5 Great Baltimore Suburbs

Are you thinking of making Baltimore, MD, your new nest? You’re in good company. Baltimore is a hot spot for folks ready to embark on a fresh chapter. But choosing where to plant your roots in the metro can be as tricky as deciding on the best Maryland crab cake recipe. And what if living inside the Baltimore city limits isn’t appealing to you? Fear not! We’ve sifted through the metro to handpick five standout nearby cities for the eager house hunter. Read on to decide if one of these suburban communities could be your next home in Baltimore.

Columbia

Distance to Downtown: 19.7 miles

Why Live There:

Take ten villages– each planned for optimal access to transportation routes, quality schools, and stores–and put them into one. What you get is Columbia, MD! The city’s thoughtful planning has helped it rank among the top five best places to raise a family in the US. By one measure, it’s Maryland’s best place to live.

Columbia residents live in a small-town environment that doesn’t skimp on access to everything you need. That extends beyond shopping and entertainment to places for work. Columbia is a known tech industry hub and has its own business district. But if it doesn’t have job opportunities that appeal to you, don’t worry. Interstate 95 runs north-south through Columbia, connecting you to the diverse job markets in Washington, DC, and Baltimore. Its convenient location to major highways increases your choices for work.

But what about when you’re not working? You’re in luck. Columbia’s park system covers all the bases. Its Columbia Association is a nonprofit running recreational programming and parks throughout town. The Robinson Nature Center and Middle Patuxent Environmental Area are the top natural areas. Fairway Hills Golf Club is a wooded 18-hole golf course beside the Little Patuxent River. The waterway is one of several that run between Columbia’s lakes and communities. Lake Kittamanqundi even has a boathouse. Columbia also has a trampoline park, a rock climbing gym, an ice rink, and multiple playgrounds.

Howard County Schools provide high-performing public academic programs that consistently rank among Maryland’s best. Students frequently score above state assessment averages, and the district has a 94% graduation rate. The city’s Howard Community College has two-year degree programs and certificates for more education. 

What other advantages does Columbia have as a Baltimore suburb? Multiple “village centers,” each with a distinct identity, retail, and dining options. A mall with 196 brand-name stores. A dinner theater and craft brewers add to the fun town culture. Several healthcare providers are in town, with Johns Hopkins a 30-minute drive away. This is one of the largest suburbs in Baltimore, with about 100,000 residents, so the lifestyle offerings are vast.

Single-family homes are more prominent in this community. The September 2024 real estate market reported a median home price of $515,000 with 562 listings. 

Ellicott City

Distance to Downtown: 13.6 miles

Why Live There:

Picture yourself sipping a steaming espresso while sitting beside a gently flowing stream. Around you are stone buildings built by hand over a century ago. This place you’re imagining is the real and historic Ellicott City. What started as a grain mill town on the Patapsco River is a thriving town in Maryland’s hills. 

The city feels very peaceful, and it radiates colonial town charm. The historic district lies between the Tiber and Patapsco Rivers. The city’s core, Old Ellicott City, is a great place to wander with its 80 independent businesses. Browse antique depots, interior décor shops, pet-friendly shops. Artists run pottery and photography studios, sell handcrafted jewelry, and source one-of-a-kind art. Or, book a day of pampering at a salon. Old grain mills have been adapted to become businesses or dining venues. Keeping the historic buildings is part of the city’s character. 

As for things to do, recreational opportunities abound around the countryside. Other creeks crisscross the rolling landscape, leading to some beautiful real estate and parks. Walk the Number Nine Trolley Trail, a Creekside wooded paved trail through granite canyons. Explore the Tom Issac Log Cabin on Main Street. The B&O Ellicott City Station Museum preserves one of the oldest and surviving train depots. 

On the southwest side of town lies Centennial Lake, where boating and fishing are permitted. Find your hot spot for fishing and kayaking. On the northern end, escape into the wooded hills and 16,000 protected acres of Patapsco Valley State Park. Other parks like Cypressmeade Park have sports courts and playgrounds.

As for work, Ellicott City has an incredible ratio of large company quarters for a town under 100,000 people. About a fifth of residents work in professional, scientific, or technical fields. Wilkins Rogers Mills and Lorien Health Services are examples of large employers.  

By some measures, this suburban community is the best to live in Baltimore. Quiet residential neighborhoods exemplify lifestyle, with winding roads, sidewalks, and spacious square footage. Housing costs were at a median $697,500 in September 2024. 

Towson

Distance to Downtown: 14.5 miles

Towson has a reputation as a college town, but that brings the town a fun, lively energy! The city outside North Baltimore has two schools providing higher education. Towson University, Maryland’s second-largest university, is near the city center. About 20,000 students are enrolled in its colleges. Goucher College is beside I-895 on the northern end. This private liberal arts school has over 40 programs of study with in-depth research tracks.

The colleges are a vital part of town culture, and they help its local public K12 schools earn high marks. However, residents know Towson is much more than a university town. This popular suburb is family-friendly, with a vibe that says neighbors look after each other. 

Another advantage is Towson’s walkability. Living near the Town Center area means you can head to the shops and entertainment options whenever you want. For some, it’s worth it. The Town Center is Baltimore County’s largest indoor mall with four stories of retail, dining, and fun. Not into big crowds? More intimate shopping districts, like the Kenilworth and Towson Place, are around Towson.

