Relocation Patuxent River

Originally Posted by Violet654

As northbeachperson advised, the commute over the TJ bridge can be a real pain. However, it also depends on your work hours. I have a friend who lives on Solomons who works on base who works early hours so they avoid the traffic on the bridge. I used to work down at St. Mary's College and would get down there around 9 am and honestly most of the traffic was gone around 8:30 when I was heading over it. I find that the 7:00 hour is when it's at its worst, however, bad weather or an accident can affect it at any time and can be a real burden. Also, trying to drive over it between 4-6 can also be slow going especially from 4ish to 5ish. However, having commuted to DC and having dealt with the Beltway for years, this commute is really not that bad when you put it in perspective. During rush hour, traffic is not usually at a standstill, it's more like a crawl which is annoying but certainly not as terrible as it could be. They've been talking about rebuilding the TJ bridge for years. They really need to but I have no idea when that will actually become a reality due to its cost. Hopefully, it happens within our lifetime! I personally really like Solomons and as a young person, you would enjoy it as there are several things to do, has some nice bars and restaurants, has a nice community feel, and is just a really beautiful area. From Solomon's you're about an hour from DC if traffic is good which isn't bad, you'd just hop on Route 4 and its pretty much a straight shot depending on what part of DC you're headed to. If you are legitimately interested in Solomons, please let me know, and I can reach out to my friend and see where exactly she recommends as she currently lives there now.

Switching gears to California, a huge advantage of living here compared to Solomons is that you don't have to deal with the TJ bridge in the morning. You would just hop on three notch road down to the base and you would be good to go. California is also close to Solomons so if you wanted to visit its a short drive. California would be a little further from DC but not by much. You could either take Route 4 or 5 to get there. You're also a little bit closer to major stores such as Target, Walmart, Harris Teeter etc whereas in Solomons there's a Weis, some fast food restaurants a CVS etc. Still, Solomons is only like ten minutes from these bigger stores so that's really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Solomons also has an Urgent Care as does California. California is just a bit more convenient in that regard. I have a few friends who live in the California and Lexington Park area. The Wildewood neighborhood in California is worth checking out. It's a huge neighborhood with lots of amenities and newer apartments, condos, and townhomes along with plenty of single family homes available. Even though it has gotten pretty built up, my friend really enjoys the quality of life there. Its safe, quiet, and about 15-20 minutes to the base. They have a lot of newer homes/complexes too and from what it sounds like they are well taken care of. Aside from Wildewood, I have a friend who lives in Settler's Landing which is also in California. She seems pleased with the complex and finds it super convenient for work and amenities. There's also one more apartment complex in California that's newer that I used to drive by to get to work, I just can't remember its name. Its close to the Harris Teeter, when I go down there, I will look at the name and let you know. I don't know anyone who lives there but this complex is relatively new and might be worth checking out.

Aside from this, I know several people who live in Lexington Park in different complexes down there. I know you said you would prefer Solomons or California but the perk of Lexington Park is that you would be closer to work. Lexington Park gets a bad wrap but overall it's a safe community. Yes, there are definitely areas you want to avoid, but these complexes are not in those areas. Just to name a few that I've heard positive things about are Abberley Crest, The Greens, St. Mary's Landing, and South Gate townhomes. I've had friends who live there now genuinely liked them. I've visited all of these at some point and felt the communities were safe and well managed. South Gate is strictly townhomes but it is located right across from the Gate 3 entrance to the base so that commute would be absolutely glorious.

I'm sorry for the long post, I hope you found some of this helpful. If you would like any more info on anything I mentioned, please let me know. I'm happy to reach out to my friends if any of these places catch your fancy. Each of these communities is a little different so if you have a day to come out and check these areas out yourself, that would be ideal so you find everything you're looking for. Regardless of where you end up, you'll have a nice quality of life, a manageable commute to work, access to amenities and won't be too far from DC. Best of luck with your search, I think you'll really enjoy living down here. And the base is an awesome place to work!