Safe places to live in Laurel/Fulton/Columbia area?

[Mike OTDP]

I’ve put in for a position at JHU Applied Physics Lab. Home is in Deep Southern Maryland, so if I got a job, I’d have to find a place to live. Any places to avoid?

My needs would be simple…more of a room to stay for the work week than a permanent home. But I want something safe.

 

[Gcs7th]

I’ve had coworkers stay in a hotel for a week at a time, free electricity, internet, TV and towel service plus you can rack up points. Good luck finding a room.

 

[rbird7282]

Fulton and eastern parts of Columbia are pretty good. I would not live in Columbia over near the mall though.


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[linkstate]

I lived in Columbia for a number of years and you couldn’t pay me to live there. Well, everyone has a price….

No offense to anyone that lives there and likes it but I called the cops more times living in Columbia than other parts of Maryland for various issues, even MoCo. I mean it isn’t the ghetto of ‘The Wire’ sections of B’more but no thanks.

There may be good neighborhoods and pockets but you still have to shop and drive with the crazies.

If you have kids, look very carefully at schools.

Not to mention the Columbia Association can kiss my ass with their fees and BS.

 

[Afrikeber]

I lived in Columbia for a number of years and you couldn’t pay me to live there. Well, everyone has a price….

No offense to anyone that lives there and likes it but I called the cops more times living in Columbia than other parts of Maryland for various issues, even MoCo. I mean it isn’t the ghetto of ‘The Wire’ sections of B’more but no thanks.

There may be good neighborhoods and pockets but you still have to shop and drive with the crazies.

If you have kids, look very carefully at schools.

Not to mention the Columbia Association can kiss my ass with their fees and BS.

…… any HOA for that matter.

 

[mikeasu]

Mike,

Been at APL for 9 years now, great place to work - good luck!
We went up into Carroll County, the Eldersburg Area - 4 kids, at the time, wife wasn't working (she's now at APL too), moving from AZ, so needed to handle the increased cost of living. No traffic, APL is 30 min away, with typical traffic, closer to 40 min. But, being Carroll County, taxes are much better than Columbia/HoCo, never mind the Columbia HOA fees.
If you're looking for something short term, it was 9 years ago, but didn't have issues with the Homewood Suites off 175/108 - stayed there almost 4 weeks before the family arrived and we moved into the house in Eldersburg. Was one of the APL reloc recommendations.

 

[smokey]

Carroll County is WAY better, especially if you have kids. If you go up 32, you'll see the Sykesville apartments. You'll notice a metric f-ton of hoco police vehicles there(at least there were when I lived there) due to Carroll being cooler than hoco.

 

[Pale Ryder]

Maybe look for “room to rent” as everything else affordable is going to be sketchy. What price range, and length?
Here is one site, you can search other areas.

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www.cirtru.com

 

[nerfherder]

Lived in Carroll 20 years, worked in Maple Lawn (pretty much smack dab in the middle of your work area) for 7. Live in Carroll if you can. Avoid Columbia, particularly near the mall as others have said.

 

[Stoveman]

Tons of rooms for rent on FB Marketplace. Avoid Wilde Lake, Oakland Mills and Long Reach villages in Columbia and the Whiskey Bottom section of Laurel.

 

[shootin the breeze]

Granulated it’s been nine years but my stepson rented a garage apartment from a Hopkins shrink. They live on Mink Hollow in Highland. We live in Highland. It’s safe and very nice. If you could find a room here or Clarksville you will be fine. Also in western HoCo you should be fine too. If you’re looking to buy, I agree with others saying Carroll County.

 

[pleasant1911]

Do you have kids in school?

Clarksville, Fulton, Laurel, ellicott city, etc. Just stay in Howard county side. I would stay out of PG, AA.

I don’t think any part of Howard County is bad, except pockets of Columbia, but I never lived in Columbia.

 

[Melnic]

So you will drive home to so md. for the weekends?
Hopefully there is someone to the west towards Clarksville with a room to rent.
As suggested, go West young man and not north or east from APL.

 

[Muleskinner]

Nope, doesn't exist

 

[fabsroman]

Out of the three options, I would pick Fulton. As already mentioned, Highland and other places in western Howard County are good and better than Fulton. If you are not going to move here and you are not going to have children going to school here, then anywhere in western Howard County will be fine. I moved from western Howard County to Carroll County because the school redistricting was just too much. If we had initially bought in western western Howard County along route 94 (where we looked at a couple homes in 2010) or closer to route 27, we would probably still be there because it is a nice area and there is no way those people can be redistricted.

Ideally, in your situation I would live west of route 97. Anything west of route 97 is awesome. Almost anything west of route 32 is awesome until you get closer to MoCo. West of Route 32 and north of Triadelphia would work, just not as nice as west of route 97.

 

[Happy Camper]

I’ve put in for a position at JHU Applied Physics Lab. Home is in Deep Southern Maryland, so if I got a job, I’d have to find a place to live. Any places to avoid?

My needs would be simple…more of a room to stay for the work week than a permanent home. But I want something safe.

When I purchased my home last year, I used this website to help me determine how "safe" the area was.

https://spotcrime.com/

I also used it to look up so called safe areas as well out of curiosity.

 

[BigCountry14]

Mike,

Been at APL for 9 years now, great place to work - good luck!
We went up into Carroll County, the Eldersburg Area - 4 kids, at the time, wife wasn't working (she's now at APL too), moving from AZ, so needed to handle the increased cost of living. No traffic, APL is 30 min away, with typical traffic, closer to 40 min. But, being Carroll County, taxes are much better than Columbia/HoCo, never mind the Columbia HOA fees.
If you're looking for something short term, it was 9 years ago, but didn't have issues with the Homewood Suites off 175/108 - stayed there almost 4 weeks before the family arrived and we moved into the house in Eldersburg. Was one of the APL reloc recommendations.

Do you play softball?

 

[rtse4me]

I lived in Highland in 90s it was the safest place in HoCo. Cops kept a close eye on the place I was renting

 

[shootin the breeze]

I lived in Highland in 90s it was the safest place in HoCo. Cops kept a close eye on the place I was renting

It still is safe. Worst that's been reported is kids trying for unlocked cars to rob.

 

[P-12 Norm]

I lived in Columbia for a number of years and you couldn’t pay me to live there. Well, everyone has a price….

No offense to anyone that lives there and likes it but I called the cops more times living in Columbia than other parts of Maryland for various issues, even MoCo. I mean it isn’t the ghetto of ‘The Wire’ sections of B’more but no thanks.

There may be good neighborhoods and pockets but you still have to shop and drive with the crazies.

If you have kids, look very carefully at schools.

Not to mention the Columbia Association can kiss my ass with their fees and BS.

I've had relatives who live/d there. The ones that still do ignore the crime, or they live in the fringes where crime is near nil. The ones who moved did so mostly because of the "association". One's last straw was being written up for "too many sticks" in his yard.
To the OP- I think staying away from the I-95 corridor, and Eastern Laurel by the Parkway would serve you well.