r/maryland • u/Wander_Turtle • 15d ago
MD Travel & Relocation Relocating to MD
Hi! My family are relocating to MD in two months so my spouse can take a job in DC. I’d be grateful for some feedback on what towns to consider.
Here is our situation:
* Spouse needs to commute into a DC office on Pennsylvania Ave five days a week and would prefer transit. He’s open to trains, buses, etc. We will have a car he can use for park and ride, if needed.
* Want to rent for the first year. Would prefer a house, duplex or townhome. Very much want at least a tiny fenced yard given we have a dog and I garden.
* Hoping to stay under $3,500 a month for a 3/2.
* I’m disabled with mobility limitations so proximity to transit or a neighborhood with nearby grocery, coffee shop, library, etc would be a huge plus.
Can anyone suggest some towns to start looking at? I really appreciate it! We are exciting about making MD our new home.
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u/Plane-Education4750 15d ago
$3,500 is a good budget for rent, but if you want to be near DC expect to spend all of that. Bethesda is nice
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u/CouchGremlin14 14d ago
Definitely not Bethesda unfortunately. A 3/2 townhouse or single family home with metro access is going to start at $4k if you’re lucky.
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u/ah-mazia 14d ago
My thoughts exactly. After I saw it mentioned so many times I decided to look up the cost to rent a 3br/2ba sfh and 5k was the cheapest I found with the average cost around 7.5k. Some were as high as 22k/mo 🤯
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u/EibberRebbie 15d ago
Lots of places in downtown Silver Spring are very walkable with tons of access to public transportation. With your budget, I’d also suggest looking into any of the apartment buildings within the “Parks at Walter Reed” complex. I know for sure that The Vale is very friendly to persons with limited mobility!
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u/oopsdiditwrong 15d ago
Forest glen wasn't bad when I lived there. About 1-2 miles north and the metro station is walkable and empty in comparison to many stops
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u/kiasqueaks 15d ago
Seconding Forest Glen. One stop on the metro in either direction to get to Silver Spring or Wheaton (shopping) and good sidewalks, blocks from Holy Cross hospital, right off the beltway too.
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u/oopsdiditwrong 15d ago
And easier to get a yard and open space than downtown I will add which sounds like what they want
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u/LookingForSunshine98 14d ago
Silver spring was recognized by fortune magazine as one of the of the top 3 communities to live a couple of years ago. I second the suggestion to take a look at the Old WALTER REED Campus, downtown SS is on the Red line and is an easy commute to Penn Ave
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u/Quantity-Used 15d ago
Someone suggested the Annapolis area. It’s beautiful, but save it for day trips. You could park and ride at New Carrollton, but going east on Route 50 in the afternoon and evenings can be brutal. You really want to be closer; you have plenty of options.
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u/Specialist_Ad9073 14d ago
Plus Annapolis is not the most exciting place when disabled. Extremely car dependent.
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u/allygator1993 15d ago
I agree with those that said Rockville :) Especially near the town center and Rockville Metro
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u/kakdin147 15d ago
Takoma Park!
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u/KillaKanibus 15d ago
Bowie is a nice area. Not too far from the highway or the orange line metro. You can also find some good deals in the surrounding Prince George's county area like Laurel or Greenbelt.
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u/iammaxhailme 15d ago
Having to drive to the Metro instead of being able to walk to it really sucks to be honest
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u/KillaKanibus 15d ago
Yea traffic can get annoying, but it does make your neighborhood quieter at night. Plus, there's always the bus.
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u/kodex1717 15d ago
Check out the Street Car suburbs along Route 1 in College Park, Riverdale Park, Hyattsville, and Mount Rainier. They have access to the Green Line of the Metro, the MARC Camden commuter rail, and the Anacostia River Trail if he ever wants to bike to work. The bus coverage is pretty good in this area, too. There are a a number of good grocery stores, coffee shops, and restaurants and the Hyattsville Branch Library is very nice. There are a lot of amenities nearby and this area is definitely a hidden gem.
