N. VA is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and the population is outstripping the capacity of the roads to deal with it. The few times I have been to N. VA outside the Beltway it has been traffic congestion hell. In my opinion MD isn't as bad as long as you stay off the highways during rush hour, but maybe I'm biased having lived in MD my whole life. I've lived in Laurel, Gaithersburg, on the N. side of Baltimore, and currently the Germantown area. One place to avoid is E of DC (and I-95) as it lacks many points of interest, is less well planned, has less business and lower income. The Annapolis area is nice, but quite isolated from everything else (and it does have rolling hills, being on the western shore of the Bay...unlike the Eastern Shore which is quite flat). Also forget Frederick, there's not much to do there in terms of social life and its nickname "Fredneck" can be accurate although there is great riding in the region all around it. To have good rural riding and be relatively close to town, Montgomery/Howard Counties are nice. The I-270 corridor is convenient and quick for heading to PA or points west to get to the larger ridges in MD, WV, or western VA. Most of the hills are rollers throughout the entire DC area, although the east side of town is flat until you get well outside the Beltway, the hills on the west side come in closer (Great Falls marks the "fall line"). The larger ridges are west of Rte 15 in MD and VA, but it does get colder to N and W of town also. I love the Germantown area but I am married and prefer more a mix of suburbs and rural areas. Rockville may be a good compromise, as it's large enough to have plenty of restaurants etc, and it's quick enough to drive anywhere in the DC area, but to get a larger social scene *within walking distance* somewhere inside the Beltway is your best bet, but then you sacrifice riding quality due to lights and traffic.