Thinking about moving to Howard County. Where should I live since I work in downtown DC?
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Anonymous
I know a lot of people who live a long commute away from work "for the kid". They spend a lot of time away from home, and they're exhausted and grumpy. It often makes me wonder whether the kid would be better off living closer in, with a parent who is home more often, less tired, more happy. |
Anonymous
Most River Hill kids go to Atholton. |
Anonymous
Yeah, Greatschools.com shows that River Hill High is 59% white. How much more diverse does it need to be before it's no longer the "whitest school in the county"? |
Anonymous
Atholton HS: 52.5% white, 6.5% FARMS, <10 students limited English proficient (2012-2013 -- Howard County needs to update their data) Centennial HS: 49.0% white, 7.5% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient Glenelg HS: 81.2% white, <5% FARMS, <10 students limited English proficient Hammond HS: 33.3% white, 27.9% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient Howard HS: 56.2% white, 10.8% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient Long Reach HS: 33.3% white, 29.0% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient Marriotts Ridge HS: 62.9% white, <5% FARMS, <10 students limited English proficient Mt. Hebron HS: 50.2% white, 11.6% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient Oakland Mills HS: 25.3% white, 38.1% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient Reservoir HS: 38.4% white, 22.9% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient River Hill HS: 56.5% white, 6.0% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient Wilde Lake HS: 30.5% white, 30.3% FARMS, <5% limited English proficient OP, if you're moving from Montgomery County to Howard County "for the kid", you need to move to Glenelg. The commute will be absolutely awful, but a good parent makes sacrifices, right? |
Anonymous
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Another Howard County resident here. I do not understand why anyone would think that our beautiful county is not diverse. Really, the areas where OP is looking claim nearly a majority of minorities. There are lots of immigrants are raising their families here.
To the OP: Maple Lawn is a beautiful area but the houses are crazy expensive, and the yards are really small for the houses. River Hill yields better house prices and bigger yards, but it's Columbia so you'll have to pay the Columbia Association HOA fees which are based on property value (maybe $1500-$2000 per year). Highland and Clarksville are rural areas dotted with pretty developments where the farmers sold out. Watch out, a lot of those houses use well water and septic tanks and that was a deal-breaker for me. Others are more comfortable with that. |
Anonymous
| Check out the neighborhood off Rivers Edge Road. It's right off 29 so easy access. A variety of home styles, sizes, prices. Great schools, near Columbia but just south and no CPRA taxes!! |
Anonymous
Because Howard County is homogeneous compared to its neighbor Montgomery County. And because people decide to live in Howard County instead of Montgomery County because they don't like Montgomery County's heterogeneity -- or at least that's what posters on DCUM say they do. |
Anonymous
large swaths of MoCo are homogeneous. --MoCo resident |
Anonymous
I'm sure it has nothing to do with the very highly rated public school system. "I'm moving to Howard County to live among the WASPs." - said nobody ever |
Anonymous
It depends on what side of the River Hill Community you reside in. The River Hill section south of 32 near Pointer's Run Elementary and Clarksville Middle Schools attend Atholton High School. The section of River Hill that is near Clarksville Elementary and north of 32 attend River Hill High School. The River Hill Community has homes both south and north of 32. It feeds into two high schools. River Hill is not one of the whitest schools in Howard County. Take a look at the school's profile on the county's website. http://www.hcpss.org For the 2013-2014 school year River Hill was 56.5% White, 24.8% Asian, 8% Hispanic, 6.5% African American/Black, and 3.8% Two or more races (Mixed raced). Also, there are many multicultural, interracial, and international families in Howard County myself included. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Not sure how a simple question took such a turn for the worst. I want a divere school because we are a minority so the poster suggesting Glenelg, we know your views but thanks for the breakdown! I'm considering this because of the schools. We moved here too late to apply to a real TAG program. The MoCo schools are good but overcrowded. The HoCo program for gifted students would be better for him. MoCo sticks all the kids in the same class and labels some as being in the advanced class. It's hard for the teachers to do differentiated teaching with so many students so the advanced kids with no behavior issues aren't given much attention. So those who help without being racist I'd welcome your thoughts! Thanks also to those who have alerted me to places and neighborhoods that may not have such a horrible commute. |
Anonymous
Rivers Edge is a very nice little area. It is a true community with well built homes that have land. Plus, it has easy access to 29 and 32. We looked there but no homes were on the market when we were ready to move. Atholton HS, I think??? |
Anonymous
The schools that feed into the Maple Lawn Community are Fulton Elementary, Lime Kiln Middle, and Reservoir High. Here are the community websites about Maple Lawn http://www.maplelawnmd.com and http://www.maplelawncommunity.com Just note that Maple Lawn is a mastered planned community. Some people love it while others do not. Visit the community for yourself to see if you like it or not. Also, another poster mentioned the Riverside community near 29. That and Holiday Hills are older communities with homes on bigger lots compared to Maple Lawn. Those are other communities that you may want to look at in case you don't like Maple Lawn. To research information like state test scores, demographics, details about PTA, and other school related things go to the Howard County Public School website. http://www.hcpss.org Each school has their own website and profile page. When you go to the main website click on the "Schools" section. Each school is listed under that heading. You will get more accurate information at the county and school's websites than here in DCUM. If you have more specific questions or concerns that you can't find on the schools' website, then contact the school for a tour or to speak to someone who can further assist you. Atholton and Reservoir are both good schools. The differences are that Reservoir is more economically and racially diverse than Atholton. However, you can't go wrong with either school. |
Anonymous
bottom line If you're not handy or willing to "live a bit off the land," well and septic is not for you. We are in a rural part of Mo Co that borders Ho Co and we have well and septic. Our water is fantastic - fresh! I could never go back to city water. Furthermore, you do have to test your water periodically and have the septic pumped. It is what it is. It's nothing to fear! |
Anonymous
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Your best bet is to live close to a MARC station. Commute's going to take up a significant amount of time. Depending on where you work in the city, you can count on about 3 hours for the round trip at a minimum.
That said, it's a pleasant commute. You'll have time to work on the train or else just relax! Additionally, there are a number of very attractive, well-planned communities in HoCo. There are definitely points in favor of relocating. |