Upper Marlboro, MD: TRUTH, Please!

Upper Marlboro is just as bad in my opinion. It didn't used to be, if you went way out there a little past Upper Marlboro actually, but I agree whole heartedly, stay out of PG County if you can! I lived here all of my life and we will be moving over the bay bridge to Kent Island in the summer to get as far as possible with work still being close enough to commute.

Hi A. - I live in Takoma Park - it's Montgomery County, but it lays up against PG County. I like my neighborhood, and the PG side as well. I don't think the schools in PG county are as good, but the taxes there are probably not as high either. Commuting to DC from that area is not too bad - it's just over the DC line. I don't know anything about Upper Marlboro, though.
I'm "Advanced Maternal Age" too. HA!

J.

Hi, A.- I moved from Northern VA to Prince Georges county about 20 years ago. It has a great location with a lot of offer. The people in my neighborhood (we're very close the the U of M) are wonderful. The public schools, however, are tough. We ended up sending our kids to private schools once they got to high school. The county is making some wonderful changes under new leadership. If I were you, I'd list the three most important things you're looking for and base your decision on that. Also, I'd read the local Gazette (on line), reports on public schools and the county website. Good luck!

Taxes in NOVA are lower than in MD. Public Transportation and van pools work well on the I-95 corridor. Listen to the news, PG has violent incidents all the time. I would imagine foreclosures are hurting PG home values as they are over most of NOVA. I'd still choose NOVA over MD.

I moved here from Florida 8 years ago and my advice to you and your family is to avoid PG County. The school systems are not that great and safety is an issue in general in this area....Stay in VA if you can. I live in Waldorf MD; Charles County and it's not too bad but I am not impressed with the school systems there at all. I am originally from NY State. Hope this helps.

I have lived in PG County for 10 years. I feel safe in my neighborhood. I have a great group of neighbors and everyone watches out for everyone. If there is a strange automobile in the cul-de-sac, everyone knows about it. It doesn't matter where you live, crime can happen any where. I live in the Southern part of PG so I don't know if that makes a difference. Regardless, of where you purchase your home, you may want to pray on it first. The only problem that I have with the county is the overcrowding of the public schools. I pray that you make the best decision for you and your family.

Dear A.,
I'm sorry to hear that people have suggested to you to "Avoid PG County Like the Plague." I was born and raised in Virginia and later in life worked for 12 years in Fairfax. I happen to live in Prince George's (not PG) County for the last 18 years and have to tell you I LOVE IT! I had moved from a rural community in Pennsylvania and wanted my children to experience a more diverse community, so I moved to the Maryland suburbs. Upper Marlboro, Bowie, Glenn Dale, Woodmore, the National Harbor, and many other areas in Prince George's provide wonderful experiences for families. Several years ago, a dear friend and her husband who lived in Fairfax were interested in moving from their beautiful town home to a larger home for their growing family. She was very "uneasy" initially; they found a beautiful home and have enjoyed living in Prince George's County...in fact, she likes it much better than Northern Virginia. Best wishes with your decision.

There are many great neighborhoods and cities in PG County. I'm a Realtor in DC and Maryland. If you'd like to take a look at some properties I'd be happy to assist you and your family. If you'd like further information in general, I can assist you. Contact me @ ____@____.com

Hi A. B: My husband and I went through the same thing you are going through about 5 years ago when looking for a home. PG is nice (the reputation is getting bad and much of that has to do with growth and development changes. I grew up in PG and it was not always bad), BUT the areas with the better schools and homes are very expensive (homes above $500K). Also, PG has a high county tax, but does not offer the same level of services and resources as comparable counties. I highly recommend Waldorf and La Plata in southern Maryland, otherwise known as Charles County. The county taxes are less and you can purhcase very nice affordable homes and enroll your children in good schools. Many of the people who live in Waldorf and La Plata work in DC (outside of Waldorf) and commute into the city via cars or the Keller bus. Charles County has partnered with Maryland Transit Authority and has these large commuter busses that transport from southern Maryland to DC. There are serveral routes and you just choose the one that's closest to your job. I and MANY other professionals take the Keller bus everyday. If your job offers Metro or transit subsidy, you can use this to purchase a Keller bus ticket which is $38.25 for ten trips (typical 5 days X 2). Also, Waldorf offers lots of shopping and restaurants. You can access Waldorf from the beltway via exit 7 route 5 which eventually turns into route 301. I highly encourage you to take a look at Charles County. I hope this is helpful and good luck in your home search.

