relocating to Southern maryland

[OliveOyl]

Rules for Living in SoMD

I had a very bad experience living in Southern MD, so consider my opinion quite biased...

Rules for Living in Southern Maryland (yes, I'm ready to take the heat for this one)

1) Drive slow, especially in the left lane.

2) Buy a Mustang (or as many locals call it, a 'Stang) and spend all of your time juicing it up and revving its engine. When you run out of money, get a loan to juice up your 'Stang.

3) When you work in customer service, don't speak to your customers. When you do, threaten to beat them with a baseball bat. You're guaranteed that they won't come back and you won't have to talk to them again.

4) If you feel like going out, go down to Catamaran's in your slinkiest outfits and get your picture taken for their website. Even better--dance on the pool tables.

5) Begin to wonder if there really IS life outside Saint Mary's County (this is when you know you've achieved "local" status).

 

[Heretic]

Olive, not sure where you get that people drive slow. I usually see people going 20mph over the speed limit. I have also had several coworkers complain about people speeding down their street where kids are playing....one even had a child hit.

 

[Pookie]

Welcome, Jerry!

I have an uncle who owns two vet clinics in Wichita, as well as tons of family in Emporia. That said, I'm definitely sure you'll like it in SOMD. I'm living back in the Midwest now, after living in SOMD for almost 10 years and I never thought I'd say this, but I really do miss MD....TONS! There are no large bodies of water here, except for ponds and lakes (which don't even count). Tons more to do in MD, many more places to see, etc. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

 

[demsformd]

I love southern Maryland. I was born here and when I moved from here the two times I just could not stand it. I gotta have roots if you ask me. I thought that heretic's link was just full of hate and disrespect. I did not find that entertaining and I think that whoever operates that site out to me kicked out of this place. God, if you hate it so much, quit your job and leave. There is plenty to do here...so much scenery, its relatively quiet and there is plenty within the county to survive off of. Yes, you do have to go up to the mall in Waldorf for clothes and there isn't much social sophistication here but sometimes you just don't want that. God, I get enough of that at work and from my wife. Anyway, Jerry welcome.

 

[pilot]

Demsformd:

I checked out Heretic's link after reading your comments. Sure the area's not perfect, but GIVE ME A BREAK!!! No wonder that person can't seem to fit in here. With an attitude like that, I'd be surprised if they can fit in anywhere! I mean setting up a web site about how much they hate the area??? Talk about obsessive!

I've lived all over the country from the small, rural town in the midwest where I grew up to the outer suburbs of New York and Philadelphia, and this is definitely one of the nicest places I've ever lived. I LOVE the fact that the area is relatively quiet and rural yet it attracts people from all over. It's a nice combination of what I liked about living in the country and what I liked about the city. When I want high culture, I go down to St. Mary's College, or I do a weekend trip to Annapolis or D.C. But most of the time I'm content to simply be HERE!

Don't let 'em fool ya, Jerrycat! Demsformd is right. Take it from this transplant. The web site is full of hate and disrespect, and it's not even true!

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by pilot
The web site is full of hate and disrespect, and it's not even true!

The scary thing is, many of the things on that site ARE true.

If you look at posts on here, and talk to other people in the area, you'll hear the same kind of theme. "The place grew on me", "I got used to it", etc. It definately isn't the kind of place you would drive through and be like "Wow, I want to live there!"
It normally appeals to the older crowd who have already "been there, done that". You have all the bad aspects of a growing area such a traffic (traffic on 235 can be a b!tch during rush hour, and it floods) and "slash and build" construction, with none of the good things that comes with living in a growing area such as culture, shopping, or a variety of places to eat. The eating part has gotten better. In the 4 years I was there, the places to eat almost doubled (Outback, Asahi, Monterey, Ruby Tuesday, Damons and a couple others weren't there when I arrived. Well, Outback had JUST opened I believe) so that part is getting better.

If you go to the McDonalds on great mills road, don't expect a hello, have a good day, or really ANYTHING from the person at the drive through window. They take your money, gve your food and don't say a single word. Customer service has issues in the area as a whole.

Of course, some will disagree with this, which is fine. it is all relative to what you are used to. People get really offended when I mention anything about the pitiful excuse for a bookstore called Bay Books. But put in a borders, barnes and noble, books a million and you'll hear "wow, I don't know how I ever used Bay Books before". If you're use to things a certain way, people hate to think about changing it, even if the change is for the better.
Just like when I first moved there, I lived in "The Park" and saw nothing wrong with it. When I moved from there a couple of years ago to our new home there, I would drive by and think "ugh, I use to not see anything wrong with it. But man, it is nasty!"

 

[pilot]

Originally posted by SmallTown

If you look at posts on here, and talk to other people in the area, you'll hear the same kind of theme. "The place grew on me", "I got used to it", etc. It definately isn't the kind of place you would drive through and be like "Wow, I want to live there!"

Speak for yourself.