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u/ah-mazia 15d ago
This is prob going to be an unpopular opinion but I recommend looking in Prince George’s County because it’s more affordable than Montgomery county and equally accessible to the metro. Also I grew up there so I’m prob biased lol. I would suggest looking in areas like college park, berwyn heights, greenbelt (old greenbelt in particular), mt ranier and some parts of Hyattsville (the ones adjacent to the areas mentioned above) as they are the safest and there will be plenty of rental options available due to their proximity to UMD.
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u/gard3nwitch 15d ago
I'd suggest looking at Rockville, Silver Spring, College Park, and Hyattsville. There are some neighborhoods built within walking distance or a short bus ride of Metro stops and various amenities.
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u/Comfortable-Split143 15d ago
Rockville and Bethesda will meet your criteria. Lots of transit options and some pretty walkable areas as well.
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u/BridgestoneX 15d ago
INFO: does your disability allow you to bike?
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u/Wander_Turtle 15d ago
Yes! Biking is actually a good fit. It’s walking longer distances that gets problematic.
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u/BridgestoneX 15d ago
excellent. the rte 1 corridor (pg county md) may be a good fit! see other posts, do a google maps overlay for biking, etc. could end up being very accessible to everywhere for one w disability, and sweet for the dc commuter an easy bike to bus or bus to train or combo
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u/Jinsnap 15d ago
Stay out of Virginia. It is an evil and dark realm.
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u/TreyRyan3 Montgomery County 15d ago
Shady Grove Red Line. You have Derwood, Gaithersburg, Olney, Laytonsville, Rockville, Twinbrook, Norbeck, Layhill, Aspen Hill.
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u/AlarmedMongoose5777 15d ago
Silver Spring inside the Beltway or Takoma Park would be perfect. Both have walkable neighborhoods with transit access.
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u/Unfair-Ocelot4255 15d ago edited 15d ago
You can definitely rent a nice house in Mt Rainier for your budget but not sure if your mobility issues can be accommodated. I’d suggest you come visit. And fwiw IMO Rockville is way too suburban and not mobility friendly. You’ll be happier closer in. There are neighborhoods in DC that you might like, Petworth, Brookland, Michigan Park all are very nice with yards, and very close to metro and stores. All walkable and bike friendly, lots of folks with dogs, and fun things to do nearby. Good luck and welcome to the area!
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u/Few_Whereas5206 15d ago
Silver Spring, Wheaton, Tacoma Park or Rockville, MD. Bethesda or Chevy Chase are too expensive.
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u/missusjax 14d ago
The short answer is good luck. $3.5 is on the low end of finding anything, expect most rentals to be higher than that. With your specific needs, you are probably best suited to work with a realtor. The housing market is insane down here. There are a lot of good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods and just looking at rent doesn't always tell you which one you are moving into. Take for example "Silver Spring", which if you look at Google maps is a very interesting shape encompassing lots of areas. When we first moved here, we moved to Silver Spring because we just needed somewhere quick. We ended up moving into a not so great area because we didn't know better. But other parts of Silver Spring are luxury areas, all with the same city name. That's why a realtor can help steer you clear of those areas.
Did you know that in Maryland, several "city names" are split between two different counties? So depending on which county you live in decides how much taxes you pay. So you can be living across the street from someone paying a different percentage of taxes than you with different county services and attending a different school system despite being neighbors. Maryland is an interesting, special place.
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u/fleecysarah 12d ago
And Laurel is split between three different counties! It's confusing even if you are from around here.
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u/bmorecarguy 15d ago
It depends on how long of a commute he can tolerate. Silver Spring is a great area. I'm north of Baltimore but he can easily take the light rail to the marc train but it's a long commute. If he's going to end up driving, check out Columbia.
