Howard County vs. Olney vs. ?

[Anonymous]

We currently have a one-year old and live in a small house in Bethesda and commute to DC. When baby #2 enters the picture (in the next 1-2 years hopefully), I’d like to move closer to my family in Baltimore (we’re now about a 45 minute drive with no traffic). We’re looking for somewhere less expensive than Bethesda (ideally a SFH with a decent yard for 600-700k?), with good schools and a strong Jewish community. Olney and Howard County both seem to fit the criteria – trying to figure out whether the commute would be comparable (My commute from Bethesda is currently about 1 hour 15 min each way). It seems like if we chose HoCo, we’d need to be near the MARC train to make it doable.

I’d love to hear any other suggestions - thoughts on specific areas in Olney or Howard County are also welcome!

[Anonymous]

Howard's system is superior to Mo Co's.

You could live in Ho Co - Fulton, Clarksville - and commute into Olney for services. B'nai Shalom is lovely.

not an easy commute, however - from either area

[Anonymous]

I would suggest looking in the Glenmont, Aspen Hill and Kemp Mill general vicinity. The Glenmont and Wheaton metro lines make it easy (if a little longer) to commute downtown, just from the other arm of the red line. They are closer to Baltimore and there are a number of good synagogues in the area. Both John F. Kennedy HS and Montgomery Blair are highly rated HS. Seems to fit all of the criteria that you listed above. I know several friends that live in the area and love it. I also know that the home prices in that area have come down a lot way and you can get a lot more house there than you could a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Kemp Mill is heavily Orthodox; I used to live there.

don't know how far you lean

While Blair has its strengths, I wouldn't say Kennedy is highly rated, nor are its feeders.

Prices are lower - @$400K, but if you're looking at shorter commute to Baltimore, Howard is your best bet.

[Anonymous]

Check out the 20723 area of Howard County. We actually moved from that area (had a small townhouse) to Olney, so I can give you information about both!

Without traffic, it only takes 20-25 minutes to get to downtown Baltimore from the 20723 area. It's really close to 95. There is a newer community (Emerson?) that have houses in that price range. If you're looking for older homes, with larger yards, there are some great houses right around the Gorman/Johns Hopkins Road area.

I'm not Jewish, but Olney seems like a great area if you are! We're within walking distance to B'nai Shalom, our neighbor is a rabbi, and we see a bunch of families walking to services on Saturdays.

Olney has an awesome community feel and you usually run into a familiar face every time you go out. We have a farmers' market every Sunday. Lots of nice homes, in your price range, in Olney, but if you're looking for an easier trip into Baltimore, Howard County is the better option.

[Anonymous]

Did you say you and your husband both work in DC? The commute from either Olney or HC to DC will be significantly longer than your current commute! I use to do the Olney-Bethesda commute and found it way too long...I can't even imagine if I had to keep going south all the way to DC!

[Anonymous]

Big Jewish community in Olney/Brookeville --- we're talking Orthodox mostly. You can't compare Olney to Kemp Mill -- Olney is much nicer. FWIW most people in Olney/Brookeville commute to DC -- it's 1 hour 15 for me in rush hour from Olney (only 50 if I leave early).

[Anonymous]

OP here - I already commute 1hr 15 min from Bethesda, so Olney isn't sounding so bad! I also have some flexibility in my schedule and only work in the office 3 days/week, so I'm more worried about my husband's commute than my own.

Does anyone here actually commute from Columbia/Clarksville? I think we'd look at the River Hill area.

Silver Spring would be ideal except for the schools -- I think we'd probably do private school if we moved there, which makes the financial savings a wash. Also, we aren't Orthodox, so Kemp Mill isn't that appealing.

Thanks everyone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I already commute 1hr 15 min from Bethesda, so Olney isn't sounding so bad! I also have some flexibility in my schedule and only work in the office 3 days/week, so I'm more worried about my husband's commute than my own.

Does anyone here actually commute from Columbia/Clarksville? I think we'd look at the River Hill area.

Silver Spring would be ideal except for the schools -- I think we'd probably do private school if we moved there, which makes the financial savings a wash. Also, we aren't Orthodox, so Kemp Mill isn't that appealing.

Thanks everyone!

Clarksville is around routes 108 and 32. You can try different roads - Rte. 32 to 29 (Colesville Road), to 95 or to 295 - all depends on where in DC you both work. River Hill is a good area. However, homes are not cheap. There are some townhomes off 108 by the River Hill Village Center which go for about $400K - and condos for around $300K. They're nice, but not spacious. And most of the homes West - zoned for larger pieces - are on well/septic.

Fulton has Maple Lawn, which is like a Kentlands. But homes and townhomes are pricey, too. It's easier to hit 29 from there.

There's a lovely community - River's Edge - right off 29, which feeds into Atholton. It's closer in (however you wish to define that!), and the homes are well made (Halle builders). I don't think you'll find a large Jewish community there, however!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest looking in the Glenmont, Aspen Hill and Kemp Mill general vicinity. The Glenmont and Wheaton metro lines make it easy (if a little longer) to commute downtown, just from the other arm of the red line. They are closer to Baltimore and there are a number of good synagogues in the area. Both John F. Kennedy HS and Montgomery Blair are highly rated HS. Seems to fit all of the criteria that you listed above. I know several friends that live in the area and love it. I also know that the home prices in that area have come down a lot way and you can get a lot more house there than you could a few years ago.

Kennedy is NOT a highly rated school. Maybe compared to some schools in the city, but its consistantly one of the lowest performers in the County.