Moving from CA for job in Indian Head

[scotchtape]

Hi folks, I have a job possibility (Navy civilian) at Indian Head, MD. While I have no offer yet, I wanted to gather as much information as possible so that I can make the best decision for my family if such an offer is made. Specifically, I wanted to see if anyone has opinions on good places to live.

Over at City Data there is much discussion about Charles County and the changing demographics and increase in crime. Generally, it seems most people don't have very good things to say about Waldorf or its suburbs; however, I wanted to see about opinions of the countryside in an around Indian Head, and Indian Head itself. I'm married, with a child on the way, and my mother-in-law might like to move out near us when her husband (with cancer) passes away.

I don't particularly like living in sprawling suburban areas, and don't need to be in the middle of the "night-life" or what have you... and appreciate natural beauty more than super-convenient amenities. Also, I would like to have a very short and easy commute (wouldn't we all...), so I wanted to find some opinions on Indian Head itself as a place to live for a young family. Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice.

Oh, and I'm from the Central Coast in California, in a medium-sized town with minimal crime but for the alcohol-related offenses and property crime. Also, we are not in a position to buy a house yet, so will be looking to rent, preferably a 2 bedroom or something of comparable size. Would love to NOT have to rent in an apartment complex!

 

[G1G4]

Indian Head itself really isn't too terrible. Aside from the constant booming from Dahlgren and Indian Head, it's not bad if you don't mind it. If you don't mind a little bit of a drive (15 minutes or so), Nanjemoy is another relatively quiet area with decent country. There's also Marbury and Pisgah. Do some research on those areas and see what you can come up with.

 

[scotchtape]

G1G4, Thanks for the tips. How bad and wide-spread is the noise generated by these facilities? I know noise is a relative thing, but is it non-stop booming all day, or what?

 

[RoseRed]

Los Altos, CA.

 

[kayo]

I work on the base in Indian Head and have also lived in Indian Head for the convenience of a close commute. My advice is definately not Waldorf. Indian Head or Bryans Road aren't great places to live anymore either. I would suggest LaPlata if you still want to be very close to restaurants, WalMart, Target, grocery stores, etc. The Mall is in Waldorf. If you are willing to live more so out in the country where it is peaceful and quiet I would suggest Marbury, Nanjemoy, Dentsville; Marbury being the closest. The booming you hear from Dahlgren, Quantico, or Indian Head base is not bad at all and is not an every day occurrence. PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll be sure to help you in any way that I can.

 

[tc_girl]

LaPlata is probably your best bet if your looking for quiet, but still close to stuff but not in a high crime area like Waldorf. LaPlata is a nice area and still close enough to Waldorf for all your shopping needs (Mall, bigger name stores) I am not sure exactly how close it is to Indian Head, not too far I don't believe, I would guess 20 minutes!

 

[Ginger0314]

We have lived here for almost 3 years. As somewhat of a new comer this is my view - stay away from Waldorf. We live on 210 (the main route to the base) near Bryans Road. The homes were built in the 50's and a lot of them still have the original owners - but we love older homes and that is why we settled here - it is 5 minutes down the road to the base. Stay out of Indian Head the town also. Living here it is about 20 minutes to Waldorf to shop or to LaPlata to shop. LaPlata is very nice and there is lots of new construction there - it was too far for us as my husband works in DC but I would definitely live there. Pisgah, Nanjemoy, Welcome - very nice places but way out in the country - just not my thing I like neighbors close. Good Luck!

 

[BOP]

Hi folks, I have a job possibility (Navy civilian) at Indian Head, MD. While I have no offer yet, I wanted to gather as much information as possible so that I can make the best decision for my family if such an offer is made. Specifically, I wanted to see if anyone has opinions on good places to live.

Over at City Data there is much discussion about Charles County and the changing demographics and increase in crime. Generally, it seems most people don't have very good things to say about Waldorf or its suburbs; however, I wanted to see about opinions of the countryside in an around Indian Head, and Indian Head itself. I'm married, with a child on the way, and my mother-in-law might like to move out near us when her husband (with cancer) passes away.

I don't particularly like living in sprawling suburban areas, and don't need to be in the middle of the "night-life" or what have you... and appreciate natural beauty more than super-convenient amenities. Also, I would like to have a very short and easy commute (wouldn't we all...), so I wanted to find some opinions on Indian Head itself as a place to live for a young family. Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice.

