Long story short but I just lost my job out here in AZ, and being that I am from Philly I am strongly considering moving back east because of family and friends (and looking to have kids in a few years). I don't want to move back to the same general area that I grew up in, but somewhere within a few hrs that will still be new to my wife and I.

I have found a bunch of jobs, applied for a bunch, and had one interview so far for a job at Patuxent Naval Center. I worked for Lockheed Martin and hold a security clearance, and thought moving to MD and the surrounding area would provide me a lot more opportunities then what I have available to me right now in AZ.

What I want to know is, how is the area in general? I was recommended that Dunkirk, Prince Fredrick , and Mechanicsville were the best options for living. I don't mind commuting up to one hour if that means getting to live somewhere really nice.

What is there to do?
Any fun driving roads?
Decent restaurants, any bars?
How far away from car meets/events?
I see Summit Point is less than 2 hrs away which is good (I have raced there a few times when I lived in PA)

If anyone knows of any Systems Engineer positions open, please let me know, I would greatly appreciate any and all help. I have been working on Enterprise architecture from a hardware, infrastructure, capabilities, documentation, and technology forecast point of view for the past couple of years.

 

I can guarantee you'd find work in the Hampton Roads area, especially with a clearance. Is that not an option for you?

 

I hadn't really looked, but I will thank you. The jobs that I found and applied to were something slightly new and would be a change of pace. Ideally I would like to find a job that is new and not the same as what I was doing...

 

I'm not terribly familiar with that side of the beltway and Waldorf is a ways out, but I would really recommend finding a job before you decide where to move. The traffic is terrible in this area so if you find a job over the river in VA your commute is going to be a nightmare. The with and without traffic times are drastically different.

 

Waldorf is garbage, I highly advise against it..

 

I won't call Waldorf garbage, but in my 30 some years of living less than an hour away from there I have only had reason to go there once. That doesn't mean it's not a wonderful place to live, but I don't think it's necessarily a cultural Mecca. Unless you are a big fan of the band Good Charlotte... then it probably would be your Mecca.

There are tons of cleared jobs in the Fort Meade area. If you take a look at the areas surrounding Ft. Meade (AA county, Columbia, etc.) you will find some pretty nice areas. It's also kind of right in-between DC & Baltimore so it gives you a lot of options in terms of culture/night life.

 

I have no intention of moving anywhere until I have a job!! During my interview the interviewers made mention of Waldorf and Mechanicsville, so I was just doing some research. I have been to DC, Baltimore and that general area hundreds of times, but never "that side of the beltway" haha so just inquiring.

OK thanks.

Waldorf doesnt sound like the most interesting place, but was the largest town/city near the jobs that I applied for. I will continue my hunt and look more at the areas you suggested.

Thanks guys!

 

Maybe someone from that area of MD will post about some good places to live. Waldorf would certainly be less expensive than some other options. The DC area is an expensive place in general, so you do want to make it easier on yourself by locating not too far from your job. You don't want to have to commute from VA if you are working in MD. Anything involving crossing the Potomac (Wilson Bridge or Cabin John Bridge) would be a lousy commute. So locate somewhere in MD if that is where you end up working. Pax is southern MD, FYI - fairly far from DC.

Not sure where you have been looking, but lots of companies advertise on LinkedIn. It is a good way to make connections, also. You should have quite a few opportunities with a clearance. Good luck!

 

This is good advice. I commuted from various parts of MD (College Park, Rockville, Columbia) to Fairfax for about 10 years. 3 hours in traffic every day wears you down. Also, during snowpocalypse, I left at 5pm and got home at 2am. Fun times. Now my commute is 25 minutes and I love it. And yes, in the DC area, 25 minutes is probably well below average for a commute time.

 

Mechanicsville is a pretty nice place to live. I live in Hollywood about 15 min south and work for a DOD contractor just outside of gate 3 at PAX.

I can't say that there is too much going on around here but we do have a strong s2000 community even in the southern areas.

Solomons, Hollywood, California, Leoanrdtown all have good places to eat (I am not sure what you are used to)

Working at PAX will be alright. All I will say is that you will have a semi-long commute depending on where you choose to live (and if it is in Mechanicsville). Hollywood is closer and is another nice place to be with community developments featuring medium to large size family homes.