Moving from VA to MD, stock up first?

Please try to stay out of MD. I used to own land in DE and sold it...work dictated living in MD.
I sold the land and it makes me sick every day.

dont do it! you will be happier in VA!

First, I appreciate the responses about the firearm questions, and I'm impressed with how active this board is. Thanks for all of the replies.

I'll admit...the volume of negative replies about moving that didn't even address the gun ownership got my attention, what exactly is so bad about MD?

I mean, beyond "don't do it, it sucks here," can someone enumerate the drawbacks? I'm curious how bad it can really be when all of you people live there and seem to be surviving.

As for Shirlington/Clarendon area, that's good advice. I have thought about it, but I expect I'll be in SE for some years to come, and I really appreciate living within 2 miles of 295. I basically have a no-traffic commute (though I did use metro exclusively for about 18 months, I've gotten used to the convenience of a car)

Higher taxes income, property, and everything else. County gov't that is simultanously ineffective, and institutionally corrupt. The outgoing County Eexective currently under Federal indictment WAS the reform candidate.

The crime levels mentioned several time. Yes there is a degree of concentration ( opps Hyattsville is within the concentration region ) . But even in the seemingly safer areas, the LE coverage has been shifted to cover high crime/ drug areas leaving a response time measured in hours.

As to judging the future of an area by existing master plans, don't bother. The County Council wearing the hats of Zoning Board makes virtually all zoning decisions by Special Exception on the basis of political favors, or outright bribes.

The state , and PG Co in particular are a one party jurisdiction. PG county voted 88% Dem . You can't get 88% of the general public to accept free cash or Redskins tickets.

stay away from MD we are infected with Zombie libtards! stay south of the potmac, its for your own health!!

Moving to MD from VA is like checking yourself into prison. Trust me - I did it. Though I lived in DC in the interim, which was like taking a detour through an insane asylum.

My fiancee and I just bought a single family home with a yard in PWC for $100K less than that town house in PGC. And there's a bus that goes from PWC into DC. Why would you want to move North?

Jim

Godie - it depends on your personal situation. Do you have kids (for example)? If you do, you don't want them in PG County Schools under any situation.

If you don't you can do just fine there. You will pay (like you said) 1/2 of what you would across the river. The area of Hyattsville that you speak of definitely has the marks of gentrification. you will have easy access to the Metro and if you drive you can get to SE DC in minutes.

So it really depends on you situation and what is important to you. For convenience and cost, if you want to live in an urban environment, I think it's a good choice. If you are raising kids and want the suburban lifestyle, I wouldn't even consider PG County in my opinion.

I lived in Greenbelt when I was younger and did not have kids and loved it. I could hop on the parkway or 95 and be anywhere I wanted to in minutes. But that was single me, and I rented. When I went to have kids and buy a house I got the hell out of PG and don't regret if for a second. It's just not a great place to raise a family and the crime is out of control.

Anyway, good luck. As far as the guns, you should be able to bring in anything you own currently without registration with the exception of any "assault pistols" as defined by MD law.

As you can see... yes, people are here, but most are not here by choice.

honestly people in MD should be begging guys like you to move here to help change the area and offset the liberals.

most of MD is great - montgomery county, pg county, baltimore county are the basic liberal 3 that control the rest of the state.

kohburn said:

honestly people in MD should be begging guys like you to move here to help change the area and offset the liberals.

most of MD is great - montgomery county, pg county, baltimore county are the basic liberal 3 that control the rest of the state.

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Please, Baltimore City is the liberal hell hole.

kohburn said:

honestly people in MD should be begging guys like you to move here to help change the area and offset the liberals.

most of MD is great - montgomery county, pg county, baltimore county are the basic liberal 3 that control the rest of the state.

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It's the typical negative tone of this board unfortunately

It's one thing to hate the politics of the state and another to hate the state itself. I love Maryland and love living here, it's the f-ing politics of this state that drive me insane. If you live in a more conservative area of the state you can enjoy what the state has to offer and be somewhat shielded from the liberal politics

goldie said:

I'll admit...the volume of negative replies about moving that didn't even address the gun ownership got my attention, what exactly is so bad about MD?

