Moving from CA for job in Indian Head

[OldHillcrestGuy]

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.

I second everything kayo said.

It sounds like LaPlata would fit your needs perfectly.
Pretty goods schools in the LaPlata school districts, dont know cost of homes in Ca. but you can get into several very nice LaPlata neighborhoods for around $350,000 since homes prices took a plunge a few years back. Look up homes in Kings Grant (my favorite), Clarks Run, Quailwood all within town limits. Like someone already mentioned LaPlata is the county seat, has the courthouse, hospital, town police force, Mayor and town council, not much crime within the town. Laplata is about 8-10 miles south of Waldorf which is really more of a suburb of DC, and has the majority of the population of Charles County living there.

 

[RPMDAD]

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.

top, i agree 100%, but more so ever still here in Southern Md.

 

[hvp05]

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"?

OHG was almost right; it's about 7 miles from the outskirts of La Plata to those of Waldorf. There is a different vibe in that La Plata is smaller, but the powers that be are working hard to change that.

La Plata used to be (~9 years ago) a genuine small town until a catastrophic tornado hit. In the wake of that, planners vowed to rebuild, making the town bigger and better. Bigger they did a smashing job of; better depends on how much sprawl and traffic you care to deal with.

Today, I think La Plata feels like a mini-Waldorf given the growth rate and clutter. Some of the 'real' problems (i.e., crime) have not arrived in force like in Waldorf, but it all should in due time.

I thought you were pretty clear in being willing to sacrifice some convenience for increased peace. I'll reiterate that I think you'd most likely feel better a few miles outside of town; look for Port Tobacco, Pisgah, Newtown, or even further out would be Bel Alton, Newburg or Dentsville. Even with those further out, you would probably be within 20 minutes of La Plata and 45 of IH.

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.

My grandmother used to live in Port Tobacco and it was great, mostly still is. If you live in town, traffic may disturb your jog. Rts. 6/225 can be heavy during rush hours and you wouldn't want to cross 301 unless your life depended on it.

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?

There is a well-outfitted Safeway and Giant right near each other. Either/both should have anything you could want.

 

[vince77]

if he wants to rent and he wants 2 BR's, he doesn't want much...a small bungalow in the country plenty of that 30 minutes from IH

 

[scotchtape]

Thanks again, everyone for the advice. I just got a preliminary offer, so I will be giving a lot of attention to your suggestions.

 

[alanadoodle]

Just wanted to say hello from a fellow native Central Californian! I'm from Lompoc by way of Santa Barbara. Good luck with the upcoming move!

 

[slowlane]

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

If according to you, hesitating to have my children attend a school that's 98% black makes me "racist", then practically all white people must similarly be racist, because they would all say or feel the same thing. Far from "not wanting to be around black people", as a matter of fact my block, my community and my children's public school all have around 40% black population (which is 2 -3 times the national average) and we are all very friendly, thank you. For 30 long years, I worked daily in offices with from 1/3 to 1/2 black workforce. That's a lot more than I can say for the political Bobby and Ted Kennedy families who always lived in secluded homes on a high bluff in McLean, VA and (to my knowledge) used only private schools - just by way of comparison - wouldn't that make them much more racist than me -even though they are labeled "Liberals".

 

[sockgirl77]

I lived in IH until I was 11 and loved it. The schools got bad and we moved to St. Mary's. A majority of my family still lives in IH and they are still happy. The schools have improved tremendously from what I am hearing. It's a lot more populated now but still has a small town feel. I love that place! I miss the Village Green and Pot Heights. I never ran out of things to do as a child.

 

[slowlane]

The town of Indian Head, which is strung out narrowly along the highway, has become less of a full-service community as in past generations, as today residents flock to Waldorf, LaPlata, or Bryans Road for shopping needs. Indian Head has however, in recent years built a new community center building, new baseball fields, new library, and opened a live stage theater known as the "Black Box". We go to the town park annually to see the fireworks and carnival on July 4, and also the annual 1-day "River Arts Fest".
Lackey High School has an excellent, very warm indoor pool, open to the public year-round. I understand the Naval Base has closed its golf course.

