Have you thought about Frederick, MD? I am really just suggesting that out of self interest since it’s sort of close to me, but here is my pitch:
-One hour train ride/drive to dc—lots of people work in dc and take the train in
-Super charming main street with lots of coffee shops/art galleries/public art walk/gardens/small museums/unique gyms
-Attractive river/canal/creek/not-sure-what-it-is running through town
-Beautiful and surrounded by nature—tons of hiking trails all around without getting in car. An easy drive to sugarloaf mountain, harpers ferry/the Appalachian trail etc.
-Low cost housing stock
-Relatively relaxed about zoning (more true to the county than the city, but both are pretty relaxed relative to most places)
-Very LGBTQ friendly—see for example the city-sponsored pride festival
-Politically diverse/moderate and tolerant
-Easy to connect with DC/Montgomery County rationalists and also extend reach to more rural areas
Edited to add: Also lots of job opportunities if an hour commute on the train is too much for you—plenty of biotech firms up and down the adjacent highway that hire people with all sorts of skill sets (marketed as the “I-270 technology corridor”) as well as some option in Frederick proper.
ETA2: Also, Maryland in general has a pretty consistent record of electing relatively sensible, moderate governors. Although we are a liberal state, we have a super popular pro-business republican governor.
Have you thought about Frederick, MD? I am really just suggesting that out of self interest since it’s sort of close to me, but here is my pitch:
-One hour train ride/drive to dc—lots of people work in dc and take the train in
-Super charming main street with lots of coffee shops/art galleries/public art walk/gardens/small museums/unique gyms
-Attractive river/canal/creek/not-sure-what-it-is running through town
-Beautiful and surrounded by nature—tons of hiking trails all around without getting in car. An easy drive to sugarloaf mountain, harpers ferry/the Appalachian trail etc.
-Low cost housing stock
-Relatively relaxed about zoning (more true to the county than the city, but both are pretty relaxed relative to most places)
-Very LGBTQ friendly—see for example the city-sponsored pride festival
-Politically diverse/moderate and tolerant
-Easy to connect with DC/Montgomery County rationalists and also extend reach to more rural areas
Edited to add: Also lots of job opportunities if an hour commute on the train is too much for you—plenty of biotech firms up and down the adjacent highway that hire people with all sorts of skill sets (marketed as the “I-270 technology corridor”) as well as some option in Frederick proper.
ETA2: Also, Maryland in general has a pretty consistent record of electing relatively sensible, moderate governors. Although we are a liberal state, we have a super popular pro-business republican governor.