whats life like?

I wouldn't be moving for the paycheck or taxes/affordability.

I'm mostly looking for the social aspects. For the most part single life out my way is particular miserable, especially as a outsider. When I visited Columbia in particular I thought it seemed much younger and more welcoming. Possibly even more importantly new people moving into the area seems normal, so If I did buy a house I imagine I could sell quickly if I had to.

Baltimore on the other hand(when I took the rental car for a spin) made me wonder if i entered a 3rd world country... There were actually areas where I just turned around completely...

The career aspect is basically just the justification and I'm really just hoping to break even money wise. Pretty much expecting and prepared to take a small loss, but just breaking even is the dream.

If it's for the social aspect, there are a lot of places cheaper, freer, younger, and more fun than Columbia, MD. Many people move to Howard County, not for the fun, but because of the schools. You are right, Baltimore is a hellhole on a good day (with some exceptions). Columbia is kinda of plain vanilla urban boring. Not sure I would move to MD for the social aspect.

If it's social you want, move to Asheville NC. Liberal thinking. Conservative acting. Great chow. Incredible beer. Awesome people.

I'll relate my experience when I moved here 15 years ago. I lived in a condo in Towson/Baltimore for 6 months while I searched for a home for my family. I looked in Anne Arundel and Howard Counteis. NFW. I was not willing to live in that kind of proximity in what I considered a starter house. What I've learned since then only reinforces my decision. One day I drove north to Bel Air (Harford County); open spaces, affordable housing, reasonable traffic and an accessible downtown. I'm < a half hour from the bay, ranges, duck hunting and trout fishing. If I have to live in MD, this is the place to do it AFAIC. If I had to move I'd consider Northern Baltimore, Carrol or Frederick Counties or the Eastern Shore, which might be your best option given your prospective places of employment. Unfortunately MD demands a high price for the opportunities it offers. I feel fortunate to have found a bearable niche.

EDIT: If its the "social aspect" that has you considering MD. Do not consider MD. Period.

Nnztg8r said:

If it's social you want, move to Asheville NC. Liberal thinking. Conservative acting. Great chow. Incredible beer. Awesome people.

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Charlotte also came to mind.

Columbia is full of libtards and is subject to their godawful community association which you will pay out the nose to belong to IF you buy. It is also the home to Section 8 housing next door to your $750K mini mansion.

Eastern HoCo is much more right leaning and is close enough to enjoy the amenities of Columbia without getting raped by the Columbia Association. Check out Savage, Jessup, Elkridge and Hanover and eastern Ellicott City.

I'm in Elkridge and live on a court. Of the 23 houses 90% of the owners work either at the Ft or for a contractor close by. We just had a court wide happy hour down at the end of the street last Saturday where everyone was, among other things, talking guns, motorcycles, IDPA, etc... One guy hung a sheet from his front porch and after dark had movies playing on the projector for the kids.


And our winters don't suck as hard......

I've lived in MD a little over 20 years now and like others on the list was stationed here while in the military.

Since that time traffic has gotten progressively worse, particularly in the Columbia area. In the late 90's and early 2000's the state pumped a good amount of money into the road infrastructure by widening and adding roads. Since then, little has been done in the area other than adding over passes on Rt 32 and the opening of the Inter County Connector. 3:30pm used to be a free and clear drive out of the Fort area, now you need to be on the road by 2:00pm if you want to avoid the backups that occur every single day. Granted they widened Rt 175 but that was simply to get people from Rt32 or 295 to the Fort. Since Rt100 was completed developers have pretty much crammed homes into every nook and cranny available. Avoid the Hanover/Arundel Mills area, I've owned properties over there and ever since the recession and the Casino being built the area went down the tubes fast.

For a semi-young social experience, I would check out the Annapolis. Lots of bars, restaurants, sailboat racing clubs full of folks having a blast every weekend.

Ah ! You're looking for a singles scene, and asking a group heavily skewed to either raining families, or old farts.

Columbia is family oriented suburbia.

Arlington, Va would be what you're looking for, and have excellent gun rights. But the commute to Meade would double.

Annapolis mentioned above would be good.

And while your general tour of Balt has a third world vibe, there are hipster micro-neighborhoods.


