Moving to DC/Gaithersburg - advice?

[indy_azcat]

Wife and I are leaving the grand state of michigan to work in the Gaithersburg, MD area (who knows, maybe we'll see the admins on the road:)).

I'm looking for advice on places to live - good or ones to avoid. We really know close to zilch about it, but we'll probably be apartment/house renting for at least a year, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Less urban the better. I hear Germantown and Damascus are nice.
edit: typo

[progmom]

1. you're leaving ann arbor?

and i never got to meet you... :(

[indy_azcat]

2. But I just put my DU sticker on my car for you to see!

Hee hee, still here for a coupla months - gotta finish the PhD first!

Aren't you on the radio or something?

[progmom]

3. yeah, WEMU on Saturdays

I have my DU sticker on my blue PT Cruiser - keep your eyes open for it!

[indy_azcat]

4. I'll hafta catch your show next week

heck, I just figured out where AA was on the dial 2 weeks ago.

mine's on a beat up '83 toyota wagon in case you're cruising state st. I'd honk, but the horn's currently defunct. MI has been pretty harsh on her, but I think she's enjoying the 95 degree weather today :o

[Ready4Change]

5. Where you working?

The 270 corridor has lousy traffic from 7-10am (Southbound) and 4-8pm (Northbound.) If you can arrange to travel the opposite direction your commute will be much better.

Lots of growth in that area. Plenty of stores, restaurants, etc...

Urban sprawl has built up to Germantown. Damascus is next.

Cost of living is REALLY high. One of the highest in the nation. Hope your job pays well.

And if they are hiring, give me a call? Looking for IT/programming/web work.

[indy_azcat]

7. NIST

I don't know about IT jobs in general, but there's always the fed job search site, and I'm sure they need IT savvy peeps:

http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/

Ann arbor has a pretty high cost of living, so hopefuly it won't be a huge sticker shock. :)

And I did get to see the 'spur' on my visit :scared:

thanks for the tips!

[Zuni]

6. Most of Montgomery County MD is upscale

and very, very Blue. It is one of the most finacially prosperous and one of the bluest counties in the whole US.

The area near DC isn't even suburban---Bethesda, Silver Spring, Chevy Chase, takoma park would be part of the city if DC wasn't limited.

If you want more secluded try west of gaithersburg and away from I-70

[indy_azcat]

8. cool

any "west of gaithersburg" community names I can look up?

I heard Chevy Chase is land of the uber-rich - not in my price range :)

Bethesda may have some student-slums we could handle (I hope).

thanks!

[Zuni]

10. well, that is pretty far from me actually (other side of DC)

and I don't go out there very often.

I would recommend Silver Spring, where I know there are some great affordable places (got a few friends out there), but that is literally right across the DC line and is pretty urban

You know what. Go on the MD forum. There are a lot of Montgomery County folks on there, who will see this there!

Good Luck.

I am from Annapolis---It is about 50-60 miles east of you, right on the bay! Come check out Naptown sometime---we have a great bar scene!

[indy_azcat]

11. will do

I'll take a gander at Silver Springs

Dang, I forgot about leaving my fave holes in the wall... so long Blind Pig :cry: but the crabs, oh the crabs! :9

Much appreciated Zuni!

[Zuni]

25. We'll have to have a meet-up crab feast

and drink an assload of beer or something :beer:

:hi:

[seemunkee]

14. Damascus is just barely blue

I looked at the precint totals and several of those in Damascus went for Bush

[indy_azcat]

16. seems VERY church heavy

might explain things a bit. Wonder how it fits in w/ the teen drinking?

BTW - love the handle. My monkeys died last year - they had the Mars bubble and everything!

[seemunkee]

19. Nothing to do in Damascus

No movie theater, no mall. the only thing they have is a good frozen custard place called Jimi Cone(sp?)

