choo-choo-charlie Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Any VC'ers out there living in Maryland? My wife and I are moving there from Kansas City, MO (I know, it's a long one) at the end of this month b/c I got a new job, and now we're in a rush to get packed and out there. We're probably going to be living in College Park, although my wife will be working in Hanover. Or if there's somewhere in between, we'll look at all of our options. We need recommendations (or a good short list) on places to live in the area so as to make the transition as smooth as possible. Any suggestions/help would be extremely helpful and deeply appreciated. *I was holding out on buying tickets to Wilco's October show in KC b/c I was waiting to hear what was happening with my job application...now I'm sad, b/c I was gonna be taking my older brother and his wife to their first Wilco show then. Oh well... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 This may not be particularly helpful, but I'll mention it anyway ... my brother lives in Hyattsville. That's not between College Park and Hanover, but it's pretty close to College Park. My sister-in-law had been driving from Hyattsville out to Laurel for a job a while ago, though I don't think she's doing that anymore. I could ask her about that commute, though. I don't remember them saying anything negative about Hyattsville -- they seem to like it. And they're within walking distance of a Metro stop, which is a plus. Good luck with your search. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 college park and vicinity is considered DC Metro area, so welcome to the 'hood. i live here, the bobbleheads live here, and nurfherder. it of course takes 45 minutes to get anywhere in this place even if you are only traveling a mile. my biggest bit of advice is to know what your commute would be and choose your housing location to minimize the commute. we have the 2nd worst traffic in the country, just after LA and it isn't improving anytime soon. going from college park to hanover is considered a reverse commute so that would make it easier. but beware of beach traffic in the summer and 295 and 495 can clog up quickly no matter what time of the year or day it is. be prepared to pay steep rent / don't get sticker shock from housing prices. neither has adjusted with the economy. we do have easy access to grocery stores of all flavors, shopping of all dreams imaginable, and extra-curricular activities too many to keep up with. i'm not as familiar with the MD side of things as i am with the District and the VA side. MD drivers are the worst. MD has better gas prices than the city. somehow i think my advice and help should be more enlightening and helpful. let me know if you have any specific questions, etc and i'll do my best to give pointers. if you were moving into DC proper, i could give all sorts of pointers about car registration, neighborhoods, etc. i can still give all sorts of advice about things to do in the area, etc. #1 tip, know your commute and find housing based on that. it will make your life much easier and give you a lot more time to yourself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 College Park is nice. I worked there for 6 months. How come Cryptique never told me he had a brother out here? We could have met at Franklin's for a beer. There's a great knitting store in Hyattsville (right on Route 1) and there are a few good farmers market in Riverdale Park and College Park. There are some new funky lofts near Franklin's and the knitting store that might be a steal right now and last i heard, a Whole Foods was coming in right in the area. And i absolutely agree with living near work. I commuted from Springfield VA to College Park every day for 6 months and it just about killed me. I had to quit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 be prepared to pay steep rent / don't get sticker shock from housing prices. neither has adjusted with the economy. Sure they have (well, maybe not rent), but they're still high. I don't have a lot of advice (we live on the opposite side of DC), but Laurel is nice, and is about halfway between College Park and Hanover. You're going to be commuting on 295, which can suck, but generally moves along fairly well. College Park is a nice little town, but it can be a BITCH to get into and out of - but I'm thinking of the southern route; don't know what it's like on the opposite side. I'd imagine it's a little easier when you're not dealing with the space between CP and DC. No idea what it's like between Hanover and Baltimore. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticeyeball Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 theres a place in college park that has a handful of different styles of chili. one of them is a great cincinatti chili that i hadn't found anywhere since the last time i had skyline when i lived in dayton in the eighties. hope i was helpful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Sure they have (well, maybe not rent), but they're still high. they haven't adjusted in the city proper. there is a row house in my neighborhood, tiny 2 bedroom sandwhiched in between numerous group houses, that is on the market for $875,000+...not even on a metro line...smaller than your house even...that was the going rate for houses in my neighborhood 2 years ago and even 5 years ago and continues to be the going rate...it just takes a month or two longer for things to sell, but they are still selling at that amount. we won't even talk about rent. i do automatic payment for my rent and am glad because it is such a painful amount of money...at least utilities are included. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 thanks for the tips, everyone. we ended up picking a spot in laurel to start with and are moving next weekend. would love to meet some VC'ers once we get settled in... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WilcoFan Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 I was going to say move to Annapolis but it's too late now. Welcome to Maryland. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.