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Since we're talking about where to live today
I got a job in Rockville and I'm definitely not looking forward to the commute, although it will get better once they open the ICC portion to 29. Ideally we would like to be able to move into a single family home in the future and it would be nice to cut down on the commute a little, although we have to balance two people.
The best situations would probably be to move a little further south but stay close/accessible to 29 for commuting reasons. The traffic is often so bad in Maryland I don't know how to take into account commutes for a long time when I don't know where exactly I'll be working in the future. I feel the majority of jobs in my future could be in Rockville/Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, and maybe Columbia or Baltimore. Moving further south would really eliminate my desire to take a job in Frederick, although I did apply to some there now.
I guess I'm just finding it difficult to balance where I want to live in terms of the town and community and where might be better in terms of commutes for both of us (currently we both would drive south from Columbia, then I would go west and he goes east in opposite directions). I have some weird mental block about moving to Montgomery County - towns like Burtonsville or Spencerville. I don't really get it but I would prefer to stay in Howard County like southern Columbia below 32, Laurel in HoCo, Fulton, or Highland.
Then of course we still have to balance actually being able to find what we want as I really would like some land to have a fenced in yard and I don't want to compromise on getting too small of a lot after being in a townhouse for 5 years. I think I'm torn too because I really like being close to all of the stores and restaurants that we have in Columbia but it would be more practical to move a little more south, the question is how much? Any suggestions on locations or how you dealt with this in deciding where to live?
I feel like I'm taking the tour of Maryland with my commutes - first it was Frederick, then Bethesda for a year, then east Baltimore for 5 years, and now I will drive to Rockville.
Re: Since we're talking about where to live today
I used to house-sit/baby-sit for a family in Scaggsville/North Laurel- sounds awful, but it was a gorgeous house w/ a fenced in yard in a nice community. It was HoCo, but almost Laurel, really close to 95 and MoCo for that matter.
I have no idea what houses are going for there though- but that area, or Fulton would put you a little closed to Rockville, but I don't know what that would do for your DH's commute.
Also congrats on the job!
Daisy - that's the area I like in North Laurel off 216/Scaggsville Road as it would still be close to come to Columbia for things. I think no matter which side of 29 I live on, it would still be best to drop down 29 to the ICC otherwise I would have to be on back roads for awhile to get to another ramp for the ICC so I don't think it really matters between which way I would go on 216 - Fulton or Laurel, just the further away from 29 the longer the commute would be. Laurel side would be closer for DH since he goes east.
Unfortunately, the pricing is much better in Burtonsville, which is why I'm considering it.
And thank you! I'm not entirely excited but it will be good try something new.
DE IVF #1= 04/11 - BFP
Oh I know it's expensive, I calculated it will cost me $7 a day (based on the current $0.25 a mile rate for peak times) when I take it from 29 to 370 14 miles each way according to the ICC website). $6 each way seems more like the rate to go to route 1 when they finish that portion, unless they raise the $0.25 a mile peak rate. As I said, not entirely excited about the situation, commute, or cost. The alternative would be a hell of a long time on route 108 and then through Rockville, adding up to a bad commute unfortunately.
I considered Ashton/Sandy Spring area too but I think it's getting a little too far east for DH. But I do like that area, thanks for the suggestion.
I have made that long trek across 108 too many times to count, so I totally understand! Where is H working again?
yay on the new job!
I grew up in Colesville which is a little southeast of Burtonvsville. If you want to go to dinner around there, unless you want Chinese or fast food, you are SOL. You have to go to Columbia, Olney or Rockville or Laurel, that was my main issue there.
Have you looked at Olney at all? My BFF lives there and her DH works at NASA Goddard and I think it took him about 30-45 minutes to get to work and she always tells me that w/ the ICC it takes her ~10 minutes to get to the Washingtonian Center.
Is there a major difference between MoCo and HoCo property taxes?
Link, PM with your new job location--we could have lunch!
DH just got a job in Columbia and, like you, most of my job ops will be in Bethesda-DC-I-270 corridor. We'll be looking primarily at Olney, Ashton, Spencerville, Burtonsville and then branch out west, north and east from there. We refuse to live in a typical cookie-cutter neighborhood so we'll see what we find but we've bascailly resigned ourselves to a long search.
No help, just to let you know you're not alone!
Our Share of the Harvest:How a couple cooks from a CSA share. Pick Up Day Week 15
Come hang with us in Clarksville!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, though, the area around us (southern Clarksville/Fulton/Highland, etc.) is gorgeous. Lots of farm country, lots of land and great schools. And the commute from here to Rockville is totally manageable via 29 or 95 - not to mention the backroads route, which is gorgeous.
lovelylittleworld
BFP#2 1/12/12 ~ Missed M/C 8w2d
Depending on your traffic tolerance, you might wnat to look at Brookeville too - that's a gorgeous area farther west.
DH works in Anne Arundel County, and most likely would stay in that general area. It's really challenging to find an area that accommodates both commutes and still has an area that we want to live. Like you said Kathryn, my concern is that living in Columbia for 6 years we have gotten accustomed to having things nearby and I do like this area. I worry about moving somewhere that I can't at least get to restaurants with some ease so I'm trying to find the balance. I just don't want 0.3 of an acre either and a lot of SF homes in Maryland are on smaller plots like that.
Kathryn - I like the Brookeville area too. It's very pretty. Just I think a bit far for DH.
Rags - I like Clarksville too and I'm definitely already familiar with it. I don't think it would cut down on the commute much since I think picking up the ICC sooner would be quicker than a longer commute on 108, but I agree with you at least the commute is pretty on 108.
lsgarver - Good luck with your search as well. I understand having something in mind that you want and having criteria but having a difficult time finding it. I get that I'm picky but I also want to be happy and feel settled with the decision that we make.
In general, MoCo is a little cheaper in taxes than HoCo. The real difference as I'm sure you are aware of is that price of property really varies depending on the town. For instance, what I've found in HoCo is like 100k less in Burtonsville.
I like the NOrth Laurel, Maple Lawn area. I know there are some nice homes in the Burtonsville area off US 29 near Briggs Chaney Road, if you go to far south though you get into some skeezier areas. I was on construction rotation there for a while so I drove all around the area.
I'd stick with Fulton/Scaggsville, etc.
FWIW, that's actually not the area of Clarksville I'm talking about - it runs all the way down to butt up against Scaggsville/Fulton/North Laurel and the houses down here have lots of land and are much older (short of a few McMansion developments that I try to overlook). We're right by 29/95 and the back route I mentioned is Rockville Pike/1st Street/Norbeck/Layhill - a nice alternative when the main roads are backed up. You wouldn't have to go near 108.
lovelylittleworld
BFP#2 1/12/12 ~ Missed M/C 8w2d
Thanks for the clarification and the info on roads, I'll take a look at that.