[indy_azcat]

21. sure there is - you just have to join a club

apparently there's a nice active KKK

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=157&topic_id=1642#1647

post #5

[RPM]

9. Rent

don't get fucked by the bubble that will soon burst - buy at the bottom of the market in a few years.

[indy_azcat]

12. I'm young

and know zilch about mortgages and such. All I know is ARMs are bad. Got to pay the student loans first anyhoo.

[seemunkee]

13. Do you have kids?

That would make a big difference. Gaithersburg high school is WAY over crowded and does not have a very good reputation. There is a problem in Damascus with teen drinking. Not much to do in that area. I work in g'burg and live in Olney. It's not a bad commute.
Montgomery Village is a popular area to live, but they are very strict on following the covenants. If you want to live away from it all you could head further up 270 and look at Frederick. It's becoming a bit more urban but some places still live up to the the name fREDNECK.

[indy_azcat]

15. no baby cats

at least not for awhile. I have heard really good things about Montgomery Co. schools though (best in the nation?).

Olney on the list - Looks like only a bit of time on 270.

Hee hee, hadn't heard of fREDNECK before. What are these 'covenants' of which you speak?

Thx!

:thumbsup:

[seemunkee]

18. Rules that the community association have put in place

Things like no work trucks in your driveway. No satelite dishes visible from the street, etc.
Montgomery county schools used to be the best in MD but Howard county has surpassed us. Still pretty good but slowly sliping down.
I don't think you would need to get on 270 to go to NIST from Olney. Is it the location near the 270/124 intersection?

[indy_azcat]

22. yes to 270/124 and yes to 300

ETA: post #300 :woohoo:

I had to google to find out though :(

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=100+bureau+drive+gaithersburg+md&spn=0.020142,0.038996&hl=en

I'm not sure how I feel about community standards... restrictive or a good thing? :shrug:

My current place has some that I really don't mind and make sense - dealing w/ pet feces, no aluminum foil windows, yadda yadda...

[matcom]

17. born and raised in Gaithersburg!

PM me with any questions (although haven't lived there in 15 years, but i visit my sister frequently)

its ALL urban now compared to what it used to be. Gaithersburg is pretty much a concrete jungle

[indy_azcat]

23. maye I should rethink this Gaithersburg thing

I've lurked long enough to be afraid of Matcom and DS1....

j/k!

:hi: And let me add I love the matcom newsfeeds in the Lounge!

I think part of the problem is how far you define "urban"... I think Ann Arbor and Tucson as not being to bad, at least compared to Phoenix, Detroit, Chicago, Orlando, Tampa, etc.

If I get something specific - hope you don't mind if I send a PM your way!

Thanks (my first post with a Matcom - contact Newyawker99 for my milestone!)

[matcom]

31. LOL

Gaithersburg used to have a TON of wooded AND farmland. now, sadly, its nothing but a concrete jungle with the old neighborhoods starting to fall apart.

traffic is worse on 355 then it is here in Boston on the Mass Pike and i SWEAR the very oxygen is getting sucked out of the atmosphere due to all the asphalt (i go back about once every 2 years)

used to be beautiful, not so much anymore.

now, if you can afford to live a little further out in Montgomery County, there is still nice land but you better have big $$

[Mutley]

20. I don't know Mongomery County very well

but make sure you check out Baltimore sometime after you get to Maryland. You wouldn't want to live here because if you are working near DC the commute will be hell. But there a lot cool things to see and do in Baltimore.

[indy_azcat]

24. Good grief mutley

we joined DU around the same time and you're already over 2000 posts. Dang! :toast:

We'll definitely hit Baltimore since we just found out some other friends are moving there this summer.

I just realized I have to buy new baseball caps... s'long Tigers.. Hello... hmmmm... I'll get back to ya on that.

[Zuni]

26. my father's family are generations of old fashioned 'Balamer' white trash

I don't know if I could ever live too far from Baltimore

Balamer is how it is pronounced in 'Murlin.

[indy_azcat]

27. Yea! I get to learn a new accent!

Hopefully it isn't worse than the southern I learned in Gainesville.

