What is your price range and do you want to rent or buy? We can help narrow suggestions down more.

Olney is a good suggestion (although keep in mind the ICC is a toll road). Another option is Rockville - I'd look in the 20853 zip code, especially the Manor Woods/Flower Valley areas. Darnestown could be an option too, and that would give you a nice back roads commute (don't know how crowded those roads get though).

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all! keep the suggestions coming. feeling the stress.

What is your price range.

Check Poolesville.

Thank you all! keep the suggestions coming. feeling the stress.

That commute will be BRUTAL. Especially when it rains, snows, sunny, cloudy, right before a holiday weekend. I made that commute for 10 years. For me...it was hell.

My DH works there but we live in Rockville - 20850. His commute is 10 max. There are carpool lanes on 270 which would help if you could find a carpool. I think Frederick is too far given your family situation and the traffic issues.

Germantown west of Clopper Road. Your commute would be 15 minutes.

Anonymous wrote:Olney is great, too, and with the ICC it would be fast. That road is a toll, but it's never crowded.

My DH commutes from Olney to USG area and it's 20ish minutes on back roads, faster on the ICC, and neither way has much traffic.

Clarksburg

Olney is great, too, and with the ICC it would be fast. That road is a toll, but it's never crowded.

Agree with PPs that the commute on 270 at those hours would be rough. For reference, to get from Gaithersburg to Frederick in the afternoon, it has often taken me a full hour (vs the 30 min it would be in non rush hour traffic).

I agree with PPs that looking into something closer would be better. Gaithersburg, Germantown, Damascus, Derwood, Laytonsville, Darnestown - all of those would be better options and you'd have alternate routes to 270 if those seemed to work better.

Damascus (20872) and Laytonsville (20882) are options to consider as well, with good schools. In Frederick County, Mt. Airy, New Market, Urbana are nice, but I don't know about the schools there.

Frederick to Shady Grove would be very brutal on 270. If you can go somewhere and avoid 270, you would have a lot of options to get to work if one route has an accident or is otherwise more backed up than usual.

The northern part of 270 - Frederick to Germantown - can be bumper to bumper in prime rush hour. Do you have a house price range or rent range? I live right near Universities at Shady Grove, in the Wootton school cluster, in a townhouse for $1900 a month rent. Very nice family neighborhood. There is a townhouse in the vicinity going for $430k.

I'd also suggest Derwood near the Shady Grove Metro. Zip is 20855.

If you want more Rural, Poolesville is a closer option too.

That's a brutal commute at those hours. I would try to stay farther south-- Urbana , clarksburg, germantown, gaithersburg. Affordable housing and decent schools in those areas.

I'm strongly considering an offer for a position at the Universities at Shady Grove and I'm looking at housing in the Frederick area. I would be commuting during the 8-5pm rush hour. How long will it take me to commute to and from Frederick to Rockville? My husband will be out of state for most of the year so I will be juggling three kids, work, and a commute. If not Frederick, what areas would you recommend (with good schools, family friendly environment) that is reasonably priced? My salary will be an educator salary so I need lower cost housing. Thank you for any and all feedback!