Tell me about Columbia, MD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have relatives who live up there. Lots of large homes on large lots. Their house is up a long, wooded driveway, which is really pretty. I suppose you would call it a McMansion, but it's actually not huge, and it's a very good-looking house. It fits its environment, unlike the McMansions going up in the Palisades of DC!

The schools are supposed to be great. You do have to drive, but I've noticed kids playing in the yards, and bicyclists, and lots of joggers.

I think it's a nice quality of life for a family, except I'm sure you have to drive pretty far for a non-chain restaurant. Lost of the neighbors work at Hopkins and drive into Baltimore every day. Lots of doctors.

I think their five-bedroom house on an acre is worth about $800,000. That alone is worth considering Columbia!

This part is definitely not true

Iron Bridge Wine Company
Facci
Clyde's (i guess that is a chain)
Tomato Palace
Sushi Sono
Ranazul

and these are just a few

[Anonymous]

I haven't lived there, but I guess I am surprised to hear that it isn't considered walkable. Isn't it planned much like Reston with the Village Centers close to most houses? I lived in Reston and felt we were walkable to most of the conveniences in life. Yes, we still needed a car to get to some things, but a planned community offers more walkability than your typical suburban subdivision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have relatives who live up there. Lots of large homes on large lots. Their house is up a long, wooded driveway, which is really pretty. I suppose you would call it a McMansion, but it's actually not huge, and it's a very good-looking house. It fits its environment, unlike the McMansions going up in the Palisades of DC!

The schools are supposed to be great. You do have to drive, but I've noticed kids playing in the yards, and bicyclists, and lots of joggers.

I think it's a nice quality of life for a family, except I'm sure you have to drive pretty far for a non-chain restaurant. Lost of the neighbors work at Hopkins and drive into Baltimore every day. Lots of doctors.

I think their five-bedroom house on an acre is worth about $800,000. That alone is worth considering Columbia!

This part is definitely not true

Iron Bridge Wine Company
Facci
Clyde's (i guess that is a chain)
Tomato Palace
Sushi Sono
Ranazul

and these are just a few

Clydes and Tomato Palace are chains (both owned by Clyde's). Which leaves four restaurants.

So really. When we go to visit, our relatives take us to the supermarket to get Starbucks coffee - INSIDE the supermarket. It's too far to drive to find a coffee shop. This is the point I was making. Restaurants and coffee shops - forget it. Few and far between. The closest Whole Foods is in Baltimore. Lots of pick-up trucks. Columbia's not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have relatives who live up there. Lots of large homes on large lots. Their house is up a long, wooded driveway, which is really pretty. I suppose you would call it a McMansion, but it's actually not huge, and it's a very good-looking house. It fits its environment, unlike the McMansions going up in the Palisades of DC!

The schools are supposed to be great. You do have to drive, but I've noticed kids playing in the yards, and bicyclists, and lots of joggers.

I think it's a nice quality of life for a family, except I'm sure you have to drive pretty far for a non-chain restaurant. Lost of the neighbors work at Hopkins and drive into Baltimore every day. Lots of doctors.

I think their five-bedroom house on an acre is worth about $800,000. That alone is worth considering Columbia!

This part is definitely not true

Iron Bridge Wine Company
Facci
Clyde's (i guess that is a chain)
Tomato Palace
Sushi Sono
Ranazul

and these are just a few

Clydes and Tomato Palace are chains (both owned by Clyde's). Which leaves four restaurants.

So really. When we go to visit, our relatives take us to the supermarket to get Starbucks coffee - INSIDE the supermarket. It's too far to drive to find a coffee shop. This is the point I was making. Restaurants and coffee shops - forget it. Few and far between. The closest Whole Foods is in Baltimore. Lots of pick-up trucks. Columbia's not for everyone.

Yes, there are lots of pick up trucks. I forgot to mention. They are EVERYWHERE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, there are lots of pick up trucks. I forgot to mention. They are EVERYWHERE.

Maybe they just have a lot of transplants from Texas or something? Not everyone who wants to haul stuff wants an SUV.

