Chesapeake Bay area (Baltimore, Silver Spring, Germantown: low crime, house, neighborhoods)

[afishbein]

Hello - we are hoping to move from from the DC Metro area over to the Bay area and would love some advice on towns to check out. We are raising children so we would like a family friendly area with low crime and good schools. We want to be within 30 minutes of the water and we are not concerned with which side of the Bay we end up on. My husband will be working from home so we are not concerned with commute time. The price of the house isn't all that important either, but of course the less we have to spend on housing the more we'll have to play with Thanks for any advice!

[PenguinSix]

Originally Posted by afishbein

Hello - we are hoping to move from from the DC Metro area over to the Bay area and would love some advice on towns to check out. We are raising children so we would like a family friendly area with low crime and good schools. We want to be within 30 minutes of the water and we are not concerned with which side of the Bay we end up on. My husband will be working from home so we are not concerned with commute time. The price of the house isn't all that important either, but of course the less we have to spend on housing the more we'll have to play with Thanks for any advice!

You are 30 minutes from the water in some parts of the DC metro area. But if you want to be on the water or say 2 minutes from the water check out the Western Shore. Towns of Mayo, Shady Side, Deale, Chesapeake Beach, North Beach, then areas like Plum Point and Huntingtown and Solomons Island. Schools in Calvert country are very highly rated and housing isn't as astronomical as say Annapolis or DC. Down in St. Mary's county much of the land is still more rural but on the water.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Penguinsix pretty much summed it up. we moved to Northern Calvert (Owings) about 16 years ago, and have loved the place since we first got here. Retail shopping isn't great, but Annapolis is only 35 minutes up Rt 2. Very good school system, and the coounty park system is quite nice for a smaller county. Hope you find a place to call home and are happy no matter where you end up.

[ptsum]

Originally Posted by afishbein

Hello - we are hoping to move from from the DC Metro area over to the Bay area and would love some advice on towns to check out. We are raising children so we would like a family friendly area with low crime and good schools. We want to be within 30 minutes of the water and we are not concerned with which side of the Bay we end up on. My husband will be working from home so we are not concerned with commute time. The price of the house isn't all that important either, but of course the less we have to spend on housing the more we'll have to play with Thanks for any advice!

I understand that the North Beachand Chesapeake Beach areas are pretty good areas to liveand still affordable.

[jessy0780]

Just over the bay bridge are some really nice neighborhoods, where a lot of new things are starting to come up.

[Grasonville]

Originally Posted by jessy0780

Just over the bay bridge are some really nice neighborhoods, where a lot of new things are starting to come up.

Yes - check Stevensville, Bay City, Grasonville - all in Queen Annes County

[PenguinSix]

re: the bridge.

There are some great places over the bridge, and even further out in say Oxford / Cambridge / Easton / St. Michaels.

But I think one question you didn't answer is how often to you get back to DC? You said you are not commuting, but do you think you'll go back once or twice a week or once or twice a month?

The bridge, and the distance from the Eastern Shore coupled with your travel plans would help narrow down possible cities.

[Grasonville]

Originally Posted by PenguinSix

The bridge, and the distance from the Eastern Shore coupled with your travel plans would help narrow down possible cities.

Believe it or not many of us (crazy people) do the bridge EVERY day - Mon-Fri - timing is everything. (With of course summer Thurs-Fri being the worst)

But I manage to drive the 45 miles from Grasonville to Jessup within 55 minutes - it used to take the same time to go from Silver Spring to Jessup (25 miles)

[Annapolis Steve]

HI... Check out http://matrix.mris.com:80/Matrix/Pub...ID=21948718293. We moved from Annapolis to Centreville Maryland in July and have now lowered our asking price nearly $150,000 to $600,000. Our 6 bedroom, with 1st floor master and seperate entrance to deck, large dividable lot and private fenced rear yard sits in a 'suburban\country' setting in the Homewood community of Annapolis yet is less than 3 miles to city dock! Located off West Street just down from the library and Germantown Elementary school, this property by virtue of 'location' will come back and then some when this market gets past its fear. Anne Arundel County Public schools within Annapolis continue to make great gains AND you have your choice of a dozen of the best area Private schools too. Lots of families, diversity, culture, the largest shopping mall on the East Coast, restaurants, seatr of State government and of course, more restaurants than one could ever enjoy. Take a look at the property and see... we moved July to Centreville Maryland and while we are getting used to "cows, corn and critters", as we say, at times we miss all that is in Annapolis, especially the proximity to DC and Baltimore.