[Mutley]

29. And you'll be goin downdeocean a lot in the summer.

hon.

[Zuni]

34. nah---this summer I'll be hangin 'round annearnel canny

its real purdy down there near napalis, on the warder. Ayshun city have to wait for next year, hon.

:hi:

[Mutley]

28. lol

I hang out here too much :blush:

The Orioles. And they're actually doing pretty well this year.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?type=reg&br=9&year=2005&column=gamesBehind&order=false&st=2

[seemunkee]

42. The Nats

Washington's new ball team. Going to my first game this next weekend.

[sbj405]

30. Gaithersburg is to DC, as. .

Farmington Hills is to Detroit.

I grew up in Plymouth and I'm in DC now. It's sorta standard issue subrurbs. Newer, bigger home and townhomes than closer to the city.

[indy_azcat]

32. true enough

that comparison made me laugh though. Not being from the area I just tacked on the biggest thing I could think of to get a geographical placement.

When I visited (the one time) it was Dulles - Metro - Shady Grove. So I had/have little idea about the area.

[sbj405]

33. I read your other post saying that you are young. I think you will find

that mostly it tends to be family's out that way. Though younger people are moving in, because it's cheaper. Sorta sucks - a little too far from the city to just jaunt in for dinner or whatever.

[Zuni]

35. that is Northern Virginia

[sbj405]

36. Also, keep in mind if you are being hired as a fed

you can get a transportation subsidy. up to $100/month for public transit (metro, marc, bus, van pool).

[indy_azcat]

38. good advice

sound like an insider :)

WRT commuting, I'm far more interested in minimizing stress/time than money.

Thanks for your input & keeping abreast of both posts though!

:toast:

[sbj405]

40. To minimize stress, don't drive.

The subsidy is just a bonus. My choice is drive, stress out, and pay to park or ride metro, read the paper, and not pay. Pretty easy choice. Oh and it takes about the same amount of time for me.

Yeah, fellow DOC'er here.

[shawn703]

37. Hope you're prepared for the sticker shock

I made the move from Detroit to the DC area about 6 years ago, and it was discouraging how much more it cost to live in a comparable apartment in a comparable area down here. Luckily I was able to stay with family for a year until I bought a condo. Unfortunately, those aren't cheap either.

[indy_azcat]

39. moving from Gainesville, FL to Ann Arbor

floored us to, when we did that move. It's the "not detroit" tax I think. C'est la vie. We're still college-esque though - fully loaded with Ramen :9

Still, a paying real job is worth it... I've about had enough grad school.

[indy_azcat]

41. Revised list

So from the 2 posts (here & http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=157&topic_id=1642#1654)

I've gotten some GREAT feedback - Thank you all :yourock:

Good:
Poolesville (sheep!)
Seneca
Olney
Derwood, non-Inc.
Rockville (maybe)
Burtonsville

Maybe:
Gaithersburg - Birthplace of Matcom - look for the sign
Germantown
fRedneck

Bad:
Damascus

I'll check in later to see what else this has dredged up

Thanks! DUers rock!

[seemunkee]

43. Burtonsville is going to be a painful commute

No highways between there and NIST ande you are on the other side of the county. Not that it is a bad place to live but wouldn't be my choice.
I work just on the other side of 270 from NIST near Lake Forest Mall.

If you would consider Burtonsville then you might also look at the Four Corners area. It is around the intersection of 495 and Colesville road. That is where my family moved when we first came out here for my dads guvment job back in ??? (a long time ago) Silver Spring is making a big change and has lots of smaller homes. But there are a lot of restaurants and the AFI theater. It would mean getting on the Beltway and 270 to get to work but you will be going in the opposite direction of the worst traffic.

Don't think that Metro will be good for going to work. The nearest stop is a good distance from NIST. They may have a shuttle but you will still be talking about a good 30 minutes after getting off the Metro.