Re:See how many correspond with 'Best places to li (Score 2, Informative)

I live in the Columbia/Ellicott City area, and I can tell you that it is not really a great place to live, so I do think the list is credible to me. The cost of living is extremely high - there are a ton of government workers and government contractors, so yes there a lot of tech jobs that pay more money than other areas of the country. I should know; I work in one. There are a lot of service based industries to serve all those people too - restaurants, strip malls, and every chain store you can imagine. But the extra salary does not begin to make up for the high cost of living - restaurants cost 10-20 more for a dinner for two, grocerries cost 20-50 me more than they did when I lived in PA. Taxes are a big pay killer - about 5% higher here than in PA for local taxes and let's not forget that my bigger salary is taxed high by the federal government too. Homes in Columbia/Ellicott City are out of reach for young professionals starting out in life. Oh and depite the rich service based industry I previously mentioned, restaurants are still packed, stores are always crowded, and the roads are clogged. The Federal government's Base Realignment and Closure will bring 20 some thousand new families to the area in the next few years, but Howard County (the county where Columbia/Ellicott City is) will not approve the necassary permits for new housing to accomdate the influx. It's a bit of a mess and it's not going to be get any better. The city may have ben hot 10 years ago, but is on the decline as far as quality of life goes. There are too many people chasing too few resources.