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It is not so much MD that is the problem but rather the particular county you are planning to move to. The main problem with PG (rated for gangsta) are:

#1 out of control crime
#2 single-party rule. Political decisions are not made in general elections but by the backroom actors who decide who is on the primary slate. Who you went to lawschool with and what church you attend to decides whether you get a development contract (if you are 'in', your land is a 'development opportunity', if you are 'out' , your land is 'greenspace preservation').
#3 corruption. Yes, Jack Johnson is out, but his wife (the one with $75k in her bra at the time of arrest who was flushing evidence down the toilet with the FBI outside) is still on the county commission. A couple of cops just got busted for running an illegal cigarette enterprise.
#4 poor quality public services (road maintenance, winter service, parklands)
#5 an AWFUL electrical utility
#6 water/sewer/gas operated by outfits that see you as criminal first, customer second.

#1-#3 are the root causes of the problem, the rest follows.

So you buy your $370k townhome in the nice island of gentrification. Next election, a different county exec gets appointed. One of his college buddies from Howard wishes to build a combined toxic waste dump, zinc smelter, slaughterhouse and animal rendering facility on a piece of parkland in your backyard. He will be given the land for free and his zoning variance from 'residential' to 'heavy industrial' will be approved in a closed committee meeting of the county commission as an emergency measure because 'it creates jobs'. So now your townhome is valued what, 100k ?

There are nice places in Maryland where life, except for the taxes, is good. As a rule of thumb, the percentage of idiots decreases about inverse exponential from the city centers of DC, Baltimore and Wilmington,DE.

Personally, I would stay in VA. If you think the tax bill is high, wait till you get hit with Maryland's hidden taxes. PG Co is a crap hole. Big time crap hole, you might want to look at moving into areas of PG that are secluded from all the riff-raff but you will be paying higher prices.

I know we should be encouraging more pro-2A types into the state but Owe'Malleyland just get worst.

P.G. County is like Baltimore City but with more 3rd world immigrants. Unless you're into that whole one world thing I'd look elsewhere. Good luck.

jimbobborg said:

My fiancee and I just bought a single family home with a yard in PWC for $100K less than that town house in PGC. And there's a bus that goes from PWC into DC. Why would you want to move North?
Jim

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Prince William County is so far away I wouldn't consider it if the house was $100k. Also, I don't really want a single-family home or a yard.

AKbythebay said:

Godie - it depends on your personal situation. Do you have kids (for example)? If you do, you don't want them in PG County Schools under any situation.

If you don't you can do just fine there. You will pay (like you said) 1/2 of what you would across the river. The area of Hyattsville that you speak of definitely has the marks of gentrification. you will have easy access to the Metro and if you drive you can get to SE DC in minutes.

So it really depends on you situation and what is important to you. For convenience and cost, if you want to live in an urban environment, I think it's a good choice. If you are raising kids and want the suburban lifestyle, I wouldn't even consider PG County in my opinion.

I lived in Greenbelt when I was younger and did not have kids and loved it. I could hop on the parkway or 95 and be anywhere I wanted to in minutes. But that was single me, and I rented. When I went to have kids and buy a house I got the hell out of PG and don't regret if for a second. It's just not a great place to raise a family and the crime is out of control.

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Great points, thanks.
- No children, will not ever have children. I will eventually marry the girl I've been with the last few years, and children are not in the cards ever.
Suburban life, raising kids, even owning a dog, are just not for me. I'm young-ish, but not so young I have a lot of drastic changes left in me; I really don't ever again see myself in the 'burbs.
The urban-lite lifestyle you describe is exactly what I'm after. Hyattsville Arts District is the only place I've found that offers proximity to DC, metro, walkable restaurants/bars in my price range (for a nice, new house).

kohburn said:

honestly people in MD should be begging guys like you to move here to help change the area and offset the liberals.

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Ehhh, I don't really think I'll do much to offset your "liberal problem," other than being one of the many, many "liberals" I know that are firearms enthusiasts. Which should really be your goal, if MD is such a lost cause to "us," the more pro-2A dems that come in, the better. At least you'll get something you want out of elected officials.

traveller said:

It is not so much MD that is the problem but rather the particular county you are planning to move to. The main problem with PG (rated for gangsta) are:

#1 out of control crime
#2 single-party rule. Political decisions are not made in general elections but by the backroom actors who decide who is on the primary slate. Who you went to lawschool with and what church you attend to decides whether you get a development contract (if you are 'in', your land is a 'development opportunity', if you are 'out' , your land is 'greenspace preservation').
#3 corruption. Yes, Jack Johnson is out, but his wife (the one with $75k in her bra at the time of arrest who was flushing evidence down the toilet with the FBI outside) is still on the county commission. A couple of cops just got busted for running an illegal cigarette enterprise.
#4 poor quality public services (road maintenance, winter service, parklands)
#5 an AWFUL electrical utility
#6 water/sewer/gas operated by outfits that see you as criminal first, customer second.

