Looking for places to live in Western Maryland (Cumberland/Frostburg) (Baltimore: apartment, rentals) - (MD) - City-Data Forum

dexto · 12-15-2017, 09:03 AM

Hello, I am looking to move to the area and commute to Rocket Center WV for work. I am fresh out of college and have looked around at areas like Cumberland and Frostburg as being my two main considerations as of right now. I was wondering if anyone from the area could recommend which area would be best or at least make some recommendations about each. I like that Frostburg seems to have a small college town type of population which may be nice for someone just out of college but I also heard it gets a lot of snow and is colder due to elevation which may make my commutes a bit difficult as well. Cumberland I don't really know too much about and not sure if there are many other people my age living around there. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

westsideboy · 12-15-2017, 10:31 AM

Your first takes are correct.

- Frostburg has a much higher % of young people than Cumberland and has more bars/restaurants geared towards that crowd. But Frostburg has much worse weather. Honestly going down the mountain to the Rocket Center isn't that bad, the city/state does a good job at snow removal. But if you are someone with limited winter weather driving experience, it will be an adjustment.

- Cumberland has less young people, but will be cheaper for what you get and be a much easier commute. There really isn't a neighborhood that young people gravitate to (other than some loft rental type places downtown) but I suspect you will be able to live very well on your salary in Cumberland......maybe even your choice of neighborhood based your salary.

-I'll throw another option out there, Cresaptown/Bel Air. This is more of a family oriented neighborhood, but is right across the river from your employer, has nice houses, and has less crime than either town above. It is a bit duller in terms of things to do, but you are still a 10 minute drive from Cumberland, 15 to Frostburg.

Let me know if I can offer any more information. Price point for housing and size/style preference can help me lock down neighborhoods in these places. If there are any places you are already looking at, just let me know the street name and I can give you the straight dope.

dexto · 12-15-2017, 01:04 PM

Thanks for the feedback I definitely feel like a have a better idea of what to expect from each area and still feel like I can't decide. I feel like I'm leaning a bit towards Cumberland due to the weather/commute but I also like the demographic of the college town side to Frostburg. At the same time the weather/commute isn't something you can really change but with regards to a demographic I feel like you can always manage to find people with similar interests even if there isn't as large a pool to search through which is why I feel like leaning more towards Cumberland. Also I am looking for a nice 1 bedroom apartment and I'm not worried about the price and willing to pay for a higher quality place. There was a nice looking 1 bedroom spot available in Cumberland at 114 Greene St. what is your rundown of that location? Thanks again for your time and help I really appreciate it.

westsideboy · 12-15-2017, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dexto

Thanks for the feedback I definitely feel like a have a better idea of what to expect from each area and still feel like I can't decide. I feel like I'm leaning a bit towards Cumberland due to the weather/commute but I also like the demographic of the college town side to Frostburg. At the same time the weather/commute isn't something you can really change but with regards to a demographic I feel like you can always manage to find people with similar interests even if there isn't as large a pool to search through which is why I feel like leaning more towards Cumberland. Also I am looking for a nice 1 bedroom apartment and I'm not worried about the price and willing to pay for a higher quality place. There was a nice looking 1 bedroom spot available in Cumberland at 114 Greene St. what is your rundown of that location? Thanks again for your time and help I really appreciate it.

That lower part of Greene St. is a good location based on your criteria, IMO. You are about a 2-3 block walk from downtown Cumberland, the C&O Canal, and the Allegheny Highland Trail. Greene St. "turns into" Rt. 220 uphill, so it is a straight shot to the Rocket Center.

Drawbacks would be that that part of Greene St. is a busy street that is a mix of commercial and residential apts, so it doesn't have a great neighborhood feel, per say. It isn't a high crime area by any stretch, I would feel comfortable walking to and from downtown at night, but being a commercial area with apts., you have a bit more of the random hit and run, testing car doors, theft from stores, type of stuff.

My wife and I almost bought a house on Greene St. further up in the 500 block, but ultimately choose a house with a bigger lot and yard in South End.

Have you visited yet?

dexto · 12-15-2017, 08:17 PM

I just drove through a bit when I went for my interview but haven't really looked at any housing or visited any local businesses or anything. There was also another nice looking apartment at 217 Columbia St. if you think that area is maybe less busy? I'm not really looking for something with a big lot or anything, I would rather have something within walking distance of any of the good downtown restaurants/attractions/bars.

westsideboy · 12-16-2017, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dexto

I just drove through a bit when I went for my interview but haven't really looked at any housing or visited any local businesses or anything. There was also another nice looking apartment at 217 Columbia St. if you think that area is maybe less busy? I'm not really looking for something with a big lot or anything, I would rather have something within walking distance of any of the good downtown restaurants/attractions/bars.

The big 4 streets to stay away from are Columbia St., Maryland Ave., Virginia Ave, and Baltimore Ave(Ave, not St., they are different.) These streets have lots of rundown rentals and house a revolving crew of not always the best neighbors. Living there would expose you to the worst of our community's problems right off the bat.

Those West Side streets like Washington, Greene, Fayette, etc. are probably are your best bet to find a nice rentals in walking distance of downtown.

Prices are cheap in Cumberland, but still be wary of stuff that looks too good to be true. I know many people who went overboard and went REALLY cheap because they were intoxicated by the low prices and assumed "it's a small town, how bad can any place here be?" Only to land on streets that are not nice places to live.

dexto · 12-16-2017, 06:42 PM

Got it, thanks for the advice; I'll take that into account when I come to visit/look at housing. Yea the Columbia street place was actually 2 bedrooms and yet cheaper than the 1 bedroom on Greene which confused me at first but now i see why. Thanks for the help I think I have a much better general grasp of what to look for and where to look, just need to actually come out and see everything myself now.

westsideboy · 12-19-2017, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dexto

Got it, thanks for the advice; I'll take that into account when I come to visit/look at housing. Yea the Columbia street place was actually 2 bedrooms and yet cheaper than the 1 bedroom on Greene which confused me at first but now i see why. Thanks for the help I think I have a much better general grasp of what to look for and where to look, just need to actually come out and see everything myself now.

Good luck and feel free to post any other questions that may come up in your search.

dexto · 12-27-2017, 01:40 PM

Hi Westsideboy, do you happen to know anything about Keyser WV? I just wanted to see if I should consider that area as well since apparently a lot of people from the Rocket Center live there. I'm guessing its almost a bit of a hybrid between Cumberland and Frostburg? Let me know what you think and any ideas you have about living in that area. Thanks again for your time.

westsideboy · 12-28-2017, 10:41 AM

I don't have much personal knowledge about Keyser, but I would not say it is very much like Frostburg. Yes, there is a college there, but Keyser is not a college town. It is more like a smaller version of Cumberland. There are some nice neighborhoods, but also parts I would not want to live in. Make sure you get good advice from you co-workers about the places to avoid.

I would choose Fort Ashby over Keyser, when picking a WV location, although it a one stop-light town. If you want a more small city environment, Maryland is the better option than neighboring WV, IMO. All our urban areas out here have suffered 60 years or so of decline, but Maryland has more resources to keep the city, and the people, going than WV does.