Living expenses will be higher than you expect for lower quality places to live. Columbia is not a bad place to live, and it is conveniently located half way between Baltimore and DC. It's a planned community(, and the plan was terrible!) It takes a while to get accustomed to because things are not visible from the street so you have no clue where you are or how to get to where you are going. Gas is expensive there if you ever manage to actually find a gas station. You get trapped in parking lots of doom that seemingly have no exit.
Silver Spring is closer to DC and a shorter commute. Part of me wanted to live either there or in Takoma Park. They seemed somewhat hippy-ish, but I think that makes them expensive to live in and potentially prone to crime. Greenbelt and the surrounding areas are somewhat rural.
The cold is not too extreme. I think we may have a snow fall or two.
We actually have a very nice big condo in Greenbelt (though only technically, by zip code - it's actually closer to Silver Spring, sorta...) that will be available around that time frame, but probably not *quite* soon enough for you (middle-end of January if we're lucky). Not sure what you're looking for or to spend, but if you're interested lemme know and I'll give you the particulars. :-)
Spoutwood Farm hosts a really awesome May Day Faerie Festival in (duh) May that might be up your alley. Also, the Maryland Renaissance Festival is one of the best in the country, if you're into that sorta thing - that runs August-October. The museums and such are awesome, of course, and I still find it kinda fun to just walk around downtown. The University of Maryland at College Park has (or at least had) a pretty active Pagan Student Union, they'd probably be a good source of information
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It isn't that cold here, but then again, I came to the DC/Baltimore area from New England.
I work in Columbia and live in a nearby town. I agree with what's been said about having trouble finding your way around Columbia, but once you finally do learn where things are it's kind of nice. Greenbelt would be kind of a far commute from here, though.
Silver Spring would probably be a better bet if you're working in Greenbelt, but expect housing there to be expensive and the area to be more crowded. It's accessible to the Metro so you can get into DC pretty easily.
If Greenbelt is where your FH's job is going to be, you're probably better off looking on DC-centric job and house listings - just look for listings in the MD suburbs of DC. Columbia is perfectly nice, but it's a lot closer to Baltimore than to DC, and probably won't be all that practical for you. Check out the DC craigslist, etc. for jobs and housing. As noted above, Greenbelt itself is nice, plus Silver Spring, etc. I like Bethesda, Rockville, and Chevy Chase but they're pricey. Another good option is Laurel - it's not too expensive, and there's a MARC station (that's the Baltimore-to-DC commuter train that goes straight in to Penn Station, where you can then catch the Metro [subway]). Anything on a MARC line isn't too bad, though I wouldn't go too far north or you'll feel like you spend your whole day commuting down into the city
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I live in Largo, MD (right near FedEx Field) although I recently moved from my parents' house, which is in Lanham, MD which is like 2 minutes from Greenbelt/NASA.
As for places you can live, both Laurel and Bowie are pretty good bets, except that neither is really Metro accessible, although if you lived there, your FH could drive because the traffic wouldn't be too horrendous going to either of those places from Greenbelt.
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Silver Spring is closer to DC and a shorter commute. Part of me wanted to live either there or in Takoma Park. They seemed somewhat hippy-ish, but I think that makes them expensive to live in and potentially prone to crime. Greenbelt and the surrounding areas are somewhat rural.
The cold is not too extreme. I think we may have a snow fall or two.
What type of jobs are you applying for?
You may find some Pagans at the Maryland Faerie Festival's Winterfest. I really have no clue though ( ... )
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Spoutwood Farm hosts a really awesome May Day Faerie Festival in (duh) May that might be up your alley. Also, the Maryland Renaissance Festival is one of the best in the country, if you're into that sorta thing - that runs August-October. The museums and such are awesome, of course, and I still find it kinda fun to just walk around downtown. The University of Maryland at College Park has (or at least had) a pretty active Pagan Student Union, they'd probably be a good source of information ( ... )
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I work in Columbia and live in a nearby town. I agree with what's been said about having trouble finding your way around Columbia, but once you finally do learn where things are it's kind of nice. Greenbelt would be kind of a far commute from here, though.
Silver Spring would probably be a better bet if you're working in Greenbelt, but expect housing there to be expensive and the area to be more crowded. It's accessible to the Metro so you can get into DC pretty easily.
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As for places you can live, both Laurel and Bowie are pretty good bets, except that neither is really Metro accessible, although if you lived there, your FH could drive because the traffic wouldn't be too horrendous going to either of those places from Greenbelt.
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