Moved to Ellicott City from Denver back in 2014, it’s been a great experience and we love it on the east coast.

Commutes are reasonable to College Park as others have mentioned. Plenty of great options for schools, and in my opinion, even an average Howard County school is superior to the best from Denver metro.

Your price range for housing will get you a decent townhome or an older sfr that will need plenty of updates.

Most importantly, good luck with your move! If you need a recommendation for a real estate broker, let me know. I work in commercial real estate and have a few residential agents I can recommend.