[Anonymous]

Re: walkability, yes it's a planned community based around town centers but it's hard to explain. Based in the neighborhoods I know of the houses are far enough from the town center that it wouldn't be like running errands like I am used to doing.
It would be more like a looong walk to get to the town center. Not just running out to garb a few things type of walk.
Like I said, some people love it but it isn't for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Howard County schools are very well-regarded, and Columbia has a nice mall.

[Anonymous]

Centennial High School pyramid is really good and has more charm than River Hill housing.

[Anonymous]

Regarding restaurants: Royal Taj -- best Indian food in the area aside from Rasika

Noodles Corner has every type of Asian noodle dish imaginable.

We drive from 30 minutes away to go to both places (just as we drive 30 minutes to DC when we want Ethiopian, for instance).

[Anonymous]

It is the quintessential suburb. Nothing wrong with that, but when I think walkable I don't think of Columbia.

My only concern would be commuting - hopefully the job your husband has lasts but if he ever wants to job search in the DC area, or if you do down the road, Columbia is a hike. It does have sort of a manufactured feel. But that really doesn't bother me, I could live there if it weren't for the commute.

[Anonymous]

Columbia is a planned community with dedicated areas of low-income housing and unfortunately high crime rates. It's very strip mall-y and has lots of big box restaurants with 2 hour waits at 6 on Saturdays. The community itself, however, is admirably diverse (way more so than the typical suburb) so that's a huge plus.

[Anonymous]

We live in Columbia. It is very suburban, but we like that. Good schools, good activities for kids, a Wegmans , and honestly it takes me 15m more a day to get to work in DC than it does some of my co-workers who live in NoVa.

[Anonymous]

In terms of schools, River Hill H.S. has the highest test scores not only in the county, but to large degree some of the highest in the country. Like a lot of schools of that ilk, though, it is reported to have more drug issues than other schools, probably related to the relative wealth of it's students. Centennial was considered the best previous to River Hill being built. My son went to Atholton...redistricted from River Hill when it got too crowded in the newer parts of Columbia..and had a wonderful, well-rounded experience there. After which he got into Harvard. Needless to say, even the school considered fourth or fifth best in Howard County is no slouch. Columbia is clearly a suburb, but a fairly special one, with a huge budget (if you live in Columbia you pay an annual fee) that provides loads of ammenities, which are available in addition to those the county offer. So the choices your children will have in terms of programs, teams, camps and experiences is seriously second to none; we were overwhelmed with opportunites for our son to do everything from sports to robotics and everything in between while he was growing up. It just don't think there are a lot of suburbs that could offer more. Walkability depends on your specific neighborhood and proximity to your village center, but it is looking as though the downtown area, soon to get a Whole Foods, will be quite walkable. And if you get to walk around Centennial Lake on a regular basis, it's a lovely thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have relatives who live up there. Lots of large homes on large lots. Their house is up a long, wooded driveway, which is really pretty. I suppose you would call it a McMansion, but it's actually not huge, and it's a very good-looking house. It fits its environment, unlike the McMansions going up in the Palisades of DC!

The schools are supposed to be great. You do have to drive, but I've noticed kids playing in the yards, and bicyclists, and lots of joggers.

I think it's a nice quality of life for a family, except I'm sure you have to drive pretty far for a non-chain restaurant. Lost of the neighbors work at Hopkins and drive into Baltimore every day. Lots of doctors.

I think their five-bedroom house on an acre is worth about $800,000. That alone is worth considering Columbia!

This part is definitely not true

Iron Bridge Wine Company
Facci
Clyde's (i guess that is a chain)
Tomato Palace
Sushi Sono
Ranazul

and these are just a few

Clydes and Tomato Palace are chains (both owned by Clyde's). Which leaves four restaurants.

So really. When we go to visit, our relatives take us to the supermarket to get Starbucks coffee - INSIDE the supermarket. It's too far to drive to find a coffee shop. This is the point I was making. Restaurants and coffee shops - forget it. Few and far between. The closest Whole Foods is in Baltimore. Lots of pick-up trucks. Columbia's not for everyone.

A Whole Foods is being added to the Town Center near the mall. Will open 2014.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ditto what PP said re: Atholton being best in Columbia proper. With planned re-do of downtown, that location is a good one. Some people like Ellicott City or Clarksville.

This