meauxna

OK, my last contribution.. one thing I do to check a source is look something I already know first hand. Like if I am checking out a travel guide, I look first at their review of a place I know & balance that against my own experience. I realize you can't check your own city through that site, but I'll bet if you googled your own home in the same fashion, you'd never want to go there either.
Good luck; I don't know Maryland so can't comment on how accurate those comments are, but they seem typical to me of almost anywhere.

Lookoutapiano

I do hear what you're saying Meauxna, just am getting a bit stressed by it all (am being made redundant in a few weeks also, thus the new job, which isnt helping!).
Thanks

SanDiegogirl

You say in another thread that you are going out with a new employer who is setting up a base in the US?

So what visa are you going out on?

Sounds like you are being transferred but as a new employee an L1 (which is the usual visa for a transferee) would not be applicable.

ian-mstm

Already asked and answered.

Ian

Lookoutapiano

that's right, but not sure what visa they'll take me out on yet.

penguinsix

This really sums up pretty much everything. You are coming to one of the most expensive (and growing) areas of the country and the gap between wealthy (Bethesda, Potomac) and poorer areas is quite pronounced. Laurel is sort of mixed I would say.

Another issue is that the NSA (National Security Agency / Ft. Meade) is going to be expanding by adding about 10,000 jobs shortly. That means a number of new people moving to areas like Odenton or even Annapolis (Annapolis is a nice town but probably a bit of a commute to Laurel).

If you really don't mind driving and want more land, possibly even rural you could look at Upper Marlboro or even down into Calvert County (Dunkirk area). These are still somewhat farms and probably a 45 minute commute to Laurel on a good day.

Really depends on your budget and desires. Have you a housing budget set up yet?

Check out this site. It's a relocation site for every state, and you'll get some folks from Laurel who can advise on specific neighborhoods.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/maryland/

Lookoutapiano

Thanks very much for this!! Do not know what my salary will be yet, was going to negotiate partly on how much we'd need for a place in a half-decent area. Don't mind commuting too much, but definately no more than 45 mins. We're really keen on a colonial-type house or a modern-type, but my main consideration is safety for my family and good schools.

Thanks for the link, just checked it out and I must have registered there previously?!?

Ft Meade looks gigantic!!! Thanks again.

fortunategromit

Hi Lookoutapiano,

One thing about Laurel you might want to consider is that the majority of it is in Prince George's County, which is notoriously poor for schools, IMHO.

I understand your worries concerning crime data, but honestly, I've lived in the USA for over 10 years and not had any unfortunate experiences, whereas in the UK, my house was burgled, I had a car stolen, another one broken into, and my dad had his car stolen and torched!

The more serious crimes are more likely to occur within metropolitan areas (Baltimore, Washington D.C.)

Columbia, where I'm living now isn't bad ... although I'm somewhat on the fence on whether or not I would like to stay here. It's very popular and as a result I think it's over crowded.

Money Magazine rated it number 2 in one of the best places to live in the USA for 2010:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/money...PL2419125.html

There are lots of parks and lakes to enjoy, for exercising, events, recreation etc. Plus there's Merriweather which hosts outdoor concerts, outdoor swim clubs etc.

A few drawbacks for me are the expensive housing and renting, and we're having a housing slump over here, which means buying a house is difficult, and as a result the prices of rentals are rising because demand is higher.

Also there's no "Town Center" ... unless you're going to count the huge mall.

One more thing is that Home Owner's Associations are very prevalent in Columbia, so finding a house that doesn't belong to one can be a challenge. In my opinion HOAs don't bring anything to the table, while costing way too much in annual dues.

Sorry for rambling ... hope this helps.

fortunategromit

Oh ... and if you do find yourself in this area ... feel free to give me a shout ... I just got a new grill, and I've been eager to burn someone else's dinner for them rather than just my own for a change

fiestada

found a place yet, Piano?