What is Pasadena like ? (Baltimore, Severn: apartment complexes, custom home, established neighborhood)

[busymama]

Suggested to me as an alternative to Severna Park if I don't need the schools in Severna Park. Is it a reasonable option ? (family friendly, safe, etc.) What is it like ? How does it compare to a Millersville or a Severna Park sort of place ?

Thanks!

[sirbeaubeau]

I grew up in Arnold and moved to the west coast. Pasadena has always been rednecky. But they are trying. And by trying I mean making malls, malls, malls. My brother went Severna park high. Is it bad now? Severn is an excellent private school. It's all suburbia to me.

[bawlmer]

Pasadena and Severna Park are nothing alike. Severna Park is relatively upscale compared to Pasadena. I would offer Arnold, St. Margarets areas as an alternative to Severna Park.

[sirbeaubeau]

So nothing has changed in the grand scheme of things.

[happjack]

i've lived in "the 'dena" for the past 10 years and its reputation is worse than reality. i grew up in annapolis and had the same perceptions before living there. granted the areas around ritchie hwy and the north/west end of mountain road are not so great, but if you stay east of Rt 100 out on the mountain road penninsula (going towards gibson island) it's quite nice. there are lots of older, established neighborhoods -- many of them waterfront/water accessible -- that provide GREAT value compared to severna park or annapolis: look at north shore, eagle hill, lake shore, pinehurst, sillery bay or a newer, large development like compass pointe (golf course community).

i agree that the schools aren't as good as severna park or arnold, but most of the county has that same problem. and in this case the OP doesn't care about schools.

it doesn't really have a downtown area for you to park and walk around and shop. not sure why sirbeau thinks pasadena is building malls, malls, malls...more new shopping centers have been built in severna park and glen burnie over the past 10 years than in pasadena.

if you want to live in a waterfront house in anne arundel county, it's hard to find better deals than the 'dena.

[midge2914]

Let's see, Pasadena, when the interest rate took a drastic drop 5-10 years ago, everybody who was living in Balto. City and wanted a mid scale house, moved to Pasadena. There went the neighborhoods. People sitting outside on their front steps drinking beer and then fighting. Cars riding through neighborhoods blasting their radios and when you ask them to turn it down, you get jumped on. Schools racially split. Lots of drugs. Lots of thefts from cars and homes. They tried building very expensive homes in Pasadena, but all that happened was the higher priced homes got broken into much faster than the middle class homes. Traffic congestion on every road. Streets littered with debris. I was glad to move out after living there for years and would never go back. When I visit, I don't feel safe anymore.

[happjack]

Originally Posted by midge2914

Let's see, Pasadena, when the interest rate took a drastic drop 5-10 years ago, everybody who was living in Balto. City and wanted a mid scale house, moved to Pasadena. There went the neighborhoods. People sitting outside on their front steps drinking beer and then fighting. Cars riding through neighborhoods blasting their radios and when you ask them to turn it down, you get jumped on. Schools racially split. Lots of drugs. Lots of thefts from cars and homes. They tried building very expensive homes in Pasadena, but all that happened was the higher priced homes got broken into much faster than the middle class homes. Traffic congestion on every road. Streets littered with debris. I was glad to move out after living there for years and would never go back. When I visit, I don't feel safe anymore.

sorry, but this post is patently false.

please see my previous post for a few examples of very nice communities that have basically NONE of the characteristics described by midge. since she did not provide the names of any neighborhoods where she experienced these problems, and spoke only in generalities about an ENTIRE ZIP CODE, i will try to point you in the general direction of a large area of pasadena in which i feel completely safe and would walk at night with my two young children.

GENERALLY speaking -- most of the neighborhoods that are east of magothy bridge road are good...some are obviously better than others...but there are many fine, working-class neighborhoods that are well maintained, i.e. chelsea beach, forest glen, ventor, and some more upper-middle class neighborhoods, i.e. pinehurst, compass pointe, north shore, eagle hill, which are waterfront and have a mix of older, renovated homes and new custom homes. compass point is really the only mcmansion type of neighborhood...it's a golf course community and the house are on 1-acre plus lots.

(note: i won't even begin to include gibson island in the discuss about pasadena -- but at the end of the pasadena penninsula sits the gated community of gibson island...it's in a league of it's own.)

i don't know as much about the neighborhoods west of magothy bridge road, so i cant comment other than to say they seem to be a mixed bag. there tends to be more townhouses and some apartment complexes. there are some newer communities and cluster developments that may have some of the problems that the poster above mentioned. areas like green haven, tick neck and freetown do have a reputation, but i haven't found the need or desire to validate it.

however, i have never encountered any of those problems personally in the 10 years i've lived here. i'm a cleancut, college educated, suit-wearing professional who commutes into d.c. every day, but i will stop in a few of the neighborhood bars for happy hour. i also patronize local restuarants with my family. the local establishments are most decidedly middle class, but the people are friendly and have never been rude or aggressive toward me or my family. i guess if you want to walk into a working class neighborhood bar and look down your nose at someone, you can find trouble -- but i've not had any trouble drinking bud from a can with the good ol' boys from the 'dena.

if you want a starbucks and more neighbors driving import sports sedans than f-150s, then keep looking in severna park...

mountain road does have traffic issues...but it's not much worse than severna park and nothing like annapolis. also, many of the communities that i recommended do not have public water and sewer. so if you don't want to deal with a well and septic, than you might want to look elsewhere.

[ginbelt]

Originally Posted by busymama

Suggested to me as an alternative to Severna Park if I don't need the schools in Severna Park. Is it a reasonable option ? (family friendly, safe, etc.) What is it like ?

Depends. Are you a minority, or are you caucasian? It matters.

[happjack]

Originally Posted by ginbelt

Depends. Are you a minority, or are you caucasian? It matters.

well now...that's about as racist as me saying, "don't move to b-more unless you're a drug dealer."

like i was trying to say in response to midge's post...please don't paint the entire zip code with the same brush.

[ginbelt]

Originally Posted by happjack

well now...that's about as racist as me saying, "don't move to b-more unless you're a drug dealer."

Well, since I hear that all the time, especially on anonymous internet forums like this and on Sunspot "Talk", why not put the shoe on the other foot??

Originally Posted by happjack

like i was trying to say in response to midge's post...please don't paint the entire zip code with the same brush.

First of all, I did not "paint the ENTIRE zip code". I'm quite sure that there reside in Pasadena nice tolerant folks. I even personally know of a couple. But that doesn't mitigate the fact that I've also heard, personally, of enough separate incidents involving different sets of people, to come to the conclusion that Pasadena has earned its reputation. Sorry. Have you ever heard a statement like "you might not get shot in Baltimore city...but you stand a better chance of it happening THERE than in the safe suburbs" --- or some variation of that? True statement, no? Well, it works that way for other situations, too. You might not get harrassed and called a name if you're a child with dark hair, olive skin and a fully Egyptian father, like my nephew was.....but you stand a better chance of it happening there than probably you do in other areas. I've heard of multiple similar incidents with African Americans on the receiving end of similar pithy comments.