#1-#3 are the root causes of the problem, the rest follows.

There are nice places in Maryland where life, except for the taxes, is good. As a rule of thumb, the percentage of idiots decreases about inverse exponential from the city centers of DC, Baltimore and Wilmington,DE.

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Well, I'd rather be near DC and put up with nonsense than live far out in the suburbs, its just not the life for me. I'm not such a city boy I would put up with DC proper, but I'm not cut out for the suburbs. I was in the military long enough to live in many different types of places, and I learned what's more important to me (I had a big single family home with yard on a lake and had to commute to work...not worth it, IMO).

I definitely am used to the horror stories about PepCo. I've been very fortunate that I've only lost power once or twice in the 2.5 years I've been in old town (and never during the storms, or for more than a few minutes). That sucks indeed. The townhouse has a garage and I may spring for a generator if it becomes an issue. Typically if the power goes out, I'd just head into the city and drink 'til I don't care

olddawg said:

P.G. County is like Baltimore City but with more 3rd world immigrants. Unless you're into that whole one world thing I'd look elsewhere. Good luck.

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"3rd world immigrants" don't bother me any more than immigrants from anywhere else, which is what probably all of us are, just with a little more experience.


All around, I really appreciate the input. Don't think I dismiss it out-of-hand,
you've all given me a lot to think about and kept me from having my blinders on and ignoring real issues. Nothing's over 'til it's over, so I'm going to continue looking for my "ideal house" until it's time to pull the trigger. All the info you've presented (well...*most* of the info, that isn't xenophobic or anti-dem )...will be taken into consideration.

I skimmed through all of the replies and didn't see anyone mention concealed carry. If it matters to you, you can pretty much kiss concealed carry bye bye.

Another thing that I did not consider when I moved from VA (McLean) to MD was car insurance. My car insurance more than doubled, while keeping the exact same coverage, just by moving from VA to MD.

You appear bent on making PGC your home. So, welcome...we can use all the pro-gun people we can get. When the dust settles, consider joining MSI and helping us get what VA has. Many of us would give our eye teeth for a home-state permit. Your joining the ranks will help. Good luck.

goldie said:

First, I appreciate the responses about the firearm questions, and I'm impressed with how active this board is. Thanks for all of the replies.

I'll admit...the volume of negative replies about moving that didn't even address the gun ownership got my attention, what exactly is so bad about MD?

I mean, beyond "don't do it, it sucks here," can someone enumerate the drawbacks? I'm curious how bad it can really be when all of you people live there and seem to be surviving.

As for Shirlington/Clarendon area, that's good advice. I have thought about it, but I expect I'll be in SE for some years to come, and I really appreciate living within 2 miles of 295. I basically have a no-traffic commute (though I did use metro exclusively for about 18 months, I've gotten used to the convenience of a car)

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I grew up here.

I came back to raise my sons here.

It's a great place for that sort of thing.

BUT...

Once you get to the point of having to be free and independent, and wanting to look into long-term security, you better be one of two things...

1 - Fantastically well-heeled, or

2 - Willing to struggle through the taxes, red tape and general hassles of living realistically.

That said, if we weren't so tied to our tenure at our jobs (and seeing some light at the end of the mortgage tunnel), we'd be in DE or PA or VA or WV in about half no time.

I would never advise my worst enemy to move to PG County. Even the PG County cops won't live in PG County. Your car will be stolen often unless you have a very well-hidden kill-switch installed, and if you have that, your hood will be pried open and your battery stolen, your windows broken and the car radio and any goods inside(GPS units especially) stolen.

MD state tax is higher than any place I've ever lived, and then PG will tax your income again on top of that, for 60 percent or so of your state tax. You will definitely need to buy a high-end gun safe. I do not advise stocking up on guns before you come here; in fact, I would advise you to sell any guns and wait until you leave here to buy more.