- love having BBQ's in the summer, sounds of kids everywhere. We do have plenty of common areas and playgrounds, bike trails, ball fields, even a nature preserve. A SF home here is 400-500k. Townhouses vary greatly in size and are 250k-450k.

A pp mentioned MapleLawn in Howard County which is absolutely gorgeous. But most of the prices are at least 100k higher so it really depends on your budget. The schools in Howard County also have the leading edge on Anne Arundel.

Some of these places you are mentioning are way too far to commute to DC, IMO. Grasonville would cost daily bridge tolls not to mention the traffic, and I don't think the schools over there are that great. That said, I have a friend who lives out there who not only has land but raises chickens. Houses out there are under 200k.

I really think we need some land. We are coming from a very small town. We do have a central business core, but residential areas are more spread out...I don't think I could have neighbors right on top of me. Of the places you mention (Crofton, Odenton, Gambrills) are most of the those more large suburbs?

I'm not so concerned about a schools reputation as I am about the sheer size of the schools. Our elementary school has 400 kids...and they're supposed to be a great school too, but I've seen with my own eyes that it's not so much the test scores that make a school great, as it is the teachers and staff who care about the children. So, do you happen to know how large your schools are in that area? Or do you know how happy you/your neighbors are with the school overall? (most interested in elementary school, larger middle/high schools are less of a concern)

Thanks again to everyone!

 

[Ioansgirl]

We just moved to the area this fall and had many of the same concerns you have. I like having some space around and hate being right on top of neighbors. We chose the sykesville/eldersburg area (we are renting for a year to get to know the area). Our plan is to get a house here because it has enough "country" feel while still close to stuff. I have been very impressed with the schools so far. I didn't catch where you are going to be commuting every day so that would make a difference. Lots of people here work in Baltimore. We found that if you leave super, super early traffic is fine but leaving even 15 mins later makes your commute twice as long.
I haven't seen anything in Howard County that we would be able to afford but it certainly is a nice area.

 

[Neesy228]

We just moved to the area this fall and had many of the same concerns you have. I like having some space around and hate being right on top of neighbors. We chose the sykesville/eldersburg area (we are renting for a year to get to know the area). Our plan is to get a house here because it has enough "country" feel while still close to stuff. I have been very impressed with the schools so far. I didn't catch where you are going to be commuting every day so that would make a difference. Lots of people here work in Baltimore. We found that if you leave super, super early traffic is fine but leaving even 15 mins later makes your commute twice as long.
I haven't seen anything in Howard County that we would be able to afford but it certainly is a nice area.

Can you tell me how the schools are out in your area? Size? How far do your kids travel on the bus? I'm leaning toward Sykesville/Eldersburg or Mt Airy. Did you consider both places as well? Thanks for your time! Your post was helpful!

 

[turtlebean]

We moved from Kensington (outside of Washington, DC) to Mt. Airy when I was 10. I grew up there for the most part and When DH and I got married 15 years ago, we moved to Frederick. My parents still live w/in the town limits. Mt. Airy to me still has that small town feel but has changed alot. When I moved there, we only had McDonalds, Pizza Hut and 2 grocery stores. They now have 3 grocery stores, tons of restaurants and a Walmart. To do any real shopping, you still need to go to Frederick or Columbia. One thing to consider is that while the downtown of Mt Airy is small, it does reach out into Carroll, Howard, Montgomery and Frederick Counties. It is exactly 2 miles from my parents house to the my MIL's house, yet DH and I went to different schools. I think it's a fantastic place to raise a family and regret not moving back when we were looking to buy.

As far as land and price, the farther west and north you go, the more you will get for you money. The housing prices really took a hit in this area, some more than others. There are good deals to be found.

Commuting sucks wherever you live in Maryland. I-70 is definitely better than I-270 or I-95. One thing to consider is if your DH will be in Annapolis most of the time or will he be traveling more around the state. My DH works in Tyson's Corner, VA (south of Reston) and it takes him a little over an hour w/out traffic. However, we could never afford for us to live closer to his work. We wouldn't have the house we have now.

