I will honestly say that after reading the other reviews for Dorsey's Forge, I was apprehensive about moving my family to the complex. Nevertheless, my husband and I weighed our options and, after sincere prayer and meditation, leased a unit in October 2006. I must say that we haven't experienced any of the problems the other reviewers express. Of course, there are a few things we could live without especially since we moved from a quiet, residential neighborhood in Baltimore County where most of our neighbors were homeowners and now we live in a complex with many different types of people and personalities. BUT THAT'S MY POINT EXACTLY: You can't expect a great amount of privacy and quietness when you live in such close quarters. People need to think rationally.

We searched for other apartments in Columbia because we needed to be closer to my husband's job, and we couldn't find any more affordable than Dorsey's Forge. We didn't want to live in Laurel, Elkridge, Savage, Jessup, or any other city nearby; so, the location is ideal. Also, we have never had a problem with management or maintenance. They were helpful since the first day we moved in, and they always respond to our requests promptly. Now, I will admit that the units are older, so they could use some renovation; however, they are still more modern than some units that cost more. My only desire is that we could have a washer / dryer in the unit because the laundry room is sometimes unavailable when I need to use it.

As for the neighbors, they keep to themselves. Everyone is polite and the only noise is a little loud music; however, it's usually only on weekends and our neighbors never play it past 9 p.m. I am not naive though. I know that my family moved in during the colder months, so perhaps things will be quite different during the spring and summer months. But, based upon our experiences so far, things aren't bad. There is a community watch group that holds monthly meetings (my husband and I haven't attended yet) and the staff is very communicative (they send out a monthly newsletter and post signs on the doors to keep residents abreast of any changes). So, if residents aren't getting the most from the community it is possible the problem rests with them.

I guess ultimately it depends on how you treat people and how you perceive things. Certainly there are people in the inner city slums who would love to be able to afford to live in such a decent area. And, as long as you treat management and maintenance with respect and PAY YOUR RENT ON TIME, you'll have no problems with them attending to your requests. Either way, you get what you pay for at Dorsey's Forge and all in all, it's not such a bad place to live.

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