I just spent the weekend helping a friend from the Boston area move into her new apartment here. After years of visiting us, she decided Southern MD was where she wanted to live.

I'll agree, the area's not for everyone. What I can't understand, tho, are people that complain all the time and yet continue to live here. If you don't like the area, leave! Or at least take some kind of POSITIVE ACTION to make things better. Don't drag the rest of us down with your negativity.

 

[Heretic]

Originally posted by pilot
What I can't understand, tho, are people that complain all the time and yet continue to live here. If you don't like the area, leave! Or at least take some kind of POSITIVE ACTION to make things better.

I've seen people that have tried but they get a bunch of crap for trying to change things and hear the old "If you don't like it here leave"

There seem to be alot of people here that don't like it, its because of their job probably. This place is hard to beat for the sheer number and variety of well paying jobs. Add the fact that once your in the government it is fairly easy to move arround to different jobs on the base through promotion that most people just dont want to give that up. I don't think you will find many places, even other government facilities, where 3-4 promotions in that many years are so common.

The one thing that website has right is RT 235, its been months since I have seen any progress made, I heard that they quit working on it because the fund ran out of money. Hell it took less than 12 months to rebuild the LA highway system after a major earthquake.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by pilot
Speak for yourself.

I just spent the weekend helping a friend from the Boston area move into her new apartment here. After years of visiting us, she decided Southern MD was where she wanted to live.

I'll agree, the area's not for everyone. What I can't understand, tho, are people that complain all the time and yet continue to live here. If you don't like the area, leave! Or at least take some kind of POSITIVE ACTION to make things better. Don't drag the rest of us down with your negativity.

Furthers my point. Took years of visiting before deciding to move.

If you haven't noticed, I did take action and left. What gets me is people there can't seem to grasp the fact the place has issues. If they don't recognize the problem, they aren't eager to fix it. There really are only a few small things that HAVE to be done to make the place much more enjoyable.
1) 235. Regardless of what people saying about the initial timeline of the project, 235 should not have been, what, a 6 year project?
2) Customer service. I think everyone has experienced poor customer service in somd.

3) Consolidate the business and retail areas. Having strip mall spread out every where from LP to california is just ridiculous. And on the occasion you're trying to find this one particular item you need and can't find it, you start out at target, then back on 235 to k-mart, then backon 235 to wal-mart. Three strips malls, basically side by side, and no access roads between them? The county is so scared of trying to get a small, centralized shopping area (people might get scared of having something similar to the mall) that they end up wasting all kinds of land on multiple strip malls.

4) Water. The only great quality of somd is all of the water. But even with that, there is very limited on-water activities to do. Sure, if you have a boat it is great, but it is amazing to me to be surrounded by water and have no on-water amusements areas, retail areas, or something. I'm not saying build a replica of the Inner Harbor, but do something. So many people, even those who love it there, end up taking their money to Annapolis or Baltimore to enjoy the waterfront areas. How dumb is that? We have the same (and actually more!) water than those areas, why send all of that money out of the area? And yes, solomons is nice, but the space their is very limited so in order to create something really nice, you'll have to take it elsehwere, preferable in saint marys county.

I guess what got to me the most about that area is that I would look around, and see sooo much potential. But the powers that be either couldn't see it, or didn't want to see it. And if done right, you could have a lot more there and still not need to build any more strip malls to accomodate it. Adding access roads would help the traffic problems on 235.
The waterfront area would claim extra land, but it could be incredible.

Potential Potential potential. I'll enjoy visiting the place in 10 years to see if they ever saw the vision. I hope they do.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by SmallTown
Potential Potential potential. I'll enjoy visiting the place in 10 years to see if they ever saw the vision. I hope they do.

Not me. Different strokes.

I always find it interesting when someone's world-view is so limited that they think ONLY St. Mary's has rude people, ONLY St. Mary's has growth problems, ONLY St. Mary's has strip malls.

It's been brought to the Tri-County Council several times, where some builder has visions of Inner Harbor dancing in his head. That's not what the people want. Maybe it's what the come-here's want, but they're transient and don't get a say-so. Also, it's not feasible to become some tourist mecca, given the importance of Pax River.

It definately isn't the kind of place you would drive through and be like "Wow, I want to live there!"

That's actually what I did. We had friends move to St. Mary's after they got out of the Army (Mountain MaMa and her husband) and when we came down to visit them, I told my ex, "I like it here - maybe Mountain Daddy could get you on with his company." So he did and that's how I ended up there. My ex had offers all over the US, but we CHOSE St. Mary's.

Again, different strokes.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
I always find it interesting when someone's world-view is so limited that they think ONLY St. Mary's has rude people, ONLY St. Mary's has growth problems, ONLY St. Mary's has strip malls.

A find it more interesting that people's world views makes them feel St. Marys doesn't have any problems.