Oh, and I'm from the Central Coast in California, in a medium-sized town with minimal crime but for the alcohol-related offenses and property crime. Also, we are not in a position to buy a house yet, so will be looking to rent, preferably a 2 bedroom or something of comparable size. Would love to NOT have to rent in an apartment complex!

We moved here from Ventura about 3 years ago. I'm from San Diego originally. The good part about Maryland: we were able to afford a house here whereas in So. Ca, we could never.

The bad part about Maryland: just about everything else. For one thing, I've never met so many surly, ill-mannered, self-centered a-holes in my life, and having lived in L.A. for a number of years, that's saying something.

Best of luck to you.

 

[hvp05]

The bad part about Maryland: just about everything else. For one thing, I've never met so many surly, ill-mannered, self-centered a-holes in my life, and having lived in L.A. for a number of years, that's saying something.

Travel through P.G. much?

Scotch, you said you prefer more nature and less "convenience", so I would concur with those saying the outer reaches of La Plata (e.g., Port Tobacco), Pisgah and Nanjemoy are good. There are portions of Rts. 425, 224 and 6 (mostly southern) that are wide open and even set as protected areas.

 

[D-35]

Grab the Fed Civ Srvc Job. Then work out Kinks

Hi folks, I have a job possibility (Navy civilian) at Indian Head, MD. While I have no offer yet, I wanted to gather as much information as possible so that I can make the best decision for my family if such an offer is made. Specifically, I wanted to see if anyone has opinions on good places to live.

Over at City Data there is much discussion about Charles County and the changing demographics and increase in crime. Generally, it seems most people don't have very good things to say about Waldorf or its suburbs; however, I wanted to see about opinions of the countryside in an around Indian Head, and Indian Head itself. I'm married, with a child on the way, and my mother-in-law might like to move out near us when her husband (with cancer) passes away.

I don't particularly like living in sprawling suburban areas, and don't need to be in the middle of the "night-life" or what have you... and appreciate natural beauty more than super-convenient amenities. Also, I would like to have a very short and easy commute (wouldn't we all...), so I wanted to find some opinions on Indian Head itself as a place to live for a young family. Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice.

Oh, and I'm from the Central Coast in California, in a medium-sized town with minimal crime but for the alcohol-related offenses and property crime. Also, we are not in a position to buy a house yet, so will be looking to rent, preferably a 2 bedroom or something of comparable size. Would love to NOT have to rent in an apartment complex!

...I'm guessing that you're a scientist or engineer. NAS PAX (Patuxent River), host to NAVAIRHQ and NAWCAD in St. Mary's County, offers much more than NSWC Indian Head or NSWCDD Dahlgren, VA. PAX needs engineers from all disciplines; not only aviation specific. Engineers are engineers; and we're glad to bring your expertise aboard. St. Mary's and PAX River are worth looking into. Good Luck!

 

[toppick08]

Welcome !...there are still many humble, polite, good hearted people that live in Md....most of the attitudes have been imported.......

Best of fortunes to you and yours.

 

[winters]

Hi folks, I have a job possibility (Navy civilian) at Indian Head, MD. While I have no offer yet, I wanted to gather as much information as possible so that I can make the best decision for my family if such an offer is made. Specifically, I wanted to see if anyone has opinions on good places to live.

Over at City Data there is much discussion about Charles County and the changing demographics and increase in crime. Generally, it seems most people don't have very good things to say about Waldorf or its suburbs; however, I wanted to see about opinions of the countryside in an around Indian Head, and Indian Head itself. I'm married, with a child on the way, and my mother-in-law might like to move out near us when her husband (with cancer) passes away.

I don't particularly like living in sprawling suburban areas, and don't need to be in the middle of the "night-life" or what have you... and appreciate natural beauty more than super-convenient amenities. Also, I would like to have a very short and easy commute (wouldn't we all...), so I wanted to find some opinions on Indian Head itself as a place to live for a young family. Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice.

Oh, and I'm from the Central Coast in California, in a medium-sized town with minimal crime but for the alcohol-related offenses and property crime. Also, we are not in a position to buy a house yet, so will be looking to rent, preferably a 2 bedroom or something of comparable size. Would love to NOT have to rent in an apartment complex!

Another Option is National Harbor. This area, if you are willing to settle for a town house is an up and coming area. You might hear a lot of bad about Prince Georges County, but there are quite a few benefits to living here.

