Oh boy. OP, would urge you not to get sucked down the rabbit hole of Montgomery County people vs. Howard County people. The MoCo crowd is generally much more aggressive on this site but both crowds have their very obnoxious traits. Both areas, however, can be great places to raise a family.

Here is a somewhat recent write-up on Columbia in WaPo. I think in reflects some of the good and bad about the area (get through the first few paragraphs and you'll get to the rundown of the area's strengths):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/heres-a-suburban-experiment-cities-can-learn-from/2017/07/11/c737165e-4d1f-11e7-bc1b-fddbd8359dee_story.html

(You'll notice in the comments people from other planned communities in the area complain they aren't mentioned in the article as well, haha)

Bluntly, I don't think Olney specifically compares to most places in HoCo. I'll admit my own bias here, since we left the District for HoCo for a variety of reasons. I just have a hard time comparing the two areas in regard to amenities, etc.

I was (am?) very much a DC person and walked around for a week or two bemoaning my suburb fate pretty obnoxiously when we moved up here, but absolutely love living here. We're in Ellicott City, which is very close to Columbia but with its own, very distinct vibe that feels much more like a town. We are very close historic downtown and would highly recommend (safely) visiting the area as you make your decision. Ellicott City is closer to BWI than Columbia for the most part, so most DC commuters I know used either MARC or Amtrak passes to commute into the city pre-COVID. As a result, the commute is generally fine though can certainly be annoying. Some MARC-ers get on the train at St. Denis. The historic area continues to recover from the floods even during the pandemic and a new park is supposed to be installed downtown sometime soon.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/ellicott-city-history-hiking-and-a-place-for-families-between-baltimore-and-dc/2019/11/19/13cfb91e-0581-11ea-8292-c46ee8cb3dce_story.html

Good luck!

MoCo is far more diverse and progressively than HoCo.

And the fact that a poster called Olney “rural” makes me think he’s never been to Olney.

We live in Brookeville on the border of Olney. It’s a good location if you need to commute to DC or Baltimore the occasionally but prefer a hometown feel.

Olney is FamilyTown, USA.

Have you compared crime rates for the zip codes or neighborhoods? I would start there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither are desirable areas.

Columbia has been named one of the top 10 places to live in the country by CNN’s money magazine several times, and in fact, some years it was listed as the best place to live in the entire country.

Howard County is no doubt the county that is hands down the best to raise a family in within the DC/Baltimore metropolitan area. Columbia is diverse and also far more inclusive than Montgomery County is, except for Silver Spring. Columbia was specially designed to be a place where people of all ethnicities and incomes could live and thrive.

LOL.
Is that the reason why 3 of the top 10 most diverse cities are in MoCo? None in HoCo? Where is Columbia? Nowhere to be found at #67.
Stop trying to make HoCo something it's not.
https://wallethub.com/edu/most-diverse-cities/12690

Anonymous wrote:Neither are desirable areas.

Columbia has been named one of the top 10 places to live in the country by CNN’s money magazine several times, and in fact, some years it was listed as the best place to live in the entire country.

Howard County is no doubt the county that is hands down the best to raise a family in within the DC/Baltimore metropolitan area. Columbia is diverse and also far more inclusive than Montgomery County is, except for Silver Spring. Columbia was specially designed to be a place where people of all ethnicities and incomes could live and thrive.

Anonymous wrote:so interesting re Columbia! Had not thought of the 20 min to downtown Baltimore option.

Re Olney, we have been discussing moving there because of the many amenities, and proximity to the ICC. How would you commute from Olney to Baltimore? Via the ICC or different route?

I do Olney to Baltimore a couple times a week (okay, before Covid) and it sucks. You basically have to go back through Columbia, then North. Or yes, you actually can go south to ICC then East to 95 then up to Baltimore. Takes the same amount of time either way. If you need to go to Baltimore, live in Columbia. Another plus for HoCo - my son is a baseball player and we’ve made the rounds of all the baseball fields and parks in MoCo and HoCo. Howard clearly has the better parks and rec. no idea why, but they do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither are desirable areas.

Lol. Both are more Maryland than DC centric, but Columbia is pretty desirable. Even as a native Marylander, I always have to look up where Olney is. Ellicott City—yes, I am a stan—just north of Columbia is generally considered one of the best places to raise a family and a “cool” suburb. Columbia was set up, basically, for couples with careers split between DC and Baltimore.

Fair enough. I will say, I hear Columbia, MD referenced far more than Olney.

Anonymous wrote:Neither are desirable areas.

Lol. Both are more Maryland than DC centric, but Columbia is pretty desirable. Even as a native Marylander, I always have to look up where Olney is. Ellicott City—yes, I am a stan—just north of Columbia is generally considered one of the best places to raise a family and a “cool” suburb. Columbia was set up, basically, for couples with careers split between DC and Baltimore.

Neither are desirable areas.

Anonymous wrote:so interesting re Columbia! Had not thought of the 20 min to downtown Baltimore option.

Re Olney, we have been discussing moving there because of the many amenities, and proximity to the ICC. How would you commute from Olney to Baltimore? Via the ICC or different route?

From Olney to Baltimore would be a rough commute, it is 45 minutes without traffic. I'm not sure why the ICC is a big draw from you, but from Olney to Baltimore your best bet would likely be to take 108/32/95 in order to avoid more time on 95 that the ICC would result in.

Columbia, if the commute is about the same. Olney is nice, but more rural. It may not make a difference right now, but post COVID it might.

I would not want to commute from Olney to Baltimore. Columbia is so much closer, and there is more to do than Olney.

so interesting re Columbia! Had not thought of the 20 min to downtown Baltimore option.

Re Olney, we have been discussing moving there because of the many amenities, and proximity to the ICC. How would you commute from Olney to Baltimore? Via the ICC or different route?

Agree Columbia. Closer to more arteries in and out of DC and BWI. Lots of parks and greenspace, well-established sports leagues, all the grocery stores you could want, and is really a (small) city on its own.

In addition to easy access to the major surrounding cities on the weekend, Ellicott Cit is very close by has a super cute historic downtown that is great for date nights.

I prefer the amenities in Howard County and Columbia specifically. You are much closer to more. I can be in a parking space in Baltimore on a weekend (pre-Covid, of course) for dinner or a date night within 20 minutes door to door.

Howard County is better run, that's for sure. Columbia is WAYYY more diverse. I really like Olney, but grew up in Howard County. I think the howard county has so much to offer families. Depending on which village in Columbia, there may be a difference in schools, but honestly, if you have good parents, your kids will do well in either. Taxes are high in both.

If you had 2 small kids, would you live in Olney or Columbia?

Work commute is the same for both places & school rankings are very similar as well.

Thoughts on one vs the other?