As far as schools go, anywhere you go in Maryland will have great schools. Education Week has ranked Maryland schools #1 for 4 straight years in a row. We have been happy w/school sytem. I have a 3rd grader right now and my youngest will start kindergarten next year.

I hope this helps you. If you have anymore ?'s, let me know. I hope you like living in Maryland.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We lived in Harford County, MD in a small town called Bel Air. It is an adorable small town with a Main Street, quaint shops, great schools but enough chain stores that you don't feel completely isolated. You're only 35 miles North of Baltimore so you have access to more shopping and bigger hospitals like Johns Hopkins not too far away.

http://www.belairmd.org/

You can catch the train over in Edgewood/Aberdeen area to commute down to the DC area but the commute will be at least an hour each way I would imagine. DH looked into doing that when we thought he was being sent to DC after our back to back tours in the area.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

We moved from Kensington (outside of Washington, DC) to Mt. Airy when I was 10. I grew up there for the most part and When DH and I got married 15 years ago, we moved to Frederick. My parents still live w/in the town limits. Mt. Airy to me still has that small town feel but has changed alot. When I moved there, we only had McDonalds, Pizza Hut and 2 grocery stores. They now have 3 grocery stores, tons of restaurants and a Walmart. To do any real shopping, you still need to go to Frederick or Columbia. One thing to consider is that while the downtown of Mt Airy is small, it does reach out into Carroll, Howard, Montgomery and Frederick Counties. It is exactly 2 miles from my parents house to the my MIL's house, yet DH and I went to different schools. I think it's a fantastic place to raise a family and regret not moving back when we were looking to buy.

As far as land and price, the farther west and north you go, the more you will get for you money. The housing prices really took a hit in this area, some more than others. There are good deals to be found.

Commuting sucks wherever you live in Maryland. I-70 is definitely better than I-270 or I-95. One thing to consider is if your DH will be in Annapolis most of the time or will he be traveling more around the state. My DH works in Tyson's Corner, VA (south of Reston) and it takes him a little over an hour w/out traffic. However, we could never afford for us to live closer to his work. We wouldn't have the house we have now.

As far as schools go, anywhere you go in Maryland will have great schools. Education Week has ranked Maryland schools #1 for 4 straight years in a row. We have been happy w/school sytem. I have a 3rd grader right now and my youngest will start kindergarten next year.

I hope this helps you. If you have anymore ?'s, let me know. I hope you like living in Maryland.

Anywhere you go in MD will have good schools? I disagree. Have you seen Baltimore City schools? PG county schools? There are many great schools in MD but even in Howard County you will find less than adequate schools. OP seems more concerned with size of school than quality so i am sure they will find a school they feel is "good enough." OP, if you want to see school size check out greatschools website.

 

[Wiloughby1]

To the question of Eldersburg/Sykeville schools...

here's the Eldersburg Elementary website http://www.carrollk12.org/ees/

and the Carroll County Public Schools site http://www.carrollk12.org/

You can also go to MSDE website and they will tell you populations by zip code.

Some schools are very small. We are in Baltimore county, but only about 15 mins from Sykesville. Our local elementary has about 60 kids/grade, 20/class. Others in the area are much bigger or much smaller. It really depends on exactly which one you are districted to attend, so go with MSDE for exacts.

I grew up in Sykeville as a kid and coordinated au pair services in Elderburg/Sykesville. It really is nice.

 

[tiggertabi]

Look at Middletown, MD. It's a great town, close to Frederick, very small town feel. The schools aren't very good in Frederick compared to surrounding MoCo and other schools, but Middletown's are great! Lots of community soccer, etc.

I live in Gaithersburg and I wish we had moved up there, but husband has to commute to DC every day and we only had 1 car, so he was taking the metro. We're very close to the metro. Middletown would be about 1 hour from the metro, or 1 hour drive to Baltimore (no traffic.)

 

[LoveMyDogTheDoodle]

We are considering a possible relocation, but the area is stressing me out. So, I thought I'd come here to ask opinions...fellow DISer's always seem to have some great advice!

We are looking for somewhere in the DC/Baltimore area that has a small town feel. Does that even exist? Areas that are Southeast or Northwest of the two metro areas seem to be our best bet. We are willing to go as far northwest as Mt Airy, MD (is that a nice place?) and as far southeast as Grasonville, MD....maybe farther if we really really need to...

