I wonder, do people in Hagerstown, Gettysburg, etc. bitch about people from Frederick County moving in and ruining everything?

Even when we moved to Frederick in January of 1989, most of the county was farmland and affordable housing. Many long term residents can no longer afford to live here because housing costs have risen so much they can’t pay their taxes and household expenses anymore.

Urbana seems to get the most grief because it’s located just over the county line and there have been quite a few articles in the paper in the past year about how all the new residents want a grocery store, a post office, more restaurants, a blockbuster etc…and so it makes them look like they want all the same things they moved away from.

I’m glad that the FNP left that article up. All the negativity in the comments of that article are what prompted me to write that post.

All just my opinion, of course.

I don’t feel that there needs to be a shopping center right around the corner. Those that moved from Montgomery County overwhelmingly say that they moved here to escape the maze and jungle of shopping centers, the crunch of traffic and general “crowdedness.” Then those same folks demand those same amentities when they move here. They are creating the problem ALL OVER again!

The funny thing is that having amenities where you live helps reduce traffic. If you have a grocery store in you neighborhood then you don’t have to drive 10-15 miles to go get food for your family. Therefore you are not clogging up the roads.

I cant fault people from MoCo or any other place for moving to Frederick. I moved to Frederick, Maryland with my family in 1980 (I was 7 years old). Since then I have lived all over Maryland – Montgomery County, Allegany County, and the Eastern Shore. When it came time to settle down my wife and I decided to move to Frederick to live (this was about 9 years ago). We love it here and we only were seeking what everyone else wants. A great place to start a family, live, and be happy.

Is growth an issue in Frederick, yup – huge issue. Has it been handled poorly, yup – not only here but probably all over. Does engaging in classism solve it? Nope.

Stop bitching about people moving here from MoCo or any other place and do something about the things that bother you. Unless your plan is to change the way people view Frederick – a nice welcoming place where people are nice – if that is your anti-growth strategy then it’s working.

P.S. Sarah this comment wasn’t aimed at you but at the commenters on the FNP site

Plus, what other people do IS my business. None of us are unaffected by what others in our community do. For example, I am sensitive to the environment so I want to drive as little as possible. Well, the way the roads are constructed biking is a death wish. Even riding a scooter (125 mpg) is treacherous. It is treacherous because people choose to drive large vehicles. If others chose to bike then biking would be safer. Same goes for homes. The developments around Frederick (all over the US really) are eyesores. They have no respect for the regional landscape and no regard for design. I recently left one for an 1100 square foot bungalow. Do we all need 5000 sq feet for our 1.5 children and a dog? Come on.