National Harbor's Housing Boon - washingtonpost.com

The commute would be about thirty minutes to Indian Head, usually with traffic going the opposite direction.

Other than the idiot BOP, who's attitude would reflect why people are as he said surly and a-holes to him, there are good people in Maryland and the living is easy.

 

[slowlane]

"Another Option is National Harbor. This area, if you are willing to settle for a town house is an up and coming area. You might hear a lot of bad about Prince Georges County, but there are quite a few benefits to living here.

National Harbor's Housing Boon - washingtonpost.com

The commute would be about thirty minutes to Indian Head, usually with traffic going the opposite direction."

Thanks, but I don't think the OP is concerned about living near fancy amenities and overpriced restaurants, or paying a premium for proximity to D.C. And Oxon Hill High School which serves National Harbor has an enrollment that's 98 percent non-white (I just researched this) and elementary schools there about the same percentage.

Nanjemoy might be a bit far to suit many people. As their children grow up, living there would mean a long haul any time they take the family shopping, to entertainment, classes, playgrounds, sports and social activities or most anywhere, which are concentrated more in LaPlata or Waldorf.

 

[G1G4]

Welcome !...there are still many humble, polite, good hearted people that live in Md....most of the attitudes have been imported.......

Best of fortunes to you and yours.

 

[clevalley]

Welcome !...there are still many humble, polite, good hearted people that live in Md....most of the attitudes have been imported.......

Best of fortunes to you and yours.

Well put!

If I was working in Indian Head I would also say Marbury (Rural), Nanjemoy (Very Rural), LaPlata (modernized town w/ Walmart, Target and its share of traffice)

 

[xobxdoc]

I used to live near SLO when I worked at Diablo. I can't imagine wanting to leave.

 

[scotchtape]

I used to live near SLO when I worked at Diablo. I can't imagine wanting to leave.

Doc: We don't necessarily want to leave, especially since my wife's family is also in CA. But we always knew my career would most likely take us out of state.

To everyone: thanks for all the tips. It sounds like St Mary's County is nice, although a bit far for commuting to Indian Head. I would love to live in a more self-contained small or medium-sized town, but we realize that we will most likely experience more than one move in order to find "our spot." We are not looking for a place to settle down per se, but would see this as a transitional geographic move.

One of the challenging things is determining what the character of an area is without being there. The distances between towns oftentimes sounds minimal, but with what can seem to be large characteristic differences.

Some further questions: to what degree does La Plata feel like Waldorf? Is it more of a suburb of Waldorf, or does it have its own character with a separate "vibe"?

The most important things to us are being in a safe family environment, having a decent residence, and open space nearby to take walks and enjoy nature. I like to jog, and would really enjoy having a convenient pedestrian loop or something where I could do my 3 miles a few days a week. Also, we both enjoy cooking and we like good food. We don't necessarily need organic foods or what have you, just quality food and a quality selection of goods. Do you think we would we be able to find all that in La Plata?

 

[Old Timer]

Marbury

I've been in Marbury for about 17 years. It's a relatively quiet area, not too far from a new hiker/biker trail that runs from Indian Head to White Plains. You might want to check with base housing about rentals in the area, I think they have a list.

 

[winters]

"Another Option is National Harbor. This area, if you are willing to settle for a town house is an up and coming area. You might hear a lot of bad about Prince Georges County, but there are quite a few benefits to living here.

National Harbor's Housing Boon - washingtonpost.com

The commute would be about thirty minutes to Indian Head, usually with traffic going the opposite direction."

Thanks, but I don't think the OP is concerned about living near fancy amenities and overpriced restaurants, or paying a premium for proximity to D.C. And Oxon Hill High School which serves National Harbor has an enrollment that's 98 percent non-white (I just researched this) and elementary schools there about the same percentage.

Could you be any more blatantly racist?

Nanjemoy might be a bit far to suit many people. As their children grow up, living there would mean a long haul any time they take the family shopping, to entertainment, classes, playgrounds, sports and social activities or most anywhere, which are concentrated more in LaPlata or Waldorf.

I missed the part where the person spoke of not wanting to be around black people.

 

[onel0126]

La Plata hands down for Charles County. It is the county seat and an incorporated town. Has small-town feel with its own theater (plays) and indpendent drug store but with hospital and nice retail without any of the garbage associated with Waldorf.