But another observations. It is not so much the raw numbers of single women. It is what percentage of them are somewhat compatable of outlook and lifestyle. Ie back in my day, raw numbers didn't matter if most if them were hippies/ druggies/ leftist whackjobs.

Columbia also sucks for singles. Look to Frederick city, Arlington or Annapolis.

Maryland is tolerable once you get accustom to it, probably an improvement to parts of NY.

Welcome, most gun owners are trying to leave, it's nice to hear some are coming in. Please vote!

We are gerrymandered bad in Maryland, so if you end up in a 'liberal' voting district, consider joining many of us and registering as a Democrat; this way you can vote in the Dem Primary election (the only vote that can make a difference for many of us), and you can vote again in the General election for a conservative.

Check this out: https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=190211

Prior to moving to Frederick and building a house, my wife and I lived in Columbia from 2009-2011 - Columbia Town Center Apartments. The first year wasn't too bad. The second year, we couldn't wait for our lease to expire. We thought that paying almost $1600 per month for a 1250 s/f apartment was pretty steep but, when they started letting in the rift-raft, section 8 housing applicants we knew it was time to start looking for another place to live. First clue was when her $75 K-Mart bicycle was stolen when someone cut the lock and chain with a pair of bolt cutters. Second clue was when a neighbor got mugged in the parking garage. We also became weary of all the BS and traffic from concerts every weekend there at Merriweather Post Pavilion during the Summer. Frederick has turned out to be a much better place for us.

sailskidrive said:

Since Rt100 was completed developers have pretty much crammed homes into every nook and cranny available. Avoid the Hanover/Arundel Mills area, I've owned properties over there and ever since the recession and the Casino being built the area went down the tubes fast.

For a semi-young social experience, I would check out the Annapolis. Lots of bars, restaurants, sailboat racing clubs full of folks having a blast every weekend.

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Agree. However the part of Hanover that jumps the BW Parkway and Coca Cola drive and swings into HoCo is light years different.

Nnztg8r said:

If it's social you want, move to Asheville NC. Liberal thinking. Conservative acting. Great chow. Incredible beer. Awesome people.

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Oooh. Don't tell anyone else.

I went Clarkson also.

Don't buy a house unless you're absolutely sure you're staying a long time. It ain't the '90s anymore.

Don't come here. Any job you are looking to get here, you could probably find in VA or NC. And you wouldn't have to trouble yourself with our illogical, irrational gun laws which are based solely by emotion.

I know people from most every part of the state that commute to the ft mead area. also from out of state. Arlington or Alexandria VA is commutable to fort mead as well. rent is expensive wherever you look, expect to pay 1200/month minimum, but it goes fast up from there. if you want more space you could look into southern Ann Arundel or northern Calvert county. For single life Annapolis or Canton in Baltimore are probably what you would be looking for also Arlington or old town Alexandria in VA. Side note, the only places you want to go in Baltimore after dark are canton, the inner harbor, fells point and fed hill, or basically a horse shoe around the inner harbor that is about 2 blocks or so from the water. however, there are plenty of smaller towns with main streets that are great for single life (depends on age, type of clientele, etc) in every county in MD.

the taxes and laws of MD and VA are different, but they get your money either way. In this region you pay income taxes to only the state you live in, regardless of where you work. in VA the income tax and property taxes are lower, your car insurance is lower, and they actually let average citizens carry guns there. however you pay personal property tax on your car, boat, motorcycle (etc) and in Northern VA, property costs more and the rent gets astronomical.

I also am a Clarkson alum, and biggest shocks are there is no bottle deposit in MD, and they don't sell beer in the grocery stores, however there are liquor stores everywhere that are pretty much always open. the gun laws are atrocious here, but I grew up in VT so that's what im comparing it to. if you ski, you will be disappointed, even when people from here tell you how great skiing is in WV or western MD or in PA, it ain't. However the golf and boating seasons are MUCH longer here than in the great white north. If you live closer to DC than Baltimore or Annapolis, you will have an easier time going to Capitals games when you need your hockey fix. however, wherever you live here, you can drive an hour and get to literally anything you want to do (an hour without traffic mind you). people also drive poorly here. as in they don't understand the concept of driving so they can get to their destination. and the pizza is poor considering how many people live here. The average Marylander is not as smart as Marylander's claim they are, but the average Marylander wouldn't be considered dumb by any stretch.