A little about me: I'm a 38 year old career mom and I've been married for 5 years and we have a 4 year old son.

Ive lived in PG County all my life. PG County is just like any other county, you have your good area's and your bad area's. Upper Marlboro is a very good area, you will love it.

I have lived in PG most of my life. I have lived in some terrible places and some wonderful ones as well. Like most places in the world you have the good and bad. The best thing to do is research the location check with neighbors, where do the schools rank (that usually tells about the people in the community if the children aren't bused in) and look at the crime stats. Upper Marlboro has the repetition of being a top community but make sure you are in the right area (near the court house) sometime cities get the wrong name by the zip code they fall in.

Just do the research!!

I have lived in this area all my life. The prospective area you are considering is beautiful. Lots of parks, shopping as well as the redskins stadium (which has a full fitness center w/kids activities for 5.00 a visit for area residents)The crime in the Metroploitian area is just with any other city however, that particular area is high-mid to upper income area. The crime is more in the low income areas which to this date are disappearing. Low income housing is a word of the past. Between DC, MD and VA there has been a significant decrease in crime. The only people who speak derogatory about the area of PG are those who have listened to exactly what you were told. Why don't you ride out there and look around and you will see for yourself from 495 you can take exits 17b Upper Marlboro as well as 13? towards Upper Marlboro, then right near where your condidering is Bowie(which is nice too). My cousin who is a Dr. and her husband who is an accountant for the Pentagon, got a house built out there and also bought one that sits on a golf course (its beautiful) you can't even get on the property because of the security and 24hr guards. Good Luck

Good Morning A. B...just wanted to response to your comments. Your cousin is right that Upper Marlboro is a very nice place to live and just to correct what your misconceptions are, I have lived here(moved from N.C.) and I must say that PG County isn't bad as some people make it out to be. They have very nice communities to live in and to raise a child as well. The Bowie area is good and also other parts as well but I think that if you are considering Upper Marlboro, it's a good choice. One last comment, the commute isn't all that bad and it just depends on how you decide to take your commute(subway, marc train, even driving) Hope this helps...!!!

A. B

This is in response to your inquiry about PG County. Let me begin by first saying that there is no place in this country that is absolutely positively safe anymore. However, PG is no worse or no better than anyother locale. There are parts of Upper Marlboro that are lovely, particularly off Rte. 301 in the area of Marlton and Cheltenham. When you get closer to the area near the PG County courthouse, it is a denser population and the problems with denser populations may be felt. If you go a little further, say of Rte. 202, there are a number of new housing developments and some areas that are very rural. The area off Rte. 202 has public transportation and is close to the Beltway, shopping, and not far from PG Community College. So, it depends on which end of Upper Marlboro you are interested in. A good realtor can give you the inside info and if you need one, I can refer you to one who will assist you with your search.

nona8249

Hi I have lived in the this area for three years and would not ever advice anyone to live here.I used to live right by the Red Skins stadium.I lived there for four months.We got out of there as soon as possible.The crime rate is unreal.We now live on Andrews Afb. Right in the middle of Pg County.My husband is a cop and I get to hear all the horrible things that happen.This is not a safe county.Someone suggested Laplata.It is very nice down there as well as Waldorf.People are rude and mean and you would be surprised by driving twenty miles down to Laplata people are different.Also when people are descibing areas as not that bad I don't know if that would meet my criteria for wanting to live in that location.

A.,
Here are a couple of sites that will give the actual stats on the areas. You can also call the local police department and get the crime stats for that area. But these are just numbers, I too would avoid PG if I could but I lived in Largo a couple years back and felt just fine because the area was taken care of. Drive around the area at different times a day to see who is out and about. Good luck!
www.city-data.com
http://www.apartmentlocator.com/community/community.aspx?...

I have grown up in this county and it has a wonderful rich history lots of wonderful communities, parks, recreation and people. Unfortunately, the entire county gets painted with a wide broad negative brush from the media. I live in the Historic part of Hyattsville for the last 7 years, just south of University of MD. Our community is well connected for stay at home moms, full time working parents and everything in between. Its an old commmunity with tree lined streets, old houses, sidewalks, you can walk to shopping restaurants two metro stations, bus stops. Its an easy commute to DC by car train or bus. Its a city with small town feel if you can believe that. People are friendly and active in the community. Its a great place to live you should check it out. I feel safe with my kids at the park, walking around the neighborhood and even at our mall even though shopping could be better.

