Affordable Places to Live in Annapolis? (Severn, Severna Park: apartments, to rent, condos)

[tnbutterfly]

My daughter will be moving to Annapolis and is looking for safe and affordable housing. What areas should be avoided? How is the Eastport area? What are the best places to shop, eat, etc.

[Drew55]

Annapolis is a great place to live! I love it. Really the best thing to do is to drive around the area to see what streets to avoid (if possible). Apartments on Bestgate Rd. are pretty good and feel pretty safe.

Food - lots of great places to eat! Lots of seafood. Nano's on Main Street for sushi. Fabulous place! Cantlers (sp?) in Eastport, Mike's crab house in Riva (great crab imperial), Castlebay on Main St. for anything, Pesce on West St. (all the Italian food is good) or Mangias on Main St. for pizza... The list gets very long. Potato Valley - they serve baked potatos and I haven't been there but I hear it's wonderful. I plan on going there in a couple weeks, actually.

Shopping - Annapolis Mall is part of the Westfield shopping malls. All kinds of mainstream stores. Downtown Annapolis has some high end, one of kind stores. Lots of book stores. Coffee shops.

[ttdog]

The high crime areas in Annapolis are: Robinwood (off of Forest Drive), Harbor House (in Eastport), Clay Street (off of West Street).

Eastport (aside from the public housing) is a beautiful and generally safe area - It really doesn't fall into the category of "affordable" by most standards. Depends on whether you plan to rent or buy.

There are still some affordable single family homes on the outskirts of Eastport, but they are affordable because they could use some fixing up, are closer to the higher crime areas, or are on a busy road.

If you are looking for affordable single family homes in Annapolis, you may want to consider the neighborhoods: Arundel On The Bay, Oyster Harbor, Highland Beach. Eastport and the historic district are easily accessible and they are safe. Also, Cape Saint Claire is an affordable option - but it may as well be another city. It's pretty far out from downtown and other Annapolis amenities.

If you are looking for condo/apartment living, there are oodles of options - and plenty of new construction.

They are building the Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole, which will have loads of new housing options next year. 1901 West was recently built. The condos on Bestgate are within walking distance to the Annapolis Mall.

Hope this helps!

[tnbutterfly]

Thank you for your helpful replies Drew55 and ttdog.

Do you know anything about Watergate Village in Eastport?

[Drew55]

I had friends who lived there a couple years ago. They really seemed to love it. I liked it ok. It's close to everything, but I didn't care for the people milling about when I would go to visit them.

[cathyj]

Don't know what your daughter's circumstances are but I may be renting out my house in Riva, 5 miles from downtown Annapolis, next summer.

[Njrover0216]

What are you looking to spend in rent? There are much nicer towns that are safe all around and you would not have to worry if it is in a bad area. Arnold, Severna Park, Riva, Edgewater, Crownsville. I do not live in Annapolis, but my husband is a police officer in the area and it is a spotty area. One block is good, then the next block you can hear gun shots. I know how hard it is to move to a new place. I used to be in the same situation as you.