My company has a lot of DE/DC commuters. It’s better going from DC in the morning than coming in and better coming into DC in the evening than leaving. It’s still terrible, but better.

Does he have to be in the Newark office every day? My company allows 2 days of work elsewhere and it is understood that the 3 days are flexed to avoid as much rush hour traffic as possible - so as early as you can get there and out by 3pm. It’s still a long drive but I know people who have done it for years.

I would live on the MD side of the DMV, with room for live in help if you can afford it. And with an exit plan for him. Hopefully the money is great but it will get super old

If you wanted to stay in DC then live near Union Station for the train. If you book enough in advance you can get cheap tickets. I have paid $39 one way for a DC-NYC Amtrak ticket.

If you want to split the commute then live in Crofton, MD or Annapolis area. Stay off 95 and take 50 over the bridge to 301 North. That is far less traffic to get to Newark, DE. There are several cute areas up Rt 301 if you want to plant roots near Newark, DE.

I am from Newark and agree this is not sustainable. The traffic up and down 95 has gotten a lot worse in the past 10 years or so. It really slows down around mile 70 in MD and there can be long backups at the Newark toll plaza between MD and DE (though there is an easy workaround to that... I never go through that toll plaza).

I think PP's MARC train suggestion is probably the least terrible option. The drive from Perryville to Newark is not bad because that is well north of where most of the traffic backs up. The toll plaza I mentioned above can be avoided by getting off on exit 109 in MD (last exit before the toll) and taking Elkton Rd into Newark.

If you decide to take the plunge and move as a family to Newark, I can tell you all about the neighborhoods/schools.

Driving daily to/from Newark from the DC area would be hell. (I have family in DE and drive there regularly so I can personally attest to the terrible traffic.)

Have you thought about using MARC trains? You could live in Columbia, Md., and commute to DC. DH could take the MARC to the stop closest to DE (I think it is Perryville but not sure). He would keep a beater car at the station, and drive that car to/from Newark.

Why not use this as an opportunity to move to a (much) less expensive area (Delaware) and have the time to raise your child, perhaps as a -- gasp-- full time mother? I would have given anything for that chance.

Anonymous wrote:

js426 wrote:Thank you all for your inputs, I really appreciate it! My job is tied to DC and so is my husband's (at least for now). My work is more flexible though so I'm sure I can work something out there.

We will look into renting-out-a-studio in DE option. Not sure if he would be able to work from home but for now that might be the most viable option :'(

Would none of the neighborhoods really matter then, where we end up living...?

Also if the one-way commute was 2 hours, do you think '1.5-hour Amtrak + 20 minutes of driving' is better than '2 hours or driving'?

1.5 hrs sitting and reading a book/watching a movie/playing games on his phone beats same amount of time driving any day.

Agree with this. He could even get a little extra sleep on the train, which would surely help with the stress of the long commute.

js426 wrote:Thank you all for your inputs, I really appreciate it! My job is tied to DC and so is my husband's (at least for now). My work is more flexible though so I'm sure I can work something out there.

We will look into renting-out-a-studio in DE option. Not sure if he would be able to work from home but for now that might be the most viable option :'(

Would none of the neighborhoods really matter then, where we end up living...?

Also if the one-way commute was 2 hours, do you think '1.5-hour Amtrak + 20 minutes of driving' is better than '2 hours or driving'?

1.5 hrs sitting and reading a book/watching a movie/playing games on his phone beats same amount of time driving any day.

He needs to just live in DE and see the family on weekends. It doesn't matter which neighborhood you pick OP.

There is no way this will work...one of you must switch jobs. Only other option is for him to live in DE and just come home on weekends.

The faster you see reality, the better off you are. Fix the job situation first before you end up doing something dumb like moving to Baltimore (which doesn’t work for either of your jobs).

Greenbelt or New Carrolton. It's near 495/95 which will be helpful for your husband, and you can take the train in

Anonymous wrote:Not doable. I do the DC to DE drive every few months and during rush hour. It’s not 1.5 hours, it’s 3. More on Friday nights...

Summer is a whole other hell with beach traffic.

Whoa, forgot about the beach traffic.

Not doable. I do the DC to DE drive every few months and during rush hour. It’s not 1.5 hours, it’s 3. More on Friday nights...

Summer is a whole other hell with beach traffic.

Burtonsville, md has a park and ride with bus service to silver spring metro. but with the traffic on route 29, just getting to the metro is about 20-30 minutes. I think there is a train stop in Laurel that could make things easier for you if you move to pg county

OP- what is your end goal, and how does this set up your family to achieve it? Continued professional growth for DH, if so how long does he have to this? Is this the only job he can get and it is necessary? A chance to make/save a lot of $$ in a short amount of time? Your spouse hates his job and will take anything to get out of it? Or by "relocation" do you mean he is being relocated and can take that while looking for something back in the DC area?

This is a hellish commute for one or both of you, and/or puts all kid related issues on one person.

And a almost 2 hour commute each way, regardless of mode, is draining.

People are not commenting on the neighborhoods because the commute is not sustainable.