Other areas in the county to check out... University Park, COllege Park, Berwyn Heights, Beltville and Old Greenbelt Bowie.

As far as schools go, they face a lot of challenges. But schools to a certain degree are a reflection of the involvement of the community and parents. My biggest complaint about county schools aren't so much the schools themselves, its the parents. Parents who expect schools to basically raise their kids and correct behaviors and bad attitudes and on top of that teach them. If your are an intelligent involved and engaged parent, your kids will thrive no matter where they go to school.

Best of luck!

Greetings A. B,
Truth be told there is crime everywhere. It is true that there are some parts of PG County that you would not consider ie. Forestville, District Heights, but there are other area worth your consideration. Upper Marboro, which has several zipcodes and span a large area. So do a little research to find which area suits your needs best. And then there's Bowie, Md (which can be apart of Upper Marlboro depending on who you speak to) and also spans a wide area and will require some research to. Other things to consider are your commute to work and how long you are will to sit in traffic (these area not so bad). also consider schools Va has the best but your commute into the District my be long. Find a REALLY good realtor and he or she should be able to direct you pretty well. check out sites like realtor.com too.

A., As with everywhere you every community has it's good and bad qualities. Certian parts of PG county are not bad however if you take into consideration the school system....that's to be desired. Considering the fact that your 3 yr old will be entering school in about a year and a half that is when you may run into problems. The best way to figure out where to live is to consider all that you want in, around and from your community. Don't just think about now but 2-3 years from now. Some questions to ponder. Are you looking into sending your children to public or private school? What stores would you like to have easy access to? i.e. grocery, department. Do you want to be near public transportation? How far of a commute do you want? If you are considering PG county and you live let's say in Upper Marlboro, your commute will be vicious if traveling downtown. Some other area to consider, Anne Arundel County, Columbia, Montgomery County. Laurel, Beltsville, Bowie, are cities within PG County that aren't as bad. Just some things to think about. I hope this helps.

I work with many co-workers who live in PG County and they have all told me that some parts are worse than others. They say you just avoid, the bad areas and you find out about those either from personal experience or by word of mouth. For the most part, they say that everyone minds their own business. They do not make friends with their neighbors. Every county has it "shady areas". However, if you pay attetnion to the local media, most of the incidents that are reporeted that involve drugs / shootings, etc are in DC or PG County. That doesn't mean those are the only areas where these types of crimes occur, they just seem to occur more often in those areas than in the other surrounding areas. With that said, if you are thinkg long term, every parent not only researches for safe neighborhoods but reasearches the Public School system. They are all in agreement that the public school system is awful. Most of the children of my co-workers in that area are in private schools. Some cannot afford private school and do not have very good things to say about the public school system where their chilren are receivng their education. I have heard that Montgomery County is much nicer than PG County, if you are considering moving to MD. Good Luck!

Hi A.,
I am a Realtor who speaks the TRUTH. I have 11 year old identical triplet boys, and certainly remember the breastfeeding stage. Hats off to you!

In PG County, just as anywhere else, there are less desirable neighborhoods and there are some very desirable neighborhoods. It all depends on your lifestyle and what's important to you. Do you want to live near shopping or a particular type of entertainment? Are schools a factor? Sounds like commuting is an issue. How far are you or your husband willing to commute? Are you looking for a single family detached, or townhouse or condo? What about a yard? When I have clients who are not familiar with any neighborhood, I always encourage them to drive through the neighborhood at least 2 or 3 times(during the day, in the evening and on weekends). This way you get a full sense of what it might be like to live there. If you are uncomfortable, it's probably not the right location. Have you visited any neighborhoods? If so, which ones?

Your home is the most important place on earth and you need to feel safe and secure. I hope that this info will be helpful. If you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer them. Feel free to contact me via email at ____@____.com or by phone @ ###-###-####.

Peace,
K.

Hi A.

The major problem with PG county is the school system. If I were you I would look to Charles County, the schools are much better. With two small boys, you'll need a good school system eventually. The commute all over this area is slow going. In terms of crime its alittle more in PG county than the other counties in Maryland, but you'll confront crime every where. Good luck!