Where to leave near Germantown, MD?

May 10, 2008 1:49 PM

Where are good areas to look for apartments within driving distance of Germantown, MD?

So, I'm a PA native and there is a chance I will be starting work in Germantown, MD soon. As such, I need an apartment but I have no idea where to look. I'm a new grad getting an entry level job, so the cheaper the better.

I'd like to find a place within walking distance of lots of stuff, namely bars and gyms, if at all possible.

Finally, what resources could I use online to find apartments in the suggested areas?

posted by Loto to travel & transportation (13 comments total)

Uh... I meant where to -live-, not leave.
posted by Loto at 2:03 PM on May 10

Bethesda MD will give you a good in town atmosphere with plenty of walkable options and a 20 min drive to Germantown, traffic permitting. It may fail badly on the affordable requirement though. Hotpads is a good site for rental options. Also Craig's List for the DC area.
posted by COD at 2:03 PM on May 10

I lived at the Cantebury apartments about three years ago. It was a pretty good price, and well managed. Easy walking distance to the restaurants on Middlebrook road. And there were bus stops all along Father Hurley Blvd to get to the Millstone Shopping Area or to the MARC station.
posted by saffry at 2:28 PM on May 10

Olney may be too small for you, but check it out
posted by majikstreet at 3:41 PM on May 10

There are plenty of apartments right in Germantown, and all the basics are there for shopping/eating as well. It's kind of a sprawley suburb though, in fact the whole 270 corridor is one big sprawl-fest. Just south of Gtown is Gburg (Gaithersburg) and you might want to check out the area around Rio for a place to live. Plenty of apartments, Starbucks, happy hour, etc. plus a pretty nice gym too. I used to work near there & used that gym for lunch. Living in Gaithersburg would be a very easy commute to work, and you're still only a short drive from DC.
posted by headnsouth at 3:46 PM on May 10

This is very, very helpful so far, thank you all for the info!

headnsouth: Yeah, I noticed that when I was down in the area for the interview. I'm not a big fan of suburban sprawl, which is why I'm hoping to get a place in more of a large town/small city. I'm coming from State College, PA, to give you an example of what I am used to.
posted by Loto at 4:05 PM on May 10

COD, can you really do Bethesda to Germantown in 20 minutes? Just getting OUT of Bethesda seems to take 20 minutes sometimes.

I find Bethe$da yuppy, but it is certainly full of young people if that is important to you Loto. I agree Olney might be too small for you, but ... I like it. Miss it. Gaithersburg is bigger, with more stuff, so probably worth the added cost and commute (which would still be minor). Definitely a fixture in suburbia though. This will be difficult to avoid though, given that Germantown is pretty far out.

In addition to CL for apartment hunting, I would suggest just driving around potential neighborhoods and stopping at any decent looking apartment complexes to ask if they have or will have vacancies. A lot of places don't advertise very well.
posted by bluenausea at 5:40 PM on May 10

I have been working in Germantown since graduating from college last summer, and live in Bethesda. I would definitely recommend trying Bethesda if you can afford it.

There are many spots in or near Germantown along I-270 with apartments and shopping centers. However, this area is undeniably the suburbs (or even exurbs). Bethesda, on the other hand, feels much more like a city. It is very walkable and has a ton of restaurants, shops, and entertainment. And it's a quick 10-20 minute ride by metro (subway) to DC.

While Bethesda is a bit far from Germantown (~16 miles), almost all of the trip is along I-270, going against traffic. It is a pretty consistent 25-30 minute drive, only a few minutes more than driving from Gaithersburg or Rockville and much more pleasant in my opinion. If you don't want to drive, there is an express bus which goes from the Bethesda metro station to Germantown in about 30 minutes. I love this bus - it and the metro allow me to live without a car. And with $10 2-week bus passes, it only costs $20/month to commute.

In terms of price, Bethesda is definitely more expensive than places further north. A one-bedroom apartment will run you at least $1500-1600/month. Splitting a two-bedroom will generally cost at least $800-900. You might be able to find a room in a group house for $700. To look for openings, definitely use Craigslist - it is by far the most extensive resource.
posted by Sar HaPanim at 7:25 PM on May 10

If you're looking for looking for something a little cheaper, check out the area around the Rockville town center. This also has a metro stop and a variety of nice restaurants and shops within walking distance.
posted by Sar HaPanim at 7:31 PM on May 10

Bethesda is probably the most fun. Germantown, Gaithersburg, Rockville (I'd say is your second option), Frederick (less exciting because it's more honky tonk and further out of DC). You can pretty much live anywhere on the I-270 or I-355 corridor, really. It all depends on how much gas you want to burn everyday.
posted by wildeepdotorg at 8:37 PM on May 10

Seconding Rockville. It has enough of a town center to be able to walk places. Gaithersburg and Germantown are very sprawly...
posted by InstantSanitizer at 8:24 AM on May 12

So it looks like Rockville and Bethesda are my top choices right now... what about Silver Spring and Takoma Park? I've found some pretty nice digs there on craig's list, but am worried they might be too far.

And again, thank you everyone. This has been so incredibly helpful.
posted by Loto at 9:10 AM on May 12

I used to live in Silver Spring (Georgia/16th just inside the beltway) and commute to Rockville. SS was great and I really miss living there -- in fact moving away from there just might have been my biggest bonehead move. I had kids though, and SS is a little more family-oriented than Bethesda. It has an urban-park, more suburban feel to it. Living there was great because I was going against traffic in the morning ... but in the afternoon there really is no "against traffic" --- the beltway is backed up both ways. I had flextime and would hit traffic coming home at 3 in the afternoon. Takoma Park is even farther away. It should be noted too that SS and TakPk are on a different Metro spoke than the Red Line going out to Gaithersburg, thereby complicating your public transport options.
posted by headnsouth at 1:38 PM on May 12