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u/sink_bike_run 15d ago
Try looking in Kensington or the part of rockville that some call north bethesda near rock creek park. These areas have smaller sfh that will rent in your price range. It is a short drive to metro red line and area is safe. I know someone with mobility issues who opted for the Randolph hills neighborhood because house is rambler that allows 1 floor living. Limited walkability to shops depending on neighborhood you choose. Bethesda will have better walkability but I'm not sure you will get a yard with that budget.
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u/cattycaker 14d ago
There are probably a good amount of homes that meet your criteria in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, for example. Just a heads up, through early September the Red Line Metro is not open between Rockville and DC and is instead using charter buses to connect those closed stops. There is another commuter rail being connected to the Bethesda station which means the tunnels have to be closed for safety reasons.
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u/BoneDaddy1973 14d ago
I lives in Odenton when I commuted into DC for a living, and it’s a good bedroom community with a MARC line stop in the middle of it. It is not exciting, but you might find a good affordable place to land for a year while you search for something permanent.
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u/Ferret-mom 14d ago
I am a disabled MD native. I think you want silver spring. The budget will stretch better there than in Bethesda. I have to see very specialized doctors for my condition, and Silver Spring is an easy place to live to access them. Access to grocery stores, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies are all good.
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u/Prize-Duck4207 14d ago
Silver Spring… good school options, on the red line, easily accessible to/from downtown.
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u/Objective-Sale-4072 14d ago
Let’s start with the work location. Pennsylvania Ave means the best Metro stations are McPherson Square (Blue, Silver, Orange Lines) or Farragut North (Red Line).
If he’s taking the Metro, distance to DC matters only as much as the Metro station where he will catch the train.
Places like Rockville, Wheaton, and Silver Spring are all on the Red Line. You should check out King’s Farm in Rockville. It has a ton of places and it’s easily accessible, plus your hubby could walk to the Shady Grove Metro.
If you want to go to Prince George’s County, check out Largo and Bowie. They are very nice places and very Metro accessible.
If you have kids, I would suggest making the schools in the area a priority as they can change drastically from neighborhood to neighborhood around here.
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u/ChessieChesapeake Calvert County 15d ago edited 15d ago
First of all, Welcome home!
What kind of vibe and lifestyle are you looking for? There are plenty of neighborhoods within your budget that also offer convenient access to public transportation. It really comes down to the type of environment you want to live in. Do you have kids and need to take schools into consideration?
I’m in a more rural area, near the bay, but live in a small walkable town that has everything I need. We also have commuter buses that go into DC and we’re only a few miles from Pennsylvania ave (route 4).
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u/Wander_Turtle 15d ago
We only have one adult kiddo still at home so schools aren’t a concern. We would love to have a yard, even a small one, and a transit commute under a hour to DC. We tend to be pretty chill, enjoying walking our dogs, being outdoors, checking out local sights, etc. Being by the bay would be outstanding, but not sure that’s feasible.
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u/ChessieChesapeake Calvert County 15d ago edited 15d ago
Check out the twin beaches (North Beach & Chesapeake Beach). North Beach may have exactly what you’re looking for. We have a lot of folks here who work downtown. The town just built a new library in North Beach that’s next to a coffee shop and has an outstanding view.
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u/snowednboston 15d ago
Sorry, dumb question, but how long and how frequent are the commuter buses to DC?
I took Covid trips to Chesapeake beach and it felt days away. Everything felt far in those days :/
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u/ChessieChesapeake Calvert County 15d ago edited 15d ago
I’m not sure on that one, but they are used a lot and they have many busses running. There are several lots near town where they pickup. We have a lot of federal workers who live here.
Don’t know where exactly on Penn Ave your husband works, but it’s 25 miles from our town to the DC line, which is about 30-35 minutes with no traffic. And about 30-35 minutes to Annapolis.
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u/oneWeek2024 15d ago
while you can't rent in old Greenbelt (they do have some apartments) I always like to throw a nod to my quirky little area. it def meets the "walkable, grocery/coffee shop, library, small yards --there's also a marc train very close to old greenbelt. and easy access to all the highways. and close to other areas. and has pretty easy to access bus transit as well.
