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Apartments in the Baltimore-DC area?

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Hi everyone. I recently applied for a goverment job which will be located in the District of Columbia. I expect to hear whether or not I will be called for an interview this month and offered the job. I know many young professionals live in the immediate area where the suburbs are (Silver Spring/Alexandria, et al) but because the cost of apartments are expensive there, I am looking for something in the Baltimore area. I realize that Baltimore is 41 miles away from Washington, but if the cost of living is cheaper, I'd like to consider living a little further out.

I'd like to ask if anyone can recommend a good area, or one that is up-and-coming for young professionals. I'd like to be within reasonable commuting distance of Washington, and I do have a car..although being close to mass transit is a plus. I'd also like to mention I do emphasize a good place should also be a safe place too. Thanks!

Travel Tips

Traffic in and around DC is some of the worst in the country, and parking is expensive (several hundred dollars a month), so planning a long driving commute is not a good idea. There is a commuter rail from Baltimore MARC, but that will cost $14 day + metro fare to your job from the station. That is why reasonably close in housing is expensive. Here is a link to a map of the metro system. Your best bet is to live so you can commute by metro if you work downtown DC,
http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/systemmap...
Others

Make lots of money and don't worry where you live. Otherwise, move. I live in Wash/Balt area. Good Luck.
try rollins park in rockville. most of the apartments have 2 bedrooms and a lot of families are there so it's safe. costs are pretty okay. plus congressional plaza is a great place to shop(it's really close). you also could rent a townhouse which costs more but it's good for families and speaking of families montrose park is 3 steps away
You can try Columbia, but generally speaking, the Baltimore area is just as expensive as the DC area.
I live in Baltimore and it is cheaper then DC. However the Silver Spring/Bethesda area is very expensive. You may want to try more north like Bowie or Laurel and take the Metro in.
Well, it really does depend on what you consider expensive. Howard county is fairly nice place to live. You may get lucky and find a nice inexpensive place but thats not very likely. Randallstown is fairly affordable. I cant really make suggestions because I dont know your price range.
It depends. Lots of people are moving out towards the Frederick, MD area (west of Baltimore, up I-270). Also, Columbia, Laurel and Ellicot City are all between Baltimore and DC, and people seem to be moving there as well. In the long run, though, I would say it's worth it to stay closer in to DC and look for some of the more affordable suburbs. First of all you will save in commuting costs - especially now that gas prices are well above $3 a gallon. Also the traffic in the DC area is among the worst in the country - statistically only California has worse traffic I think. So you will be spending ridiculous amounts of time in traffic. Basically I would say the areas closer to Baltimore aren't going to save you enough to justify the commute. I would say to check out Takoma Park, Maryland - it's becoming a more desirable area and is somewhat more affordable. Rockville, especially around Twinbrook, and Wheaton/Silver Spring, especially near Forest Glen, are all good areas too and relatively cheaper. Bethesda is nice but more expensive. Unfortunately I don't know as much about Virginia since I'm from the MD suburbs but there are nice and more affordable areas there as well.