How's Hagerstown? (Bethesda, Frederick, Cumberland: townhome, neighborhood, high school)

[FlipperX]

What is org?

[alido]

Flipper Alert, we love ya but ya gotta relax. These folks are just trying to learn about different geographic locations. It is not a political thread. They might not understand.

Enjoy, it is a beautiful day for walking in Western Maryland. The Applachian Trails and C&O canal are so close to Hagerstown, which makes it a nice place to visit.

www.hagerstownmd.org
( Questions about living & working in Hagerstown)

www.downtownlivehagerstown.com (broken link)
(Entertainment site by a new bussiness in town. Worth looking at for a taste of downtown.

[tterry71]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Tberg,

I actually don't have much disagreement with the substance of what you said. I would hate it it if my hometown was "Loudanized." Understand though, that it is a very sensative subject out in the mountains. As much as we love our small town, forested live, our communities are dying out. Literally, the citizenry is aging, schools are closing, the population is literally shrinking by 1,000s of people each decade. So as much as I would love my community to regain vigour by each local couple having 4 children, and big employers setting much shop in county, and having each town expand its existing street grid pattern with single family homes that match the arcitectural style of the community, I know it doesn't work that way. People want to live in sterile, prefab communities, I know this because a major employer choose another small town over Cumberland because they said Cumberland didn't have enough "high-end housing stock." People generally would rather commute to make more money, have more "house", nicer cars, etc. than working local and having less material goods. This is reality, and if my community wants to join the 21st century and have a future other than decay, we need some part of this.

Sorry about the aggressive tone in the previous message, but we have a complex about out-of-towners telling us what to do with our land and our communities. I mentioned hypocracy, and I would stand by that assessment. Down-staters love to comment about how much they love to visit and how great it would be to live out there, but don't because they don't want a 100 year old house, they don't want to make less money, they don't want to send their kids to an 80yr old school. So there in lies the conundrum. People love the idea of real small towns and rural communities, but after their week long vacation is over they go back the burbs but still feel entitled to tell us not to change, because we have it so good.

Lastly, Smart Growth works great where you have exisiting infrastructure, when you don't have infrastructure, Smart Growth says you can't grow. This plans works great in the Montgomery, PG, Howard etc, where you already have 40 years of growth to base your future plans around. If you impliment this plan to an area that has had negative growth for the past 40 years, it just doesn't work. Smart Growth in Allegany County would push all development to Cumberland and west, why? Because their is no population to speak of in the Eastern 2/3 of our county. This is the part of our county that is within a possible commute to Hagerstown/Frederick. This is where potential growth could and probably will occur in our county. Smart Growth would prohibit this on principal and essential crush any economic/population stabilization growth in our community before it even has a chance to start.

I am from Martinsburg originally. I traveled to Hagertown and the surrounding areas for a lot of years. I go back quite often to visit my family and friends. Yes, all the area has grown quite a lot, but I think you wil find the country charm is still there with most of the people. I plan to build or buy in hedgesville, close, or in the mountains. I am a very old fashion guy with the old fashion morals my family gave to me which I am very proud of. If you check, you will find the area is one of the fastest growing places in the country. Whatever your choice, I hope you will be happy. I know I will be when I get back "HOME".

[azucarnegra]

Hagerstown and Frederick County (mostly Frederick) are 2 places I will not live. There is a lack of culture there that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The cost of living is a little lower, but slowly creeping up.

[rioasad]

My wife was just offered a job teaching at Western Heights Middle School. I am also looking for a teaching job in the area. We both live in Tampa, where teacher salaries have not kept up with cost of living increases, and the high teacher salaries in Hagerstown, low cost of living (actually, almost the same as Tampa), and the proximity to DC and all the history and culture in the area (I teach history) are extremely appealing.

I am wondering about two things, though: number one, I am hispanic, Catholic of Arab descent (last name: Asad). Will this give me or my family any trouble in that area? Second: what are the locals like in general? Open-minded, tolerant, hopefully?

Anyways, thanks for the help.

[Thruway]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Tberg,

I actually don't have much disagreement with the substance of what you said. I would hate it it if my hometown was "Loudanized." Understand though, that it is a very sensative subject out in the mountains. As much as we love our small town, forested live, our communities are dying out. Literally, the citizenry is aging, schools are closing, the population is literally shrinking by 1,000s of people each decade. So as much as I would love my community to regain vigour by each local couple having 4 children, and big employers setting much shop in county, and having each town expand its existing street grid pattern with single family homes that match the arcitectural style of the community, I know it doesn't work that way. People want to live in sterile, prefab communities, I know this because a major employer choose another small town over Cumberland because they said Cumberland didn't have enough "high-end housing stock." People generally would rather commute to make more money, have more "house", nicer cars, etc. than working local and having less material goods. This is reality, and if my community wants to join the 21st century and have a future other than decay, we need some part of this.