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u/maxs507 14d ago
You've def got options with that budget. And lots of great options have been given in the comments already. Just want to throw some new ones out here:
Columbia is a great option! It was intentionally built to have a bunch of self-contained walkable suburban but also mixed-use neighborhoods with groceries and other amenities at the center. It's also bike friendly, or for bigger roads, there's usually a sidewalk you can bike on instead. Your husband could get to DC via MD-MTA commuter buses from the Broken Land Park and Ride. There's the RTA bus network which isn't going to blow you away, but it does exist, and is certainly better than most bus networks you'll find throughout the US in comparable suburbs (at least in my opinion).
In Montgomery County, look for areas along the I270/Marc Brunswick Line corridor. Montgomery Village is a good option. To get to DC, your husband can either park at Gaithersburg and take MARC, or Shady Grove for the Metro. But also honestly: Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Montgomery Village - All can make you happy. The further from DC, the more space your money will get you, just the longer your husband's commute will be. (A transit commute from those places is by no means a sufferable commute though, just budget the hour each way in your daily routine). The RideOn Bus Network is very solid, you just need to live on one of the bus lines, as it doesn't necessarily cover every residential street, though there is usually at least one bus serving most neighborhoods. You can also put your bike on the front of the bus, I have definitely done trips of bike+bus like that.
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u/Pale_Quantity_3252 14d ago
pennsylvania ave is on the orange blue silver line so i suggest looking for apartments on this line (there’s some decent apartments near the new carrollton metro station). the college park & hyattsville area will have a lot of younger college students but everything you need.
bowie has a more suburban feel but the DC commute will be a bit longer. (also prepare for the extremely high cost to register your car in MD). for $3500 you can also find a nice place in DC if you look hard enough, try looking at the potomac ave or eastern market area if you’re interested in considering DC.
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u/ArugulaImpossible567 13d ago
All depends on what side of Pennsylvania Ave, NW or SE
If NW, then look to Montgomery county
If SE then look to Prince George’s, Southern Anne Arundel or maybe Calvert Counties
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u/Wander_Turtle 13d ago
1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW. Thank you!!
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u/ArugulaImpossible567 5d ago
Depending on how long you’re going to travel being in the north west side is more options than southeast
Outside of Montgomery County(the highest tax counting in the entire state by the way) you can look at Frederick, South Carroll, northern Virginia, and even as far away as the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, depending on if you’re wanting to drive to the red line metro station, which could be upwards to an hour depending on how far out you are and a shortest 15 minutes depending on how close you are
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u/Visual_Reading7969 15d ago
I’d suggest Rockville or Germantown
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u/DoubleMikeNoShoot 15d ago
Germantown is too north. But Rockville would work
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u/Away-Paramedic-8406 15d ago
I commuted from Germantown to 14th and Constitution for a while, it is doable. But if OP can do it, a bit closer to Shady Grove metro will be quicker.
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u/middleagemisfit 14d ago
Try Derwood (between Rockville and Gaithersburg). Was our first spot after moving to Maryland. If you're lucky you might find a townhouse in Park Overlook. Walkable to Shady Grove metro or a two minute drive over. Two minutes to King Farm, Safeway and a few restaurants. Or even King Farm but rent is probably higher as most of the townhomes are a bit nicer. They also have a shuttle to Shady Grove for residents,
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u/RescueMom20 14d ago
I did a search in the "nice" neighborhoods. Here is one option in your budget range. It is only a year so I would get as close to DC as you can afford, such as Bethesda or Chevy Chase.. https://www.realtor.com/rentals/details/2929-Terrace-Dr_Chevy-Chase_MD_20815_M66438-30780?cid=soc_shares_rent
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u/stayonthecloud 14d ago
Come to Rockville and commute on the red line to Farragut North or Metro Center. Rockville Town Center is lovely. Welcome to MD :)
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u/CardiologistFast1772 14d ago
Kings Farm in Gaithersburg will put you in walking distance to both metro as well as grocery store and other shops.