For recreation, Towson has multiple green spaces. Lake Roland Park covers 500 acres and is a top attraction for locals. Bring your four-legged family members to play at the dog park. The kids will like the waterfront in the humid summer months; its lake is open to paddle craft. But it’s not the only green space. Forge Park’s seven acres manage to fit in baseball diamonds, tennis, and multipurpose sports fields. Towson Manor challenges everyone with its rope course area. Cyclists have the Towson Bike Beltway to get around town or fit in their workout.

Besides shopping and entertainment, Towson meets other needs. Locals have the Sheppard Pratt Health System to meet their healthcare needs. The Baltimore/Washington Airport is about thirty minutes away. As for homes, this suburban community mixes classic brownstones and rowhouses with single-family living. That mix of housing options, and a cost of living 5% just 5% over the national average, helps it attract college students, young professionals, families, and retirees. The median home sale price in August 2024 was $552,500.

Catonsville

Distance to Downtown: 9.4 miles

Why Live There:

Catonsville likes to call itself “Music City Maryland.” The list of why is rather deep for a small city. The city, its theaters, and other private entities run no less than four summer concert series. That’s on top of their regular year-round programming. 

Catonsville locals get to enjoy what some rank as Baltimore’s best parks. The Joseph Beuys Sculpture Park is an interesting place to wander around. It’s beside the Patapsco Valley State Park, 32 miles along the riverfront. The 170 trails let you choose your adventure trails and mode of travel: foot, bike, or horseback.

The University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) is the town’s economic driver and major employer. The high-tech campus runs a business incubator, which is also a reason its public schools rank highly. Catonsville Senior High School often makes independent media’s list of the best schools in Maryland. The local public schools fall under the Baltimore County Public School system. Choices the Western School of Technology and Environmental Science, a magnet program. 

What else makes Catonsville appealing? It’s far enough from Baltimore to escape the traffic headaches but close enough to pop in when you want to catch a celebrity music act or visit Inner Harbor attractions. Of the five best Baltimore suburbs, it has the closest access to downtown, being directly next to southeast Baltimore. In fact, Interstate-195 directly connects the suburb to the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Several major highways help give Catonsville excellent access to sites around the Baltimore area.

Locals have big-name stores that supply all kinds of goods–Targets, Walmarts, and the like. Independent retailers are clustered near the Catonsville Arts District or down Frederick Road.

Housing is varied. Parts of Catonsville have historic neighborhoods with dates that start at “18.” Others have that newer suburb vibe, with wide paved streets, sidewalks, and vinyl siding fronts on the single-family homes. Being a college town, it has an assortment of affordable townhomes and condo options. 

Catonsville encourages neighborly ties and a strong sense of community like you’d find in an small town. The local businesses and residents work together to provide community festivals like the holiday Santa House, an annual Arts 7 Crafts Festival, a Fourth of July celebration, and a concert series. 

It tied for the lowest cost of living among our five best Baltimore suburbs. Locals pay about 5% more than the national average for the range of amenities available in Catonsville. Median home prices are the lowest for the list, with a list price of $432,500 for September 2024. 

Fulton

Distance to Downtown: 23.3 miles

Why Live There:

Want a little bit of a country lifestyle? Then Fulton may have the right Baltimore suburban lifestyle. This community is a mash-up of sunflower farms, master-planned enclaves, and an applied physics laboratory along the Patuxent River. They’re smashing atoms next to cows and hayrides. 

Imagine a town where neighbors wave at you, lots of parks and shaded streets, and quiet evenings. That’s Fulton. It only has about 5,000 residents, so it’s a place where people get to know each other. 

Even though it’s a rural suburb, Fulton is close to well-known corporations like Northrop Grumman, Johns Hopkins, and Apple. This is part of the reason Howard County has a reputation for affluence. It has one of the state’s higher median household incomes thanks to access to quality, well-paying jobs. 

The town itself charms. Find character in its brightly decorated Victorian-style homes with ornate details in the railings and eaves. But here’s newer construction, too, with executive-style homes of a more modern aesthetic. 

Locals have incredible access to outdoor recreation opportunities thanks to Fulton’s numerous community parks. Maple Lawn Park has a fenced dog park, playgrounds, and walking trails. Families head to Blandair and Western Regional for weekend baseball and soccer games. The Duckett Watershed reservoir has boating access, fishing, and horseback riding.  

Fulton families also like the close-knit community for its National Blue Ribbon-awarded schools, like Cedar Lane School. The public system falls under Howard County Public Schools. For higher education, the closest community colleges are in Columbia and Maryland City. Still, in under an hour are John Hopkins University, Towson University, and the University of Maryland. You can find superior higher education close to home. 

Even though the drive from downtown is farther, the excellent job opportunities, schools, and rustic country vibe make Fulton in demand. That drives up its housing costs, as does the increased square foot of the lots and homes. The median home price in Fulton was $1.2 million in September 2024–with 99 listings on the real estate market.

Picking Your Baltimore Suburb

Selecting the right Baltimore area to settle down can be challenging as there are many great places to live. Explore more Baltimore suburbs with a local real estate agent to find the right community to put down your roots.