How is Odenton Maryland? (Baltimore, Columbia: apartment, chapel, new home) - (MD) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

WestCountyNews · 12-15-2006, 01:40 AM

The Odenton/Gambrills area is a terrific place to live. We've been here going on 11 years. The people in the community are wonderful, lots of civic organizations and lots to do. Public Transportation takes you into DC/Baltimore if you don't want the hassles of driving the beltways.

We have plenty of public and private schools as well as many daycare centers for those families with young children.

Great restaurants and shopping, just minutes away from Arundel Mills Outlet Stores and close to major highways.

As the Community Correspondent for the West County News and your local Professional Realtor, I can introduce you to many people. Email me for a Free Relocation Package that will provide you with additional information or just visit me on the web at www.LiveInOdenton.com (broken link).

mwoda · 12-21-2006, 05:11 AM

Odenton is purely residential - unless you want to count the neighborhood convenience stores. Not much in the way of commercial or retail, and zilch in the dining/entertaining categories. However, as someone else pointed out, it is located in the middle of the Baltimore/Annapolis/D.C. triangle and only about 1/2 hour from each when it's not rush hour. If you work an 8-5 job in
D.C. or Baltimore, your commute will be closer to an hour whether you drive or use public transportation. It's affordable, compared to many other communities in the area, and Piney Orchard is a huge community that is relatively new. If you prefer older, you can find that, too. Beyond Odenton, you might look at Gambrills or Crofton towards the East or Columbia towards the West.

Kita1004 · 12-16-2007, 02:15 PM

My husband and I are looking forward to relocating to the Odenton area with our 3 young children. Very interested in the crime and the schools in the area. Also what other areas in Anne Arundel County would be considerable for a young family to live.

burnt · 12-18-2007, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kita1004

My husband and I are looking forward to relocating to the Odenton area with our 3 young children. Very interested in the crime and the schools in the area. Also what other areas in Anne Arundel County would be considerable for a young family to live.

Where are you and/or your husband going to work? What's important to you in a community? We ultimately chose Columbia over Odenton because of the schools and low crime rate. Odenton's less expensive, and it's really not all that bad, but it's a little older, kind of aging, and the strip malls are kind of run down. But it's really not bad. One area that has caught my eye is Linthicum. It's not fancy, and it's kind of like Odenton, except the crime rate seems to be a little lower. It's actually just to the north of BWI airport, which would be better for someone working in Baltimore or Glen Burnie. If you're looking to work in/around DC, Odenton's not bad, but I'd also suggest looking at Pasadena and Millersville. Both are just middle-class places that have good neighborhoods and some not as good areas, but you can find good values without living in a war zone.

adventitia77 · 03-07-2011, 06:41 PM

Hi! I too am moving and would like more info on BOTH Odenton and Elkridge? I'm a single mom of a four year old. Looking to rent at least the first year. Any help would be appreciated. Safety? Sitters? Commute to Baltimore? Thanks!

shurgemoore · 08-09-2013, 09:00 AM

It really depends on what you are looking for in terms of the types of activities that these communities offer. Are you looking for something that has an active association with activities on going or are you looking for a quiet community. Are you looking for a neighborhood with a short commute to work. Schools, if you have children [URL="http://www.greatschools.org"]www.greatschools.org[/URL] is a great resource to review schools. If you need some help in finding a community, I would be more than happy to help.

fortwashingtonkid · 08-12-2013, 06:20 PM

make sure you are moving not so close to fort meade. transient military children attend Ft. Meade and it's feeder schools. Ft. Meade is probably the worst school in AA county.

Fort Meade has been crappy for a good while now. It was a low performer when I was in high school back in 1991.

Move to the areas that serve Old Mill high school or Arundel High School and their feeder schools. Odenton is just fine if you have no kids or kids attending Arundel HS and it's feeder schools. It's like PG in that regard. Decent housing stock, no good retail or cuisine to speak of but not far from major area attractions, bedroom community, unruly kids, a higher percentage of black families, bad schools (if in the fort meade area), kinda boring unless you are raising a family. Just make sure you are not in the Fort Meade area and you will be fine. It's like most military base towns, full of punk kids. If you are in the Arundel HS district in Gambrills you'll be fine. Old Mill district and you'll be fine. Meade HS district and you might as well move to PG county for less money and the same problems.

EducatedBro82 · 08-13-2013, 11:27 AM

Odenton is a good area. I heard things about Meade HS, but that's just that hearsay. I heard the same problems at Meade are at Glen Burnie HS (Bmore kids using addresses), Annapolis HS (gangs, etc), Arundel HS (overcrowding from Crofton, some gang issues). Military kids, not to metnion with new construction in Odenton, Hanover, and Laurel (AA side)is making Meade swell that they will have to redraw boundries, or build another HS. And I think it will be more of the former as Crofton ahs been rallying for a HS for an eternity.

For the most part Meade is still a good school as it has outstanding Honors Programs, and IB program. It just has some "Rough" areas in Severn that make it bad. As Odenton, Laurel (AA side), and Hanover have less crime and higher home prices.

sobo16 · 08-13-2013, 12:16 PM

This thread was started almost 7 years ago. My guess is that the OP has since moved in and moved away from wherever they settled after they got tired of their commutes (I believe one was commuting to Easton and the other to DC...yikes).

CindyTevis · 08-20-2013, 05:28 PM

All of Piney Orchard is nice. It's a lot similar to Crofton, MD. Four Seasons Estates is also a community you should consider. It is affordable, and in a nice area, (though in Waugh Chapel, not Piney Orchard). Piney Orchard Elementary School and Waugh Chapel Elementary Schools are both also very nice elementary schools for your future kids.