I think you need to figure out how much of a commute you want to deal with, understanding that it could easily double if we get an inch of snow, or it rains and people start crashing into each other. figure out how much uber costs from where you want to go out and where you may want to live, and go from there. driving a minimum of 30 min for a gun range is typical. but there are lots of smaller indoor 25 yard ranges around that will work for the random Tuesday night I need to take the handgun out for a spin type of thing. if you don't mind commuting, rent a place where you think you want to live, and find some books on tape. don't expect to get a carry permit if you move to MD, and minus the HQL and the "assault weapon ban" and the magazine limit (to purchase or transfer, not to posess) and the 7 day wait for handguns and handgun registry, MD isn't that bad for gun laws. is it ideal here? no. but I've been to worse places, and jobs are a pleanty thanks to uncle sam, and if you don't want to work, MD gives out all sorts of welfare, although you may have to claim you are in the country illegally to receive it.

My advice is "don't do it". I grew up in MD, and it was a nice place to grow up, back then. I watched Rt. 29 go from no stoplights between 70 and DC to a stoplight at every intersection. Last time I was back I couldn't even find my parent's house and there's now overpasses and (gag) traffic circles instead of stoplights.

I moved away for college in the 80s, and back in the mid 80s. Still not terrible, but fading fast. I only planned to stay for a couple of years, but it was 15 years before I finally moved. We liked certain aspects, but the socialism (of which the ridiculous gun laws are only a small part) finally drove us away. Luckily we were outgrowing our house and I was ready to change jobs anyway, so it was easier than just moving at a random time. I absolutely hated them taking (too much) tax money too further infringe my rights and promote an agenda that was counter to my values.

When I first moved back I was young and single and liked the music scene (clubs in DC and Baltimore, small acts in Fells Point and Irish Pubs in Bethesda and Virginia) and the restaurants. By the time I left I was married and had a kid and didn't get out as much. I had a boat, and enjoyed the bay. The wife loved the beach, either day trips to Delaware or OC or weeks in Nagshead. We sold what may have been the tiniest house in Howeird County and for about the same money bought an old farmhouse on 10 acres 10 miles from work out here in America. We have room for a 100 yd range, just for family and friends. Nearest building in that direction is 3 miles away. (We call it "the Upper Midwest". When I lived in MD I thought the midwest was Ohio. Drive to Ohio, drive that far again, turn right and drive almost that far again). No 9:30 club, no Fells Point, no Sabatino's but shall issue means shall issue. Basically fill out what amounts to a 4473 and give them your (low amount, I forget, maybe $15-20 for 3-4 years?) and you're good to go. Of course, my permit isn't honored in several other states due to the lack of training requirement, no fingerprints, etc. It's good most places I go--or I should say I don't like to go most places that don't accept it anyway.

Our version of Mayberry RFD may be a little extreme for the OP, but there are lots of choices in between. If I was looking for tech jobs, I'd consider Raliegh/Durham area in NC way before I looked at MD. Look how many people are trying to move OUT of MD. Don't do it!

Stay away from MD if you can. It is a suburban hell hole.

Biggfoot44 said:

Annapolis mentioned above would be good.

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Bingo. Annapolis area is what he's looking for. Plenty going on for singles. Lots to do. Laid back, quaint, and safe relative to Baltimorgue. My office has been in downtown Annapolis for more than a decade and I like it more and more there as the years roll by.

danb said:

Welcome!

Almost all of Central Maryland (Howard, Montgomery, Baltimore, Anne Arundel Counties) is "suburban."

You won't be able to shoot in your backyard unless** you get a lot of property generally in rural (Northern) Baltimore County, Carroll, Frederick, or Western Howard County. There is a very nice outdoor shooting range in western Howard county (Associated Guns Club, Marriotsville, you can google it).

You may be getting a raise, but property values are sky-high here. The good news, commuting to Ft Meade is not so bad.

There are lots of state parks and loads outdoorsy activities. Lots of fishing, and you can kill as many deer (does) in central maryland as you can shoot, and a few bucks as well, if you know where the deer are. No turkeys or bear, unless you travel to Western MD.

** and also: once you get you know your neighbors.

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FWIW, Associated Gun Clubs is in Baltimore County


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