Possibly moving to maryland. Anybody there to tell me about it?

[22Talon]

Hey guys. I might be taking a job in maryland at aberdeen.

Never been that way before.  From michigan and joined the airforce,  spent some time in Mississippi (9,months) and the rest in Oklahoma. After that lived on a friend's couch in Florida (I liked Florida)

Came back to MI to do college and then stayed with parents while getting job experience.  Then went to training in California high desert and spent time either at my parents house in the off time, or deployed to iraq and such for 4 years.

Got laid off last year and working &^^& IT job while figuring out next step and waiting for wife's green card to come through so she can come and being our daughter. She used to come visit on tourist visa but it expired and due to covid etc no luck getting it extended.

Have been applying to jobs to try to get to Tennessee or huntsville. Love idea of Florida but its so expensive and not many jobs for me.

So far no luck so thinking of taking this one for now and then leaving as soon as I can.

Anyway anybody from MD and can tell me about it? Im worried it will be a typical blue state with high taxes, crazy gun control  etc
If i stay out of Baltimore etc is it ok?
How is the weather and nature stuff?
Probably not as cold as MI?
Do you like living there?

The job pays 100,000 base and then more for the times Im deployed OCONUS. Is that good to live comfortably if my wife and daughter come for use to get decent apartment or rent house etc?  Id want to live someplace close to aberdeen proving grounds.  Nothing fancy but not getto and safe.

[anti-squirrel]

The area is incredibly expensive, but there are reasonable home offerings within a short-ish drive.  Dublin MD comes to mind; Churchville is even less.  Expect some sticker shock, but you can BUY a smaller home for under $300k without a problem.  For renting, expect $1500 - $2000 a month.  Schools in the region are good to great.  You're not really that far from West Virginia and the outdoorsy stuff there far surpasses what you get locally.  If you don't mind a longer commute, there are very affordable options.  Or, in plain english, you can find cheaper homes a bit further north in Pennsylvania OR head further west in MD.

Weather- it is swampy.  Expect hot humid summers, cooler winters (though not like MI), and people who cannot drive in rain or snow... or sunny perfect days for that matter.  The region is great for open water kayaking, there's good climbing/hiking all around the Potomac but that requires heading west, and the area is definitely more bicycle-friendly than where I live 15 minutes east of Richmond VA. Just north in PA you have LOTS of options for outdoorsy stuff.

Yeah, it is a Blue State.  Expect Blue State things- including higher quality education if you get your spouse/child moved and settled; just stay out of DC and Baltimore. 


As an aside: I can name 4 fleet managers who work in the DC/Baltimore area but live outside (meaning south) of the Beltway, and 2 more who live in York County VA who own homes but also rent apartments in their "work" counties.  I turned down a job offer for more than $100k with a county's Fleet Management team north of DC (still in Maryland) despite it paying almost twice what I make now.  Between traffic, Maryland laws, a retarded cost of living, and no proximity to where I spend my free time, I saw insufficient reward to justify a move.

Only you can decide if it is worth the move.  I'd be inclined to go visit for a few days.  You can start halfway up the mitten in MI and you are still only 10 hours away from Aberdeen.      As I mentioned above, Pennsylvania offers more affordable housing, so it is something to contemplate.

[Frank in Fairfield]

Aberdeen is just about the right distance from Baltimore and 31 miles further, Washington, DC.
I grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore 1945-63.
You may have read my posts about our Model 25s.
Aberdeen is very close to Pennsylvania and just a little further you are in New York or Atlantic City.
You can forget your privacy.
Your business is everyone else’s.
We had no fencing between the yards.
Get a boat.
Crabbing is fantastic and the oysters are divine.
Not all of them work, though.
I had a dozen one night but only 6 worked.
Some snow, thunderstorms and an occasional hurricane.
23 counties and the further you get away from I95 the friendlier the people become.
There is a lot history in Maryland, most of which is forbidden to be taught in school any longer.
Annapolis of course is the state capitol and you must visit the Naval Academy and view John Paul Jones tomb.
The state house was constructed using not one nail.
All, wooden pegs.
Fort McHenry in the Baltimore Harbor is a must see destination.
The east shore of Maryland is like stepping into a time warp.
It resembles not one bit the rest of the state.
To get there you will travel across the Chesapeake on a bridge and the bay through the Chesapeake tunnel.
My uncle and aunt (both deceased now) were retirees from Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
Good luck.

[dv8eod]

All I'm gonna say is, a so-so place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere east of Hagerstown.

[Frank in Fairfield]

All I'm gonna say is, a so-so place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere east of Hagerstown.

✅

[anti-squirrel]

I'll sum it up further by saying "visit the area before committing"

I've spent far too much time in the region for work over the last 16 years and- while it has changed a little from when Frank lived there- it hasn't changed much and he's on-point with the descriptions    

I do love the Eastern Shore- my Great Aunt owned a farm across the bay from Aberdeen (northwest of Chestertown) and I have very fond memories of the times including my first experiences hunting and fishing.  However, the Eastern Shore is not viable as a residence if there's any intention of moving there and commuting to APV.  I'd advise living across the border in PA and making that commute instead. 

I'd say the schools are considerably better than VA schools, but that's not saying much.  VA schools are laughably inconsistent and run from indoctrination-style ultra-woke to "The South Will Rise Again".

If I got the same job offer I did at the start of the pandemic, I still would refuse the job even at $200k/year.   

[avator]

Travis..
Anywhere you go will be exactly what you make it. I've lived in many places around this country and good and bad can be found everywhere.
Good luck.

[22Talon]

Thats true places are what you make of it, but some places make it difficult to enjoy being there.

My main worry is not getting ahead.
Ie moving there and cost of living is so expensive I end up barely getting by.
Trying to use this for load up on cash and then go somewhere else if i dont like it.

[anti-squirrel]

Thats true places are what you make of it, but some places make it difficult to enjoy being there.

My main worry is not getting ahead.
Ie moving there and cost of living is so expensive I end up barely getting by.
Trying to use this for load up on cash and then go somewhere else if i dont like it.

This is ultimately the big question.  Hence why I recommended going and checking it out in person.  Sure- the job pays well.  But how well?  Is the cost of renting+all assumed costs (internet, utilities, transportation, food, etc)  worth it?

How much time will the job be CONUS versus OCONUS?  Does that significantly change things?

Comparatively, money does not go as far in the DC/Balt region when rating versus to other areas.  IMO, you'd have to make enough money to offset inflation, housing, and services costs to justify the move.  And- like Bill said- there are good and bad to everywhere. 

I've be inclined to put pros and cons on a spreadsheet, rate each of them, identify the specifics that you will compromise on, and do the same with the dealbreaker items.  Let cold logic be your guide. 

[Struckat]

Don’t bring any guns with you, they will lock you up.

[avator]

Don’t bring any guns with you, they will lock you up.

That right there would leave me out.

[anti-squirrel]

Don’t bring any guns with you, they will lock you up.

That right there would leave me out.

That was one of several deal-breakers for me when a job offer came up for me.  The traffic, population density, cost of living, house cost, and taxation were other factors.

Still- a job is a job.  Maybe do 3-5 years doing something like that for north of $200k/year?  I'd consider it.  But like I said, north of $200k, and short-term only.

[Frank in Fairfield]

Pete,
I wish you would stop mentioning 200k.
Why?
That is what I made in the Air Force.
Total pay for 22 years!