Chestertown vs. Easton (Crofton: college, to live in, shops)

[ladams1228]

We currently live in Crofton and are looking to move to the Eastern shore. We like Crofton, but don't like the car-dependent nature of the suburbs. We'd like to live in a safe, walkable small town. Convenience is not a priority - we like going to several different little stores to get what we need. We have two small children (aged 3 and 1) and would like to be near some other families with small kids. My husband telecommutes so proximity to a city is not an issue.

So, we've narrowed it down to Chestertown and Easton. We've been to both places, but aren't sure which place is a better fit.

I'd love to hear any input. Does anyone live in either town and have small kids? What about all the standard small-town stuff (festivals, farmers markets, 4th of July parades) - any idea which place has more of that?

Thank you!

[flowerlady9]

I would definately go for Chestertown. Its a beautiful historic little town with a town square and a small town atmosphere. They have lots of small shops in town and the Washington College closeby.

They also have lots of festivals. There is the Tea Party (a la Boston) combination street festival and historic reenactment and in the fall Downrigging weekend. This is when the several tall ships come to the Harbor including the resident ship Sultana and you can go for rides in addition to other activities that weekend.

I'd live there if I didn't have to commute to work!

[katzenfreund]

I used to live about 15 minutes from Chestertown and visited the town often. I would recommend it over Easton, which isn't a bad choice at all, but I prefer Chestertown. It had more of a sense of community. Lots of little shops and all the necessities, the water, and a lot of activities for the family. Chestertown was my favorite place on the Eastern Shore for sure! I miss it!