How's Hagerstown? (Baltimore, Silver Spring, Frederick: real estate, apartments, rent)

[nmlmom]

I just found out that my husband is definitely being sent to Frederick, MD by June. We have a 4 y/o son and we're 26. We definitely can't afford to live in Frederick and were thinking about Hagerstown. I've found lots of apartments that we could definitely afford ($900 or so a month).

Does anyone have anything they could tell me about it?

[opequon]

Hagerstown is fast growing, and coming out of it's appalachian past in may ways. It is still rather traditional, but like Frederick it has many family oriented activities, and older folks who mostly worked for Mack Trucks, Fairchild Airplane or one of the other plants that did well for 40 years after WW2. If working in FRederick, you want to live on the side of Boonsboro or Smithsburg. There are lots of apts, and many available private homes that can be rented. 1/2 hour trip to Frederick except at rush hour.
We rent houses near Williamsport for $800 - $1000 per month

[alido]

PA,MD,& WVA have outlying counties that offer more affordable housing & a possible commute to Frederick. Visit each area & assess the local flavor in addition to the websites. Good luck, have fun.
I love visiting Greencastle, Pa. Am currently happy & living in Wash Co Md.

Boonsboro, Md/Smithsburg,Md/Hagerstown,Md/Clearspring Md>Washington County,Md
www.washco-md.net

Greencastle, Pa, Chambersburg Pa>Franklin County,Pa
www.greencastlepachamber.org
www.co.franklin.pa.us

Shepherstown, West Virginia>Jefferson County WVA
www.shepherdstownvisitorscenter.com
www.jeffersoncountywv.org

[Thruway]

I can't imagine Hagerstown being THAT developed, it's all the way in Washington County past the Applachians, that's rural country.
Heck even West Montgomery is rural so you'd have to imagine all the way up there any development would seem bigger than reality has.

[westsideboy]

I think different people have a different idea of what "rural" means. If you are comparing NW Montgomery County to Silver Spring or Rockville, than yes, to you horse farms and 2 acre lots is the "country." To me from Allegany County, used to 3/4 of all the land being forest, when I visit NW Montgomery County, I say "look suburbanites with enough money to afford estate lots and hobby farms rather than townhouses and condos." If you want to take the comparision one step further someone from Montana, where you need to drive 90 miles to nearest gas station would come to MD and laugh that we call any place here "rural."
If you want some perspective on Washington County here you go. The population in 1990 was 121,393, in 2000 it was 131,923, in 2006 it is 143,748. It is a pretty safe bet those 22,000 new residents over the past 15 years didn't move to Washington County to raise wheat or cattle. As for your believe that Washington County is "way out past the Appalachians," Hagerstown is only 65 miles and two mountains (South and Catoctin) from D.C. Alot of the county is closer than that. Take a look at topo map and you will see that most of Washington County is flat or rolling land with only the two previously mentioned mountains separating it from the rest of Maryland.

[Thruway]

Still you'd think given the moutains and culture it would be presereved as rural.

[westsideboy]

Tberg, you say that you expect that "it would be preserved as rural." Who should be doing this "preserving" you are speaking of? The government, individual land owners? I am a little confused.

[Thruway]

Both, I thought MD unlike backwards VA had laws like that in W Montgomery to help smart growth.

Also again Washington County is out in the boonies I find it hard to believe the area is undergoing greater than moderate sprawl...right?

[westsideboy]

In Maryland zoning laws are determined county by county. The state wide "smart growth" intiative is a suggestion that some counties have followed, others not.

Again you may describe Washington County as "the boonies" but it is only 65 miles from downtown D.C. and only about 25 miles from Frederick, which in case you were wondering is the second largest incorporated city in MD.

If I may editorialize for a moment....It is very common for folks in metro MD to have this opinion that some communites like Montgomery, PG, Howard, A.A. Baltimore Counties are "allowed" to grow. They can build new developments, clear forests, subdivide farms, build roads, attract employers etc, while other counties are forbidden to grown. These places must forever remain tracts of forest or seas of wheat for suburbanite's weekend recreation; open spaces to ease the eco-friendly consciousness of those hypocrits that live in sprawl, gussle gas in traffic, and heat their 3000 sq ft house, but want somewhere else to remain wild.

It should only take a brief look outside of your own little world to relieze the unfairness of this proposition. Why should farmers and land owners in some counties not be allowed to develop their land or sell it to others in order to make money to improve their lives or the lives of their children? Why should some communities not be allowed to build new houses, attract new residents, attract new employers. This kind of growth is essential to build the tax bases in these communities, build new schools, get state funds for new roads, new sewers, new water pipes, the kind of things you take for granted in Montgomery County. Before you go on again about the quaint rural feeling you love so much in Western Maryland, consider the levels of poverty and unemployment that these communties face because they don't have the engine of growth that others in Maryland too. Your plan to preserve them forever as farms and forests would essential doom these communties to continued decay, poverty and isolation. Maybe that would good for you and your conscience, but bad for them. Sorry to sound confrontation, but understand that we in Western Maryland are not here for your pleasure or piece of mind, we need the right to grow and develop in the ways we see fit for our communties and at our pace. I have never heard anyone from Western Maryland try and tell Montgomery County how to use their land and resources, so why do the 'burbs try and tell us what to do? I am not saying I want uncontrolled sprawl or growth, quite the opposite, but any rational person who has ever been to Cumberland or other parts of Western Maryland know that these communities need growth, development and new investment or they will continue to fade away.

[terryandtouey]

I've been looking at Hagerstown, too, in addition to other parts of Western Md. and areas out-of-state. Here's what I like about Hagerstown:

It has "good bones." There are some really lovely parts of Hagerstown, where you can get a feel of how it developed, historically. Housing is affordable, though prices are rising due to inflated real estate in most of the rest of Md, DC & N. Va. People looking for homes are going further afield, and speculators are doing the same.

It has a beautiful city park and a nice little arts center.

The downtown area has seen better days, but there seems a lot of interest in revitalization -- opportunities if you are interested in starting your own business.

It's a straight shot along I-70 into Frederick and from Frederick you can go on to DC (on I-270) or to Baltimore. But you're also close to I-81.

I think there's AAA baseball. (Does anyone know?) If not there, the Frederick Keys are the next nearest minor league team.

There's some beautiful country all around Washington Co. A lot of nice people. And it's more relaxed there than in Frederick, where some of the DC pushiness and hurry has creeped in.

What worries me about Hagerstown?

When talking to some people who are new there, they mentioned that there is some tension between those who have lived there a long time and the newcomers. One person said they thought it was because the escalation in property values was hurting a sector of the locals, and somebody else said "They feel like people from Montgomery Co. are taking over."

If the U.S. economy goes sour, what happens to the revitalization initiative in Hagerstown?

Here's a question: does anyone know why the MARC trains go to West Va. but not to Hagerstown? What the heck happened there? And are there any plans to extend the MARC from Frederick to Hagerstown?