The original poster can read individual articles about Indian Head, LaPlata, Bryans Road, St. Charles, and Waldorf by going to Wikipedia

 

[sockgirl77]

City & County Information, Town & Community Information - ePodunk is a great tool that a beloved former forumite introduced me to a few years ago!

 

[sdm]

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.

Best of luck to you.

My daughter is moving to Ventura next Thursday.

 

[scotchtape]

My daughter is moving to Ventura next Thursday.

I lived in Ventura for about a year back in 2001/2002, where I met my wife, in fact. The actual town of Ventura (downtown) is very nice, but it sprawls out in different directions and there are nicer areas than others. I personally lived out in the Saticoy area, which was OK. My sister lives down in the Seaward area. If your daughter likes sunshine, being near the water, it's nice. The fog comes in occasionally and mixes things up a bit. Overall, it was a very nice place to live, but due to the personally tumultuous times while living there, I will never go back.

 

[foosballpaul]

I work at Indian Head and live in Bryans Road; stay away from western Charles County at all costs. Half of P.G. county has moved down here or comes down by way of 210 every weekend to sell drugs and run the streets. Most decent families are making a mass exodus to other places.

 

[scotchtape]

I work at Indian Head and live in Bryans Road; stay away from western Charles County at all costs. Half of P.G. county has moved down here or comes down by way of 210 every weekend to sell drugs and run the streets. Most decent families are making a mass exodus to other places.

Do you consider western Charles County to include all rural areas, such as Nanjemoy, Pisgah, etc., or are you referring mostly to the 210 corridor from Indian Head, Bryans Road, Accokeek on up toward PG County?

 

[hvp05]

Do you consider western Charles County to include all rural areas, such as Nanjemoy, Pisgah, etc., or are you referring mostly to the 210 corridor from Indian Head, Bryans Road, Accokeek on up toward PG County?

That [latter] must have been his implication. Unless Nanjemoy, et al have changed dramatically in the past couple years, those parts are still highly livable.

 

[sdm]

I lived in Ventura for about a year back in 2001/2002, where I met my wife, in fact. The actual town of Ventura (downtown) is very nice, but it sprawls out in different directions and there are nicer areas than others. I personally lived out in the Saticoy area, which was OK. My sister lives down in the Seaward area. If your daughter likes sunshine, being near the water, it's nice. The fog comes in occasionally and mixes things up a bit. Overall, it was a very nice place to live, but due to the personally tumultuous times while living there, I will never go back.

I have no idea where she is... I have never seen California. According to her she will be just up the street from Port Hueneme not far from the water. She loves the water. Her BF is deploying and she is moving out to hold down the fort while he is away so she will be in a new state, new town, knows no one and first time away from home at 19 years old. When she leaves home, SHE LEAVES HOME!!

 

[scotchtape]

I have no idea where she is... I have never seen California. According to her she will be just up the street from Port Hueneme not far from the water. She loves the water. Her BF is deploying and she is moving out to hold down the fort while he is away so she will be in a new state, new town, knows no one and first time away from home at 19 years old. When she leaves home, SHE LEAVES HOME!!

"Just up the street" from Port Hueneme would be sprawling city of Oxnard, which is not the best place to live, in my opinion. Hopefully, she will be actually in Ventura.

 

[Wrkn4livn]

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 have a house I'll be ready to rent in the next 3-4 months. When you getting out here? We live right off 210 and 229 in the Laurel Branch subdivision. It's an established neighborhood. Nice place to live. It's 7 miles outside of Waldorf and about 30-40 minutes to DC (could be more but that's traffic). I would stay out of Waldorf too... We left Cali in 1999. Looking at 300K POS house in San Diego. Much more bang for your buck out here. The place grows on you. It only took me about 10 years to get used to the place...

 

[Wrkn4livn]

"Just up the street" from Port Hueneme would be sprawling city of Oxnard, which is not the best place to live, in my opinion. Hopefully, she will be actually in Ventura.

Port Hueneme was nice in 1999.

 

[hvp05]

The place grows on you. It only took me about 10 years to get used to the place...