Retirement move to Maryland, please help (Frederick: buyers, maintenance, price)

[bus man]

Originally Posted by ship4u

You are correct. We are looking for peace and quiet, beautiful scenery and privacy, not too far from a community of people who share our love of craftsmanship and quality.

It has been many years since driving north towards the PA line and I recall that there was a lot of farmland back in the day. Greenspring Valley used to be gorgeous as well, but I suspect that anything near Baltimore is going to be expensive and crowded now.

Thanks for the suggestions of Monkton and Hereford, etc. Falls Road is pretty.

The farmland is still there. There is a stark difference in the built environment between northern Baltimore County (say, north of Shawan Road) and the rest of it. I'm pretty sure that there are zoning laws that prohibit too much building, but whatever it is, the northern part of the county definitely fits the bill for peace and quiet, beautiful scenery (including rolling hills), and privacy.

I don't know the area well enough to comment on the political affiliations of the residents. I think you'd find what you're looking for in the northern portions of Carroll and Frederick counties (excepting Westminster) and probably Washington County as well. I don't know about stone houses, though.

[ship4u]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

The rolling hills you seek can be found across the "northern tier" of MD, from Hampstead west to Hancock and up to PA on the north.

I've friends in the Gettysburg area and it's lovely up there.

Thanks, Mike. That sounds like some good advice. It might be good for us to focus between Hampstead & Hancock and then Gettysburg and maybe Emmitsburg to the north.

One of the things that I have noticed in my research is that houses built in the English Style in America were mainly from 1890 to 1940 when the English "cottage" craze was going on. Finding one may be a big challenge.

[DaveinMtAiry]

I maintain you have a ton of options. As I said once you get away from the city/burbs just about everywhere else will be conservative. We have discussed the cold but not the heat and humidity of this area in the summer. Again Cumberland and places near the mountains will obviously be cooler in summer but really cold in winter. Not Ohio cold but much much colder than say Frederick.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

I maintain you have a ton of options. As I said once you get away from the city/burbs just about everywhere else will be conservative. We have discussed the cold but not the heat and humidity of this area in the summer. Again Cumberland and places near the mountains will obviously be cooler in summer but really cold in winter. Not Ohio cold but much much colder than say Frederick.

Your snow totals for Allegany east of Cumberland are not going to be that different than Hagerstown or Frederick unless you live near a ridge top. West of Cumberland in places like Frostburg? Yeah, much much more snow.

The Allegheny Front create a rain shadow that limits the snow totals. Elevation matters too. The further up the ridge you go, the more snow you get and the worse the wind (which makes the temps. feel much colder.)

[bus man]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Your snow totals for Allegany east of Cumberland are not going to be that different than Hagerstown or Frederick unless you live near a ridge top. West of Cumberland in places like Frostburg? Yeah, much much more snow.

The Allegheny Front create a rain shadow that limits the snow totals. Elevation matters too. The further up the ridge you go, the more snow you get and the worse the wind (which makes the temps. feel much colder.)

A friend of mine who lives in Cumberland once told me that, as you drive up I-68, Vale Summit Road is the line between "not too much snow" and "crazy amounts of snow."

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by bus man

A friend of mine who lives in Cumberland once told me that, as you drive up I-68, Vale Summit Road is the line between "not too much snow" and "crazy amounts of snow."

Yup, Clarysville is first big dividing line. It is the little community right under the bridge on I-68 that goes over Vale Summit Rd. In geographic terms, it is the last little valley before you hit the last big ridge (Dan's Mtn/Allegheny Front) heading east. The snow just dumps and dumps there trying to get over that last high ridge. The rain shadow starts east of there. Eastern ALCO is actually the driest part of Maryland.

[Digger 68]

Originally Posted by bus man

The farmland is still there. There is a stark difference in the built environment between northern Baltimore County (say, north of Shawan Road) and the rest of it. I'm pretty sure that there are zoning laws that prohibit too much building, but whatever it is, the northern part of the county definitely fits the bill for peace and quiet, beautiful scenery (including rolling hills), and privacy.

I don't know the area well enough to comment on the political affiliations of the residents. I think you'd find what you're looking for in the northern portions of Carroll and Frederick counties (excepting Westminster) and probably Washington County as well. I don't know about stone houses, though.

You are forgetting about east, and west of York Road. Like everybody does that's not from here......drive 1 mile east, or west of most of York Road from Seminary Avenue north and it's completely different. 2 Miles it's even nicer.......and more $$$$$$$'s

And above Shawan, and very near it will be much more conservative than 2 miles south.

The kind of house this guy wants limits him. The more I read this the more I think he should just move further south in Ohio and get this stone house thing out of his head. What he wants is not going to be remote, and will be more than 600K.

I am still puzzled as to what near things means in this thread? I guess some of us have a different view of what that means.....

[ship4u]

Thanks for the review and synopsis of the winter weather conditions in different parts of the state. It would be nice to escape the harsh winters in north Ohio but not trade them in exchange for too much summer heat and humidity. It seems that parts of Md. and southern PA offer a pleasant balance.

[Digger 68]

Originally Posted by ship4u

Thanks for the review and synopsis of the winter weather conditions in different parts of the state. It would be nice to escape the harsh winters in north Ohio but not trade them in exchange for too much summer heat and humidity. It seems that parts of Md. and southern PA offer a pleasant balance.

A lot of the problem is all this damn asphalt. Get further north away from the development and you don't have commercial buildings/parking lots everywhere to absorb that summer sun. Along with all the traffic creating even more heat. As a year round cyclist I can attest to this.

[ship4u]

Originally Posted by Digger 68

A lot of the problem is all this damn asphalt. Get further north away from the development and you don't have commercial buildings/parking lots everywhere to absorb that summer sun. Along with all the traffic creating even more heat. As a year round cyclist I can attest to this.

You are correct. It is estimated that we are losing on average 3 to 5 million trees per year worldwide. Trees are a natural cooling force and co2 absorber. Combine that with the asphalt roads, parking lots and roofing shingles which absorb and generate heat back into the air and we have a big problem.