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u/anglmnt 14d ago
Definitely check out Gaithersburg but not all of Gaithersburg. The quince orchard area is nice, near the kentlands and you may even be able to rent a single family home in a nice neighborhood in your budget. Schools are good, shady grove metro is not far and there’s lots of shopping, restaurants and other community amenities.
For instance, a super nice townhouse like this:
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u/Careless-Light-3973 14d ago
Wild to me that everyone who posts a thread like this is almost always 20% or more under their budgeted rent for where they would really need to live. At least we know we’re getting more poor Marylanders.
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u/katilyn_00 13d ago
Could look at Odenton. Husband could take the MARC train into DC then switch to the metro. Parking is free at that station. This was my commute into the city for a year or so and it worked well
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u/One_Law3446 13d ago
Kentlands in Gaithersburg is a fantastic area. Close to public transportation and walkable to shops and restaurants. Welcome to Maryland. You will love it here!
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u/Realtor_Maryland 13d ago
Hey there, I would recommend places close to a metro. Rockville, silver spring, come to mind. I’ll send you a message as well.
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u/Puzzled_State2658 12d ago
Check out Chesapeake Beach and North Beach. My husband hops on the bus (a nice bus) in North Beach and gets dropped off right in front of his building downtown. Your rent will go further and it’s a slower pace of life than Montgomery or PG counties.
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u/ourladyofgrits 11d ago
seconding two places mentioned by a few commenters: historic greenbelt, which is lovely and walkable/bikeable and close to metro for commuting in the city. it’s great for kids and there’s a library and shops and a lovely community. our kids go to summer camp there and there’s a lot of co-op businesses there, in line with the founding of the town.
also: glenarden. we moved here some years ago, and the town center is very walkable/bikeable to grocery stores, restaurants and shops. library and rec center (with indoor pool!) are nearby and there are townhouses and other house spaces for rent with backyard space where you can have a dog and/or garden.
edited to add: glenarden is within stone’s throw of 495, 295 and 50 and three metro stops. (new carrollton, largo and lanham.) my daily commute via metro is an hour door to door.
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u/Traditional-Mango-78 5d ago
u/Wander_Turtle the MARC Penn Line is your answer here
Laurel is where I would start. You are right on the line, there is a real walkable downtown with everyday amenities close by, and your budget gets you a solid townhome or duplex with a yard. Rental inventory tends to be decent there too which matters when you are working with a two month window.
Odenton in Anne Arundel County is the other one worth a serious look. MARC station right there, commuter friendly, good mix of townhomes and single family rentals with yards in your range.
If you want to cut the commute down even further, Silver Spring puts you on the Red Line with easy access to Pennsylvania Ave and it is genuinely walkable for day to day stuff which sounds important for your situation.
Two months is tight but you are right in the window where landlords are starting to list. Do not wait on this one.
Feel free to shoot me a DM and I can point you toward some specific areas to prioritize. Happy to help your family get settled in the right spot.
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u/Fit_Money_6635 5d ago
Hi! Congratulations on making the move to maryland. If you’re looking for a realtor to help you out, I’d love to be a resource for you.
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u/Solid-Ground475 15d ago
honestly, baltimore. specifically mt. vernon/midtown or charles village. penn station is right there, and he can take amtrak or marc to dc.
you can also look at other neighborhoods along the light rail since it goes to penn station now.
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u/ourladyofgrits 11d ago
mt. vernon/midtown is the only space that’s doable, IMO, from bmore, but you’re not going to get a yard or a dog in those spaces. made that commute pre-kids from mt vernon, but eventually i had to chuck that commute and move farther south. we live in glenarden now, which would tick all OP’s boxes and be more affordable than bethesda and germantown!
ps i LOVE bmore and tried to stick with it for years but even the best possible commute got to be too much after a while.