And I said nothing about making it a tourist mecca. Just make it more enjoyable for the people there. Like I said, St. Marys is no longer a back woods community. There are tons of people there. And they have all the bad products of a growing community, but none of the good stuff. People as whole aren't going anywhere, so sitting back and hoping that all of these "damn outsiders" will eventually leave is useless. Instead, they should utilize what is there now (people and money) and put it to good use. This doesn't mean destroying all the woodlands and building more and more.
Look at what LaurenG was saying about fairfax. Here is a county of over 1 million people, and going to work I feel like I'm driving into a park. Growth doesn't mean destroying everything and building. People complain about the growth in st marys because they are doing it the wrong way. Had developers not been so greedy and didn't persue the slash and build mentality, I think people there would feel much different about growth.

 

[vraiblonde]

Originally posted by SmallTown
A find it more interesting that people's world views makes them feel St. Marys doesn't have any problems.

Feeling defensive, are we? I didn't say St. Mary's didn't have problems - what I suggested is that it's not of the magnitude that some portray.

People complain about the growth in st marys because they are doing it the wrong way.

THAT I'll agree with you 100%.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by vraiblonde
Feeling defensive, are we? I didn't say St. Mary's didn't have problems - what I suggested is that it's not of the magnitude that some portray.

THAT I'll agree with you 100%.

not defensive, just what I heard for 4 years while I was there.

 

[vraiblonde]

"Problems" are a matter of opinion.

Some people think that not having a multitude of snappy meat markets to drink at is a "problem". I never found that to be a problem at all. Some think that lack of an enclosed mall is a "problem" - again, that never bothered me in the slightest. No large public venues where major-name concerts could be held isn't a "problem" in my opinion - I wouldn't go anyway. Nor is lack of a major art gallery - could care less about that stuff.

So there you go - to each his own.

 

[Kain99]

Why is it so important to recruit people into your "I hate St. Marys" camp?

 

[Otter]

Originally posted by SmallTown
2) Customer service. I think everyone has experienced poor customer service in somd.

Sorry, you really can't apply that to just SOMD IMHO, customer service is horrible all over, be it Virginia, DC or Maryland.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by http
Thank you VB, exaclty. SmallTown, if I want art, I will go to DC. If I want the Inner Harbor, I will go to the Inner Harbor. None of this changes the fact that SOMD is the fastest growing area in the State, for the 5th year in a row! Nowadays with the prolific abundance of information, people moving down here know exactly what they are getting into. The whole point of my thread was what SOMD *AND* the surrounding areas have to offer. (I'm really curious as to where ST moved to. Must be HEAVEN!!!!!!!)

Its not all about "The Park". Looks like you never got a chance to get out of there. Too bad, your loss. Your waste. Sorry.

Fastest growing? So you're getting more and more people, but no extra things to support those people? Nice.

Yes, I did venture out of the park. Only lived in that area for only a year (thank god), so I did see quite a bit of the rest of the area.
So yes, somd has some things to offer. But places like DC offer more of what I want, so the reverse is true. If there is something in somd I want to see, I'll go. Otherwise, everything I need is right here.

Didn't move to heaven, need to die before I do that. But we are in a cool place. somd isn't exactly heaven either. Where we are, there isn't a single thing I can't do here that I could do in somd, but the opposite is not true. Like I said, if you're older and have the "Been there, done that" attitude, then somd is a great place to go. Otherwise, you're wasting your time always driving to DC for work, for activities, for everything except water activities.

another funny thing about somd people. They always talk about how great it is there, and people they talk to should move there because it is so great. Then they turn around and complain about how many people are there now.

 

[SmallTown]

Originally posted by otter
Sorry, you really can't apply that to just SOMD IMHO, customer service is horrible all over, be it Virginia, DC or Maryland.

I guess we're just lucky in everyplace we go, except for somd. Sure, you'll have bad customer service everywhere on occasion. Everyone has bad days, but it seems like there are many more bad days in somd. Heck, I sometimes get embarassed at the grocery store now because the cashiers always want to chit-chat with you, even when there is a line behind you. In somd, you're lucky to get a hello. At the McDonalds on great mills, they won't say a WORD to you. Went to a couple fast food places here, always Hi!... Here is your order, have a nice day!
And I grew up with that kind of attitude all my life. I guess that is why it hits so hard when you don't get that in somd.

 

[SxyPrincess]

I wish some of you would stop referring to St. Mary's county as "somd." There are more counties ya know...

 

[pilot]

Originally posted by SmallTown
So yes, somd has some things to offer. But places like DC offer more of what I want, so the reverse is true. If there is something in somd I want to see, I'll go. Otherwise, everything I need is right here.

Didn't move to heaven, need to die before I do that. But we are in a cool place. somd isn't exactly heaven either. Where we are, there isn't a single thing I can't do here that I could do in somd, but the opposite is not true. Like I said, if you're older and have the "Been there, done that" attitude, then somd is a great place to go. Otherwise, you're wasting your time always driving to DC for work, for activities, for everything except water activities.

That's great, SmallTown. I'm glad you've found a place that has everything you need. I feel the same way about Southern MD.

Was it Vrail who said, "Different strokes for different folks"?