We basically want a small town feel. Parks, local activities, some brand stores and restaurants (Target, Applebees type places) would be nice. Also high on the list would be somewhere with small community schools (elementary and middle) that don't have overwhelming numbers of children. And lastly (and budget related) we don't want to spend a million dollars on a single family home on a teeny tiny piece of land...we would like maybe .5 to 1 acres

So, am I asking for something impossible for that area? If I am, I'd rather know that now before we take any job offers.

If you can help, I'd love to hear your advice/opinions.

THANKS!

Hi,
I have lived several years in Piney Orchard in Odenton, and although a very nice community, the living standards are a combo of townhouses, apartments, and fewer single family homes. There is a terrific elementary school within the community. It might not fit your requirment for acreage though. I now live in Crofton, which is about ten minutes from Odenton. It is very nice here as well and you will find areas with more acreage.

Probably the best idea would be Davidsonville; a few miles south of Crofton, but much more rural. There are lots of little horse farms in that area and the schools are still part of Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Additionally, it's very close to Rt. 50 - the major route to both Annapolis and D.C. Baltimore is not that far away either. There is also a park and ride close by.

Do be careful of the public schools in MD; check out greatschools.org for help. I would avoid Prince George's County schools.

Best of luck with your move!

Jeanne

 

[Neesy228]

To the question of Eldersburg/Sykeville schools...

here's the Eldersburg Elementary website http://www.carrollk12.org/ees/

and the Carroll County Public Schools site http://www.carrollk12.org/

You can also go to MSDE website and they will tell you populations by zip code.

Some schools are very small. We are in Baltimore county, but only about 15 mins from Sykesville. Our local elementary has about 60 kids/grade, 20/class. Others in the area are much bigger or much smaller. It really depends on exactly which one you are districted to attend, so go with MSDE for exacts.

I grew up in Sykeville as a kid and coordinated au pair services in Elderburg/Sykesville. It really is nice.

Thank you for this information. It's very helpful.

 

[Neesy228]

Hi,
I have lived several years in Piney Orchard in Odenton, and although a very nice community, the living standards are a combo of townhouses, apartments, and fewer single family homes. There is a terrific elementary school within the community. It might not fit your requirment for acreage though. I now live in Crofton, which is about ten minutes from Odenton. It is very nice here as well and you will find areas with more acreage.

Probably the best idea would be Davidsonville; a few miles south of Crofton, but much more rural. There are lots of little horse farms in that area and the schools are still part of Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Additionally, it's very close to Rt. 50 - the major route to both Annapolis and D.C. Baltimore is not that far away either. There is also a park and ride close by.

Do be careful of the public schools in MD; check out greatschools.org for help. I would avoid Prince George's County schools.

Best of luck with your move!

Jeanne

Haven't heard Davidsonville come up yet! I'll look into it! Thank you

 

[Abbie]

Can you tell me how the schools are out in your area? Size? How far do your kids travel on the bus? I'm leaning toward Sykesville/Eldersburg or Mt Airy. Did you consider both places as well? Thanks for your time! Your post was helpful!

I've lived in this area for 30 years and love it! I am actually a bit west of Sykesville and north of Mt. Airy but am in both towns often. I work in Mt. Airy and it's a lovely area with a small-town feel. No big-box stores or big chain restaurants yet but I think they will be coming eventually. The location is so nice, you can hop onto Rt. 70 within minutes. There are actually quite a few homes there on a half-acre to an acre for $4-500,000. Schools are rated well and not huge. If you're on the Carroll Co. side, both the elementary and middle schools are right there in town and the high school is about 15 minutes away.

Sykesville/Eldersburg is a much bigger area, but it still feels small-towny to me. Growing rapidly though! More housing options and several elementary, middle, and high schools.

Here's a link to the local paper (online edition) so you can poke around and get a feel for those two areas. http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/

Oh, and from Mt. Airy it takes us less than an hour to hit Annapolis and the Bay Bridge. Going into DC/NoVa is a whole 'nother issue though!