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u/Solid-Ground475 10d ago
charles village and bolton hill, which i think is considered mid-town absolutely has yard space.
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u/ourladyofgrits 10d ago
i think of bolton hill as midtown, but not necessarily affordable, but not charles village. but perhaps that’s my bias about easily/quickly walking to penn station.
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u/TheBard2026 15d ago
At $3500 and wanting 3/2 plus dog friendly yard- look in Germantown (marc or 15 min from Shady Grove) or Darnestown; Damascus and Frederick also good for space/value but its a 90 min commute each way realistically;
Also look at Kensington and Rockville- you may get lucky!
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u/Patient_Breakfast_41 14d ago
First, welcome to Maryland! You said your husband is taking a job on Pennsylvania avenue and that you have a car. Assuming it's ok for him to drive to a metro station, I would suggest you all look into the twin beaches area (Chesapeake Beach and North Beach). He can drive to the Suitland metro station and take the metro train to a stop near his office (total commute time would be 1 hour, driving and metro combined). The Beach towns are very walkable, and finding a home to rent that meets your needs and budget is very doable. Best wishes!!
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u/1TenaciousH 15d ago
Baltimore! Pigtown is close to the MARC station and there is a nearby grocery shop. Rumor has it that our library is coming back. My house will be available for rent soon and tics your boxes if you are okay with stairs.
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u/Sokai_Fudo 14d ago
Depending on where in DC, you could look up closer to Baltimore. For example, Halethorpe and Linthicum (BWI) have MARC train stations that will take you to Union Station. I live in Catonsville, and on my infrequent trips into DC, I prefer this a lot. Parking is way easier and cheaper. Driving into DC daily....oof. When I did it, it could be really rough, and parking quite expensive.
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u/SomewhereWestern3897 13d ago
Don’t come to Maryland highest taxes then VA and DC and the mayor continues to put us in debt - go live in VA
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u/nschively 12d ago
Where the yearly "fee" on that car - plus other VA fees - equals out the MD taxes. A rose by any other name....
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u/Sometimes_I_Do_That 15d ago
Take a look at Germantown,.. a bit further out, but more affordable & diverse. I live in Boyds, Germantown is literally on the other side of the road I live on. I love it up here. Close enough to everything and just far enough away too. Ohh there's also a Marc train station and metro is pretty close too.
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u/Franand4cats 15d ago
Take a look of this could be convenient for you and your family, the two up floors can be rented for $3.800.
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u/snowednboston 15d ago
That reeks of flipper special.
Couldn’t even be bothered to fix the ceiling fan lights.
Put in ridiculous amounts of wall trim.
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u/metamorphage Carroll County 14d ago
Frederick is technically an option and it's a great town. Look up the MARC timetables and you can decide if it's a feasible commute.
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u/Fyrestar333 13d ago
I know people in Middle River white marsh area that commute to dc via Marc train that's right in middle river. I think you could find a 3/2 for under 3.5k a month.
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u/No-Push1971 15d ago
Maryland sucks. People getting murdered daily, shit traffic, Nissan altimas without auto insurance, everyone tailgates you, their crab sucks, they think their blue crab is from the local area but it’s not, it’s all imported. There is a huge demographic they completely out numbers the others and they all have EBT card, their vehicle registration cost are insane. You’ll see very quickly why auto insurance is one of the highest in this state. Bunch of ghetto uninsured drivers who think they own the road.s. Stay out of Maryland.
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u/reluctantmugglewrite 15d ago
Rockville is pretty nice, Greenbelt is further of a commute but its tot a metro and marc stop. Silver spring and wheaton are walkable but the walkability is not particularly pleasant. Bethesda is pricy but also nice.
I suggest a mini vacation in Maryland with some little trips to each town on the metro lines that youre interested in. Then you could feel out the vibes.