Ellicott City - the good, the bad, and the ugly?

[Anonymous]

My mom, newly widowed, is planning to move closer to me and my kids next year. She's coming from a small Midwestern town where she's lived for 40 years. Not only will the DC cost of living be a bad shock but living in DC itself isn't an appealing option to her. She'd like to live in an area that has a smaller town feel while being within driving distance of my and my family (in DC near MD border). We visited the historic part of Ellicott City once and she loved the little downtown area.

So, we're considering Ellicott City for her move. I've only been there once for an afternoon. What's the deal with area? Is it nice/safe/etc? Are there seedy areas to avoid?

[Anonymous]

Very nice, very safe. There are some iffy parts right on Route 40. But even they aren't horrible compared to more urban areas. You can check www.crimereports.com for specific addresses to see what crime issues are like. I grew up in Howard County and I'm trying to convince my mother (also widowed) to sell her huge house and buy something smaller up in Ellicott City, which is near her church. My grandmother and great aunt grew up there and lived there all their lives.

[Anonymous]

You could also look at Poolesville and Damascus in Montgomery County, or even Frederick (might be a bit far). Downtown Winchester, VA may be a little too far, but that's also very nice.

[Anonymous]

Check out Leesburg too - a bit high, but maybe an option?

[Anonymous]

I have friends who live there with their young son and they really like it. The dad grew up in Montgomery Cty.

I also like Frederick, though that might be a bit far.

[Anonymous]

I live in Ellicott City and love it. There are some really great neighborhoods, low crime rate, nice amenities. Good schools were important to us (but obviously not for your mom). When you get closer to Columbia the neighborhoods get a little more cookie-cutter, but depending on whether she wants a house or a townhouse, there are a lot of options. When we were house hunting we stuck with the 21042 zip code as 21043 included more subdivisions, traffic, etc. and just wasn't as quaint. There are also some great neighborhoods in 21163 (Woodstock), but parts are in Howard County and parts in Baltimore county, so you just need to be aware of which part you are looking at. I'm trying to convince my mom to move here, too

[Anonymous]

Thanks, 9:23. What is the commute like to DC? She'd be coming down regularly for her grandchildren, perhaps even daily for a while. Is that do-able or would farther south in Columbia be better. FWIW, I think Columbia is fine but I'm not in love with it and I know she'd prefer something something more quaint.

[Anonymous]

Whoa, serious flooding there yesterday. Make sure she will not be in abuilding in the flood zone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, 9:23. What is the commute like to DC? She'd be coming down regularly for her grandchildren, perhaps even daily for a while. Is that do-able or would farther south in Columbia be better. FWIW, I think Columbia is fine but I'm not in love with it and I know she'd prefer something something more quaint.

HORRIBLE. Especially for a senior new to the area. Commuting during off hours could be a different story however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whoa, serious flooding there yesterday. Make sure she will not be in abuilding in the flood zone.

Old Town Ellicott City - very different from the neighborhoods around it

Old Town is lovely but yes, it suffers from major flooding. The 'hoods like Burleigh Manor, for example, are affordable and quite lovely.

[Anonymous]

My sister lives in Ellicott City, I live in Bethesda. Traffic is so horrible during the week that we never see each other. Even on the weekends, it rarely takes the 35 minutes it should w/o traffic problems.

What about closer in suburbs like Kensington? They have a quaint historic area as well. Albeit, not as many restaurant options as Ellicott City.

[Anonymous]

My sister lives in Ellicott City, I live in Bethesda. Traffic is so horrible during the week that we never see each other. Even on the weekends, it rarely takes the 35 minutes it should w/o traffic problems.

What about closer in suburbs like Kensington? They have a quaint historic area as well. Albeit, not as many restaurant options as Ellicott City.

[Anonymous]

My parents live in 21042 and I live right on the DC/MD border (CCDC). My mom watches my kids one day a week. Traffic is not so good. It takes her anywhere from 1 hour to 1.5 hours and she makes sure to leave her house no later than 6:45 am. On the weekends it usually takes us 45-55 minutes to get to their house.

Also, I grew up in Ellicott City and I wouldn't say it has a small town feel. Unless you are living in Old Town, where the houses are really not that nice, it is just one big suburb of both Baltimore and DC. If your mom really wants a smaller town feel I echo other posters who recommend places such as Poolesville.