270, how bad is it? (Baltimore, Silver Spring: buying a home, buying, subdivision)

[Arithian]

Hey guys, I am looking to move to the Frederick area to commute south into various parts of MoCo county. I can't afford to live in MoCo county so I have been looking outside the county for some good areas. I currently deal with 95 into MoCo from White Marsh right outside Baltimore and it isn't too bad. I was wondering how 270 from Frederick into various parts of MoCo compared to this?

[StayLucky]

It's pretty bad. The exact time would depend on what part of Frederick to what part of Montgomery County, but it's not going to be pleasant, as there are lot of people just like you who are priced out of MoCo so they move to Frederick and deal with the long commute. I'd say you're looking at 45-60 minutes as a ballpark, but obviously it varies. Are you looking for any suburb that is relatively affordable with the easiest possible commute? If so, try the Ballenger Creek area. Adamstown is nice if you like a rural setting and you can use backroads to avoid some or all of 270 (although I wouldn't be surprised if they even get backed up during rush hour). If you're a young professional, I'd recommend downtown, but your commute will be a little longer; definitely worth it, though, if you're not into suburbs.

[David_J]

Without traffic, it's about 40 minutes from Frederick to Gaithersburg, and about 55 to DC. Traffic varies - it will always be crowded on work days, though. Not quite as bad as NoVA, thankfully.

[Arithian]

Awesome, thanks for the heads up. We are definitely looking at the suburbs around Frederick as I do have wife and a child. We definitely liked some houses in Adamstown and the Ballenger Creek area. Question, would the a lot of time be added to the commute if you have to go through the city of Frederick? I ask because there appear to be some nice communities north of the city but I am afraid it may add to much time to the commute. Anything under an hour is golden and I predicted around 50 minutes to Silver Spring area from south of Frederick.

[StayLucky]

I would most definitely avoid the areas north of the city if you're commuting to Silver Spring. Route 15 backs up pretty bad, as it wasn't really designed to handle the volume of traffic it gets from commuters north of the city. You'd be adding an extra 15-20 minutes to your commute. If you're looking suburban, Adamstown and Ballenger Creek are both good choices for families and are much more convenient to 270. I'd say 50 minutes to Silver Spring is pretty optimistic, though. That's probably about how long it takes with light traffic. You're probably looking at an hour from Ballenger or Adamstown to Silver Spring most days.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Steven P.

I would most definitely avoid the areas north of the city if you're commuting to Silver Spring. Route 15 backs up pretty bad, as it wasn't really designed to handle the volume of traffic it gets from commuters north of the city. You'd be adding an extra 15-20 minutes to your commute. If you're looking suburban, Adamstown and Ballenger Creek are both good choices for families and are much more convenient to 270. I'd say 50 minutes to Silver Spring is pretty optimistic, though. That's probably about how long it takes with light traffic. You're probably looking at an hour from Ballenger or Adamstown to Silver Spring most days.

Traffic in Frederick City itself is bad during peak hours. I lived on one side of town, worked on the other, used Rt. 15. It took me a 1/2 hour some days to cross town. Heck, somedays it took me 15 minutes just get out of the sub-division because of red lights cycling through with traffic backed up and nowhere to go.

So, I second Steve P. If you are heading south, live on the south side of the city or else you are looking at another 15-30 minutes depending on day, time, and which subdivision you choose.

[Arithian]

Thanks guys! Really appreciate the heads up. Google maps is never a good way to determine commute times when dealing with certain traffic areas so I appreciate the feedback. We will definitely stay south of the city then.

[stpickrell]

Is MARC (commuter rail) an option? If your schedule is pretty predictable, as in "get in 8-ish, leave 5-ish", then it'll work. If you're randomly being asked to stay until 11pm and don't know ahead of time if you will or not, it might not be.

I've been randomly asked to stay in late, but my bosses are good about giving me some time to have dinner with my family then I can come back in.

Also is there a reason you've ruled out Howard County??

[Arithian]

Sorry for the delay getting back to this. The MARC would not be an option. My hours vary as well as locations I work in Montgomery County. We were looking at Frederick because it appears to be the best option for house value vs driving distance to work. We have looked around in Howard County but it appears very expensive like Montgomery County.

[David_J]

The closest suburb to DC in Frederick County would be Urbana, but home prices there are relatively high compared to the rest of the county (comparable to areas like Germantown, Clarksburg, etc.) - probably due to a mix of reasons, including the fact that it's a very new area and that it's very close to the MoCo border. Ballenger Creek would definitely be your best bet if you want to cut down commuting time (by not having to travel across the Frederick city) while still buying a home with a relatively low cost.