Best places to live in Arundel County (Baltimore, Columbia: better, people)

[PylesFord]

Originally Posted by momanager

thanks!

We were pre approved for 650k but I don't want to spend that.

More like $545k to $570k, if possible.

I am willing to commute 50 minutes to work.

You may want to "rethink", being willing to commute 50 minutes to work. That can get OLD real quick wear, expense etc. on your car & yourself.

[cjmeck]

Originally Posted by momanager

thanks!

I love that Columbia reminds me of Northern VA. I grew up in Fairfax County and love that HoCo is similar to my hometown.

I do check the rating sites (Great Schools and US News and World Report) and as you said reviews (and to an extent even ratings) can be biased. I feel like you all on city data provide more insight than the rating sites.

I definitely think HoCo is comparable to Fairfax Co based on schools, med income, housing prices and diversity. When we were relocating here with our kids; we were looking for the same type of environment. Someone else has mentioned Gambrills (zip 21054), Crofton (zip 21114) and Odenton (zip 21113). We strongly considered that area for our kids (specifically the homes zoned for Arundel HS). So check out that area too. I don't know where you're at now but plan a visit and check out the areas, go visit the schools. On paper, AACO schools appear to have bigger class sizes than HoCo; I don't know if that's accurate. That said, some HoCo schools are over capacity.

[BuyingAnnapolis]

Living and working in AA county (Severna park/Arnold) my entire life I can tell you that most schools in the county are at or above capacity like HoCo schools. With that said there are certain schools in both counties (minus high schools) that have a great student to teacher ratio. AA county is adding a new high school within the next 4 years to pull students from 3 different high schools (Arundel/South River/Old Mill). They also just rebuilt Severna Park High because it was over capacity.
I would recommend with that budget to check out Davidsonville (21035). Better commute, more acreage, good home sizes yet still close to everything.

[kcmo]

Severna Park is really nice, but those extra few miles on 50 can add a lot of commute time. 50 gets congested east of 97.

Check out areas around Annapolis Town Center and Mall. Also Riva, Edgewater etc.

[momanager]

Originally Posted by MDaaCo

I admit that I am a fan of HoCo as well though I've lived in Anne Arundel most of my life.

No area in AA county will have quite the same feel as Northern VA, or Columbia for that matter. For example, Gambrills is spread out in most parts, has some lovely homes, and most shopping would be by Route 3 (Waugh Chapel area). Waugh Chapel is nice, but I'm not a fan of the traffic on Route 3 (more and more housing, but not many alternate routes to get from Bowie to Crofton, Millersville, etc. and lots of stoplights).

I think a "hidden gem" of Anne Arundel is the area by Severna Park/Millersville line (feeds to SP schools) close to East/West Highway and West Pasadena Road. Pretty quick access to Rt. 2, 97, good schools, wooded, and relatively quiet. Remember that BWI airport's flight path may be near but noise isn't terrible.

Yes Severna Park has great schools, the the housing prices are similar to Hoco's

Millersville is another area to think about

thanks!

Originally Posted by tgs_bg

Property taxes are also cheaper in Anne Arundel County compared to Howard County FYI.


With that budget I would look at Severna Park, Arnold, Cape St. Claire and Davidsonville and Crownsville. All of those have good schools, close to amenities and are well within your budget. Riva and Edgewater would work too if you don't need a large home or land. All of these areas are majority white but fairly diverse.


Now I don't know if that meets your commuting requirement as I don't know where you are commuting to.

Thank you!

[momanager]

Originally Posted by PylesFord

You may want to "rethink", being willing to commute 50 minutes to work. That can get OLD real quick wear, expense etc. on your car & yourself.

my commute is that long now, it is a lot but I figure I can manage it

Originally Posted by cjmeck

I definitely think HoCo is comparable to Fairfax Co based on schools, med income, housing prices and diversity. When we were relocating here with our kids; we were looking for the same type of environment. Someone else has mentioned Gambrills (zip 21054), Crofton (zip 21114) and Odenton (zip 21113). We strongly considered that area for our kids (specifically the homes zoned for Arundel HS). So check out that area too. I don't know where you're at now but plan a visit and check out the areas, go visit the schools. On paper, AACO schools appear to have bigger class sizes than HoCo; I don't know if that's accurate. That said, some HoCo schools are over capacity.

thank you for the info about class sizes, that is important!

we recently drove around the area where the Crossland Farms development is, it liked nice enough and feeds into Old Mill but I still was not sold on the area

[momanager]

Originally Posted by BuyingAnnapolis

Living and working in AA county (Severna park/Arnold) my entire life I can tell you that most schools in the county are at or above capacity like HoCo schools. With that said there are certain schools in both counties (minus high schools) that have a great student to teacher ratio. AA county is adding a new high school within the next 4 years to pull students from 3 different high schools (Arundel/South River/Old Mill). They also just rebuilt Severna Park High because it was over capacity.
I would recommend with that budget to check out Davidsonville (21035). Better commute, more acreage, good home sizes yet still close to everything.

thank you for the high school information

Hoco will be adding a new high school in a few years as well

I will check out Davidsonville

Originally Posted by kcmo

Severna Park is really nice, but those extra few miles on 50 can add a lot of commute time. 50 gets congested east of 97.

Check out areas around Annapolis Town Center and Mall. Also Riva, Edgewater etc.

thanks!

[bande1102]

I grew up in Columbia (atholton grad) and we chose crofton. Strong sense of community, good schools...including Nantucket elem and the soon-to-be-built Crofton High School that is supposed to be ready 2020. I also love access to Waugh Chapel shopping and medical offices.

[carlymac17]

Originally Posted by momanager

thank you for the high school information

Hoco will be adding a new high school in a few years as well

I will check out Davidsonville



thanks!

We're moving to the area, too, and my kids have picked out a house on Zillow in Davidsonville. Don't take it!

Just kidding. We have 37 houses "saved" right now and haven't even listed our own house yet. So we know the chances of getting the one the kids have fallen in love with are slim. It looks like a good community and close to Edgewater and Annapolis for shopping, restaurants, etc. Further down AA county is more rural and a longer drive to even get groceries.

My husband will have that long commute, too. Downtown DC.

[adave1]

I lived in Columbia and Odenton both. They’re both good. Odenton Gambrills Crofton Davidsonville Severna Park are all good choices. If you like remote areas, you can find them, and if you like lively congestion, Route 3 is the place to be. I live on Route 3 but I like the sound of the traffic.