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Haven't heard Davidsonville come up yet! I'll look into it! Thank you

Davidsonville is beautiful! I would live there if I could afford a 700K house. Very expensive area.

 

[Schmoodle]

I've lived in this area all my life. You've gotten some good guidance on areas to explore, so I won't repeat what others have said. Basically it comes down to a trade-off between cost and distance. The farther out you are, the more land you'll be able to afford. Some of the suburban lots are ridiculous, big huge houses, just feet apart.

One thing I would add is that I find employers in this area are sensitive to the commuting issue and are more open to alternate arrangements like hoteling or telecommuting. I telecommute 80% of my time as an engineer with one of the larger defense contractors, and have for the last 14 years. I was hired by my current company with this understanding, and it's the same deal I had with my previous employer, another large contractor. I know quite a few others with alternate work arrangements, even govt employees - my brother at NIST, and a close friend is at the Patent Office, and they are both telecommuters. Of course it depends on the company/agency and position, but the arrangement enables me to live in a small town 60 miles from my home office. I'd advise your husband to ask his potential employers about the options.

Good luck! These types of decisions are always so stressful.

 

[vicki_c]

Haven't heard Davidsonville come up yet! I'll look into it! Thank you

I live almost in Davidsonsville (the neighborhood at the end of my development is considered Davidsonville). This area is Davidsonville/Edgewater/Riva. It is very nice here. Not good for commuting to VA though. On days I have to go to one of our offices (so Reston, Falls Church, Sterling), it can take anywhere between 70 minutes at 6 AM and 3 hours in the afternoon. But if he doesn't have to commute to those locations very often, it might be okay. I work at home and this area works great for that, but even the few days I drive to an office is exceptionally painful. I tried commuting to Herndon 3 days a week for a while - I only lasted about 4 months before I asked my boss to change my situation.

Wherever you look, do not underestimate the pain of commuting in this area. It's something that is hard to understand until you have done it.

 

[deawd]

Take a look at Crownsville in Anne Arundel County. We are 10 minutes from Annapolis and 20 minutes from Baltimore. On the weekend, I can get to DC in 35 minutes. During rush hour, driving to DC takes around an hour. The area is all single family homes, with prices ranging from $200k to over $1M. Lots tend to start at 1/3 acre and go up from there. Many communities are water-privileged -- our community has multiple private beaches and boat ramps. The elementary schools are small -- my kids have approximately 20 kids in their classes and 3 classes per grade. Our neighborhood is very safe and we socialize with our neighbors. I can be at a nice mall or a nice restaurant in a few minutes. PM me if you want more info.

 

[arthuruscg]

Hi,
I would avoid Prince George's County schools.

I want to reinforce LoveMyDogTheDoodle, tiny sentence. Avoid Prince Georges (usually referred to as PG) County as though it was the plague. The sucks suck, and ms13 is moving into a lot of the belt way communities. Also, the northern part of Charles county is slowly becoming infected and has horrible traffic. There is also areas in PG that have been hit hard with foreclosures, so the prices might look good until you see the surrounding neighborhood.

Because of the area traffic and the lack of parking, telecommuting is becoming very common and almost a requirement. For example, I work on the Suitland Federal Center, we do not have enough parking available for all the employees that do not have mass transit/ buss service to drive in and to park. So, you might want to pick a house where your husband will have a home office/ quite space.

I live in Calvert County and have about a 1 hr commute to Suitland.

 

[sparklynails23]

What about Annapolis or a neighborhood outside of Annapolis? You wouldn't have a big lot, but there are nice areas there. Reston would be a haul. What about St. Michael's? It's a cute, small town. Expensive but cute. If you go out that way, you can get to the beach easily.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Howard County is definitely the most centralized location in MD and has some of the best public schools. Because of this, housing is absolutely out of control. Expect to pay between $350-$500K for a townhome and at least $500 for any kind of single family home.

Also housing prices within HoCo are completely driven by what high school the neighborhood is district-ed to. I have no idea if these prices accurately reflect the quality of the high school, but when I was looking for homes in HoCo a couple of years ago, I could afford a single family home district-ed to say Wilde Lake High School, but couldn't even afford a 2 bedroom condo that was district-ed for River Hill High School.