Sorry about the aggressive tone in the previous message, but we have a complex about out-of-towners telling us what to do with our land and our communities. I mentioned hypocracy, and I would stand by that assessment. Down-staters love to comment about how much they love to visit and how great it would be to live out there, but don't because they don't want a 100 year old house, they don't want to make less money, they don't want to send their kids to an 80yr old school. So there in lies the conundrum. People love the idea of real small towns and rural communities, but after their week long vacation is over they go back the burbs but still feel entitled to tell us not to change, because we have it so good.

Lastly, Smart Growth works great where you have exisiting infrastructure, when you don't have infrastructure, Smart Growth says you can't grow. This plans works great in the Montgomery, PG, Howard etc, where you already have 40 years of growth to base your future plans around. If you impliment this plan to an area that has had negative growth for the past 40 years, it just doesn't work. Smart Growth in Allegany County would push all development to Cumberland and west, why? Because their is no population to speak of in the Eastern 2/3 of our county. This is the part of our county that is within a possible commute to Hagerstown/Frederick. This is where potential growth could and probably will occur in our county. Smart Growth would prohibit this on principal and essential crush any economic/population stabilization growth in our community before it even has a chance to start.

What county or town do you live in and is Garett county rural?

[Thruway]

Originally Posted by karpo

trust me, Tberg, it's growing and beginning to sprawl... heck -- it's sprawled out past Martinsbug ,VA -- no one can afford to live any closer to DC, so they have to keep moving out... we finally just moved on out of the area completely (to TN)

I can't see it getting sprawled out past Martinsburg.
When I drove there it seemed WVA and WMD is rural, with some growth which might seem like a lot, but overall even Jefferson/Beckley county seems still by far rural.
Is it, also were on Earth would people from Martinsburg or west commute to, I mean that is A LONG drive, you're talking 2.5 hours one way.

[westsideboy]

Tberg, I am glad you got to drive out to WV and Frederick and Washington Counties (I assume that is what you mean by WMD) to see these places for yourself. I think what we have to conclude is that these places are what they are. I call them suburban or exurban, you want to call them rural. Neither of our labels changes what these communties really are. It all depends on your perspective.

Also, most of the exubanites that live in Washington County and Martinsburg area don't drive all the way into D.C. Some do, but most just drive to Frederick or Montgomery County. Frederick, it may surprise you to learn, is actually the 2nd biggest incorporated city in MD. There are lots of jobs. If you have a job in Frederick you can live much better further west than you can in Frederick County since the prices in Frederick County are forced upward by people that live there and work in Montgomery County or DC.

Lastly I will agree with you that there is not much sprawl west of Hagerstown or Martinsburg. There are some new developments, but once you are out of the Great Valley and into the Alleghenies, the density drops way off.

[movedtherein1961]

I moved to hagerstown in 1961, my dad worked for Mack Trucks. I grew up here, graduated North High in 1971. And it is true Hagerstown resents all of these so called newcomers who are moving here from Loundon and Montgomery Countries, driving up the price of our real estate. Just like the Hagerstonians hated the Mack Truck migrants back in the early 60s, the same is happening now. We are not real big on turning our town into something similar to Northern NJ, Long Island, Northern VA or Metro Washington. Yes we have beautiful country and yes the county commissioners are interested in preserving the farmland. We are not interested in turning our county into Loundon, Fairfax or Montgomery thankfully. There was already a major problem in Boonsboro because these Virginia transplants are not happy with the high school, they do not feel it was up to par. You are not going to get Loundon or Fairfax schools in Washington County, it just is not going to happen. Frederick was ruined by NY and NJ transplants back in the late 80s, we are not interested in doing the same to Hagerstown.

[Thruway]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Tberg, I am glad you got to drive out to WV and Frederick and Washington Counties (I assume that is what you mean by WMD) to see these places for yourself. I think what we have to conclude is that these places are what they are. I call them suburban or exurban, you want to call them rural. Neither of our labels changes what these communties really are. It all depends on your perspective.

Also, most of the exubanites that live in Washington County and Martinsburg area don't drive all the way into D.C. Some do, but most just drive to Frederick or Montgomery County. Frederick, it may surprise you to learn, is actually the 2nd biggest incorporated city in MD. There are lots of jobs. If you have a job in Frederick you can live much better further west than you can in Frederick County since the prices in Frederick County are forced upward by people that live there and work in Montgomery County or DC.

Lastly I will agree with you that there is not much sprawl west of Hagerstown or Martinsburg. There are some new developments, but once you are out of the Great Valley and into the Alleghenies, the density drops way off.

1) Is there any reason the density drops off and do you see this continuing or changing and being more developed?

2) East of Martinsburg and Hagerstown, say Frederick County, Jefferson and Beckley County, are these still mostly rural places and should remain that way with some development or are they in serious danger of being ugly Fairfaxes?