Moving from NJ to Hagerstown, MD? (Frederick, Hillsboro: house, job market, neighborhood)

[happyflwr17]

Hi All,
We are thinking about relocating to Hagerstown, MD from NJ and are considering a Ryan home in Claggets Mill. Can ayone please tell me what it is really like down there? If anyone could give me info. about St. Mary's school or Rockland Elementary School, I would really appreciate it! Our son will be entering 1st grade in September. We also have a 2 year old daughter. Is it a safe place to live? THANKS for all of your help!

[westsideboy]

Hagerstown is on the far western fringe of the Balitimore-Washington metro area. Washington County as a whole is a mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas. Hagerstown is a small city with regional clout. It has good shopping opportunities and a strong job market that pulls in commuters from the surrounding counties. It has some urban decay around the downtown area and some problems with gang and drug violence, but certainly nothing out of proportion to its size.

A significant portion of the population of the county are commuters that are clustered in suburbs around Hagerstown and around South Mountain close to the Frederick County line. Many people make the comfortable commute to Frederick, some travel closer to D.C.

Outside of the previously mentioned areas the county is mostly farmland and small towns. The far western part of the county is mostly forested mountain ridges and valleys.

Overall the county retains a rural character and is still somewhat of an insular place with community cohesion. This is changing though as the population grows and the commuter culture of the metro area comes with it.

[ki0eh]

I used to work for an outfit that worked with a couple of Hagerstown developers. They were busy putting up homes in Franklin County, PA and in Berkeley County, WV due to growth restrictions in Washington County MD. If you are looking for new construction there may be more options just over the borders, if that happens to fit your commuting needs. Then you have three city-data forms to look through, too!

Ryan Homes doesn't receive universally favorable reviews. Although I don't have personal experience with them, I might be doing quite a lot of checking and possibly considering other options.

[firefightermom]

Hi, we moved to Franklin county almost a year ago, and there is a lot of new building going on here, and my neighborhood actually has a few open spots left. Our house is a Dan Ryan, which is different than Ryan. The prices are also cheaper than what you would pay in Hagerstown.

[christiegirl1]

We are also considering claggetts mills and moving from NJ - did you receive any information that is helpful about the area. Anything we should be concerned about?. We also have a 2 year old.

[cpterp]

Hagerstown is on the fringe of the Washington Metro Area, but isn't as fast paced as the large towns to its southeast. In all honesty I've only been there once, so my experience is limited, but I often hear a lot of good things about it. It's basically the last real town/city before Gettysburg, PA going North or Martinsburg, WV going West. Frederick which a pretty large city, is about a half hour away, and would satisfy basically every shopping need. From what I understand the recession (or last years high gas prices) hasn't been very kind to home values in the Washington exurbs in Maryland and West Virginia, so you should be able to find a very good deal on a home.

[happyflwr17]

Hi, Thanks so much for writing. What part of NJ are you from? We live in Hillsborough and are planning on relocating to Hagerstown this summer due to my husband's job. We spent last Saturday meeting and touring the Ryan homes in Claggets Mills. We love the area and the homes. We have been in close contact with Mike and he has been extremly helpful with everything. I know that the school our children would be attending is Rockland Elementary and it has received very high marks. We are also looking into St. Mary's Catholic School. I am not that thrilled with the downtown area as it looks old and a little run down, but the rest of Hagerstown is beautiful with all of its country charm. That would be funny if we eneded up being neighbors down there! Keep in touch and I will pass along any info. that I receive to you.

[kinkytoes]

Wow I guess the floodgates have opened.

[christiegirl1]

Hi again. We are from Jackson and our house is under construction - we are also working with Mike - really driving him crazy. Our house is being delayed due to the rain this week but still hopeful to close in June. Did you go into contract yet?