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when I first was in that area, Urbana was a HUGE zillion ace dairy farm, and one day the developers waved a few hundred million in cash under the noses of the owners, and now urbana is a couple thousand units of condo, townhomes, duplex and SF all in a planned community. Gone was the BEST tractor parts dealer who covered a dozen makes (I was able to find ORIGINAL parts for my actual honest to god Bush hog squealer!)
My FIL lamented the loss of this store too. He was a exurban pioneer who bought and built when that general area was called "Ijamsville" and "Urbana" was the crossroads.
I guess I would say Frederick isn't a "little city" it has some gravity to it. People commute out, people commute in, people get around town, people pass through because of the major roads intersecting there. Frederick is the county seat, and so serves as the rural regions as the governmental center too. All that adds up to traffic.
working for marriot? anyways, lived there circa 2000 for a year so Im sure it changed. 'Ferd-rick' as the locals call it was both country MD-ites, and DC influence. there is high property crime and racial strife black v hispanic. you can live cheap(er) on the outskirts, but pay bank for the new trendy redeveloped gen-w area in town, or slightly east towards new market or just north on 11/15. 2 decent auction houses up there I used until a few years ago to source for our antiques biz's
Yeah...20 years later, Frederick is less and less Fredneck. Urbana is now MoCo North, and they'll just build more housings. There are also more Hispanic than Blacks both in the city and in the whole county.
(I am relatively new to the area and is one of those peeps living in those cookie-cutter sprawl in the county...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Luv
Most in Frederick/Frederick County are pretty friendly regardless of background. I spent 11 years in the Midwest, and see Frederick County more like rural Minnesota than Texas, though.
Yes, Maryland in general is expensive. Frederick County not as much as Montgomery County or Howard County, but still more expensive than Texas, even the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. In Texas, you can get a burrito, or a steak for the matter, the size of your head for like $5, relatively speaking. In Maryland, the burrito (or steak) would be half the size and cost three times as much. A $250K home in the Dallas area will cost you $500K here; an exaggeration, sure, but not far off the mark. As for taxes, not sure how it is done Texas, but here we pay State and local (county) taxes in addition to the regular slew of sales tax. One thing you will find in Frederick County is that a lot of people who live here work elsewhere (DC, Bethesda, Baltimore, various Northern Virginia and West Virginia locations, etc.). On the one hand this is because Frederick County is on the cheaper side for the area, on the other, there aren't many jobs here. Frederick County is the largest Maryland County, but is ranked 7th I believe in population. Neighboring Howard County is 3rd smallest in size, and has just under 100K residents more than Frederick County.
Frederick County has a master plan to add 100K new residents by 2050, which sounds like a lot, and is a lot compared to how Frederick County is today, but still, not as dense as Howard County. Montgomery County is just under 200K less square miles than Frederick County, but also has over 1M residents, just to put things into perspective.
Access to scenic beauty cannot be beat, and Frederick County is ideally located in this regard. It is a very outdoor friendly place to live, whether means tubing down the Monocacy or Potomac, hiking, hunting, fishing, and so on. Just be aware that a number of the social trails are also open to hunting when it is hunting season. If hiking is your thing, between Frederick County, western Maryland, West Virginia, and Penn., you will not be disappointed in this regard.
City of Frederick is very LGBTQ friendly. Downtown Frederick/Historical is also hipster central. But, it is a rural county, so don't be surprised if you see tattooed hipsters on the same street as someone wearing a FJB shirt. Like I said, most are friendly but the hipsters are too cool to give you the time of day.
There aren't many lakes to swim in, and you can probably swim in the Monocacy, but the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland/Delaware sections of the Atlantic coastline are a few hours away.
One thing to consider: most new builds in Frederick County are HOA condos and townhomes. Newer single-family home communities also seem to be HOA.
You're spot on.
Regarding jobs - it's more like compare to MoCo (down to DC) or Loudoun County across the Potomac, there's nowhere near the amount of high-paying jobs around. There are biotech presence due to Fort Detrick, which already make Frederick more economically sound than, let say, Hagerstown further west. At the end lots of newer FredCo peeps are definitely what I joked as "MoCo refugee" (Basically either got priced out of MoCo, or got tired of MoCo being somewhat "overcrowded" along with crime).
Regarding jobs - it's more like compare to MoCo (down to DC) or Loudoun County across the Potomac, there's nowhere near the amount of high-paying jobs around. There are biotech presence due to Fort Detrick, which already make Frederick more economically sound than, let say, Hagerstown further west. At the end lots of newer FredCo peeps are definitely what I joked as "MoCo refugee" (Basically either got priced out of MoCo, or got tired of MoCo being somewhat "overcrowded" along with crime).
Everyone commutes 'down the road' for better paying jobs. Folks in Frederick commute DTR to Washington, MoCo, and NoVa. Folks from WV and Hagerstown (and west) commute to Frederick. All because jobs 'DTR' pay more than local ones do. Been that way since I moved back to the area in 1985 when I got out of the Air Force. the advantage now is that more work can be done remotely so if you are lucky you only have to go DTR one or two days a week.
Everyone commutes 'down the road' for better paying jobs. Folks in Frederick commute DTR to Washington, MoCo, and NoVa. Folks from WV and Hagerstown (and west) commute to Frederick. All because jobs 'DTR' pay more than local ones do. Been that way since I moved back to the area in 1985 when I got out of the Air Force. the advantage now is that more work can be done remotely so if you are lucky you only have to go DTR one or two days a week.
Thank you for all helpful posts since my last post. I got a message to call back the State of Maryland a few hours ago. I believe I got the job. I am sure that the next part is salary negotiation and I plan to ask about relocation package since more and more jobs are doing that right now.
To be honest, I do not think I will get the high end of the salary range I am hoping for based on my years of experience. It rarely happens based on my experience. I am being cautious since I am not completely familiar with Maryland other than what I know based on my research. I know my research won't give me an accurate number.
What is the minimum annual salary in your opinion that is still decent enough to live in Frederick, MD as one income household with no children and little debts overall with the goal of buying a home (house or townhouse) in the area within 2 or three years?
Is $70,000 annual salary doable? I really can't imagine taking less than $75,000 due to Maryland's higher cost of living and state income taxes unlike Texas. I live just fine in Texas making almost $59,000. As one of the posters strongly recommend, I should try for 20 to 30% jump in salary to be safe just in case. That would be around $76,000 to $80,000 up from making $59,000 in Texas.
Again, I appreciate learning more about Maryland from you guys since I have never lived in the Northeast before.
I didn't think the State negotiated much on salaries but it has been a while since I've been in the job market. You might dig up the pay scales for Frederick County Public Schools as a reference. I know the Frederick News post publishes them on a semi regular basis and they should be available on the School system Web site. That would at least tell you what other professionals coming into the area are getting and living on. And don't consider us a 'Northeast' market That would be more applicable to the Philly area and north. That is a completely different can of worms.
I didn't think the State negotiated much on salaries but it has been a while since I've been in the job market. You might dig up the pay scales for Frederick County Public Schools as a reference. I know the Frederick News post publishes them on a semi regular basis and they should be available on the School system Web site. That would at least tell you what other professionals coming into the area are getting and living on. And don't consider us a 'Northeast' market That would be more applicable to the Philly area and north. That is a completely different can of worms.
I took your advice. I looked up public state salaries using one person I know in Maryland from networking. The job is similar. That person is currently earning $75,000 yearly.
I am offered $80,429 yearly. It is a firm offer and Maryland does not do relocation package like I hoped for.
I used the tool above (see the link). It looks like I will be bringing home an estimated net pay of $2,274 biweekly/or $4,548 and that does not include insurance, dental/vision, and retirement deductibles.
If that is the case, I would only bring home about $900 more than I do currently in Texas. That does not sound right because I only earn $59,000 right now unless I underestimate how steep Maryland taxes are.
Is that salary really doable as a single household income with no children renting a cheap apartment with the goal of buying a house one day within 2 or 3 years? I also have little debts.
I took your advice. I looked up public state salaries using one person I know in Maryland from networking. The job is similar. That person is currently earning $75,000 yearly.
I am offered $80,429 yearly. It is a firm offer and Maryland does not do relocation package like I hoped for.
I used the tool above (see the link). It looks like I will be bringing home an estimated net pay of $2,274 biweekly/or $4,548 and that does not include insurance, dental/vision, and retirement deductibles.
If that is the case, I would only bring home about $900 more than I do currently in Texas. That does not sound right because I only earn $59,000 right now unless I underestimate how steep Maryland taxes are.
Is that salary really doable as a single household income with no children renting a cheap apartment with the goal of buying a house one day within 2 or 3 years? I also have little debts.
Renting? Depends on what you're renting right now. Certainly doable. The extra $900-$1000-ish per month should be enough to cover the rent difference and more (I would say it's about $500 more in Frederick compare to DFW). Buying a house would definitely be a pain regardless due to the inflated price.
Not getting relocation definitely hurts, though...
At the end it all depends on your career trajectory. $80k is not bad but not great is all I'll say.
I found some rentals online. I am hoping that you could make comments if you know anything about each. I would appreciate it very much.
Jefferson Chase on Prospect Blvd.
Creekside at Taskers Chance on Burgess Hill
Baker Place on Willowdale Dr.
Frederick Greenes Apartments on Motter Ave.
Most recommend Downtown Frederick and near & north of Hood College so all of them are in that area except Frederick Greenes Apartments would be closer to my potential job in Worman's Mill area.
I took your advice. I looked up public state salaries using one person I know in Maryland from networking. The job is similar. That person is currently earning $75,000 yearly.
I am offered $80,429 yearly. It is a firm offer and Maryland does not do relocation package like I hoped for.
I used the tool above (see the link). It looks like I will be bringing home an estimated net pay of $2,274 biweekly/or $4,548 and that does not include insurance, dental/vision, and retirement deductibles.
If that is the case, I would only bring home about $900 more than I do currently in Texas. That does not sound right because I only earn $59,000 right now unless I underestimate how steep Maryland taxes are.
Is that salary really doable as a single household income with no children renting a cheap apartment with the goal of buying a house one day within 2 or 3 years? I also have little debts.
The income tax in Maryland hits pretty hard. You'd likely be in the 5% +/- range but the Counties also have what's called the Piggyback Tax based on your state income tax. Frederick County's is 2.96% so your total income tax load is just under 8%.
You don't have to file a separate return for the Piggyback Tax, your employer deducts it and remits it to the State which then sends it to the County (if you live in an incorporated municipality it will get a piece of it).
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(Basically either got priced out of MoCo, or got tired of MoCo being somewhat "overcrowded" along with crime).
It's a way of life for many.
