Chesapeake Beach, Maryland (Baltimore, Bethesda, Annapolis: housing, condos, rent)

[homebythebay]

hi everyone. would welcome any information and/or advice about moving to the Chesapeake Beach/North Beach area of Maryland. currently living and working in Annapolis. am interested in info. on anything regarding those areas, especially the community itself and the kind of people that live there. we moved from a small town in northeast Ohio that was very friendly and safe. we lived there for 20 years and raised our family there. we are looking for a similar town in Maryland with a bay view. a lot to ask, but we were told it is possible to find that in those areas for less than a million. am also interested in anyone's opinions about the drive from these areas to Annapolis to work and shop. also heard that the one hotel they have has a terrible reputation and anyone staying there never wants to come back...any of that true?? any comments would be appreciated.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Sorry I haven't responded sooner to this request. Took a while to see it. I live in Owings, near the Twin Beach towns. I'll try to be brief (especially since I'm at work as I type this).
The beach towns use to be a playground for DC waaaay back when. As the OC area developed (and the Bay Bridge opened) the beach towns kind of withered. After a while they got kind of sketchy and had a bit of a rough edge.
By the 80s they were seeing new folks move in. The start of being bedroom communities for DC, Annapolis, and Baltimore. Housing has boomed in the last decade with many new close-by housing developments, new condos along the bay, and most recently the removal of the old cottage type housing for much larger (3-4 story) houses on the same lots(more professionals moving into the area).
Prices for nearly all the housing (including bayview) should be well under $1 million. But there are some higher than $1million also. A recent addition to the "skyline" is a midrise building across from the North Beach Fire station which was selling small 2 bedroom units for about $450,000.
The schools in Calvert county are very good. The hospital/health care is quite good for a smaller county. Taxes are still reasonable as well.
There are some transportation issues. It's about a 20-25 mile trip to Annapolis, and that can easliy take a half hour, and most times longer. Rt 2 is 2 lanes until you get to the K-mart in Edgewater area. There are basic stores in the beaches, within walking distance of many folks, but for real shopping, you'll need to head to Annapolis.

As far as the hotel goes, I think you must be talking about the fairly new hotel at the Rod & Reel restaurant. I have heard both good and bad reports, but haven't stayed there myself. I think there were a lot of bugs to work out after it first opened. Herrington Harbour is about 4 or 5 miles north of North Beach and has a decent hotel/restaurant next to the marina.

Please let me know if you have any specific questions I might be able to answer. I think you would enjoy the almost resort like atmosphere, small town pace, and mostly friendly folks at the beaches.

[homebythebay]

Hi, thanks so much for the response...really appreciate all the info. and at such an early hour too! all of the info. is very helpful to us.

my husband was just there today driving around your area. he said it is beautiful. he went to check out some vacant lots in Huntingtown and also some homes up on a hill there overlooking Chesapeake Beach and the bay. he's especially interested in the commute time to Annapolis during rush hour because that's where he works. your area sounds perfect to us and far enough away from all of the congestion of Annapolis.

have been reading a lot about the history of your towns...North Beach and Chesapeake Beach and am very impressed with how important preserving the natural habitat is to your area. sounds like a very good group of concerned people who live there. yes, i was talking about the new hotel there, but you are right what you said about it taking awhile before everything runs smoothly. just wanted to hear someone else's opinion on the subject before trying it out ourselves. good to know that there is another hotel nearby though, just in case.

have you heard anything about the lots for sale up at the top of Paul Hance Road overlooking the bay? we heard it used to be a trailer park, and they are now vacant lots for sale. what happened to all of those people who lived up there? it reminds me of the situation when a freeway is being cut through and people are forced to move. really hope that isn't what happened with them. would like to imagine instead that they all wanted to move and made a bundle of money when they did. do you know anything about it or the town of Huntingtown?? and...is it too far away to enjoy North Beach and Chesapeake Beach? i would go myself, but am writing to you from Ohio because we are still trying to sell our house here.

you also mentioned that there are new housing developments in that area. do any of them have views of the bay? if so, what are your opinions of them? we can, of course, ask a realtor for your area and have also done that, but would rather have the opinion of someone who has lived there and really knows the area and will give us an honest opinion. thank you for your long and very detailed reply...it has been so helpful.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Sorry to say I don't know where Paul Hance Rd is located. There are some vacant lots, but if there are bay views, they could be expensive. There is a development near the beaches called Bayview Hills. Nice looking houses, and I believe there are some townhouses there as well. I don't think all of them have bayviews, but the name should let you know you will be able to see the bay after a short walk. Speaking of walks, Bayview Hills is located a fairly long hike away from the shopping of the beaches.

Huntingtown is an older out of the way/rural town center (just off Rt 2/4). Not a whole lot there, but there are several new housing developments. probably best to check out realtor sites for more info. The Huntingtown high school is fairly new (3 years old), and as I've said before, the school system is one of the best in the state. Huntingtown would add another 15 -25 minutes to your husband's commute.

There is the option some folks have been taking recently of buying one of the older (and often run down) cottages, mostly in North Beach, and tearing it down. Folks are then constructing a much larger home on the lot. Or they are renovating/expanding the cottage if it is in good shape. Probably cost some bucks, time, and patience required for a project like that.

Another option is the Patuxent River side of Calvert county. A further commute, and more isolated, but there are some beautiful homes there.

Whatever your decision, I hope you enjoy your new home and location, even if it isn't Calvert.

[dpn0121]

homebythebay where at in NE Ohio? I lived 21 years in N Ridgeville Ohio. I recently moved to Houston TX. but am now considering a job in Calvert County.

[homebythebay]

Hi, it's been a long time...haven't been on...too busy traveling back and forth and trying to sell our house here. thank you again for replying and sorry for the long delay. you were right. the lots are very very expensive. may be out of our range. we haven't decided yet how worthwhile it is to spend so much $$ on just the land. then again, we're thinking seeing such beauty every single day, may be worth just about anything. we will continue to look around--we have at least another year to rent anyway.

we really like your town though and would like to be closer to it rather than further away. we have also heard about people tearing down houses on land that they would like to build on. this sounds like a possibility.

totally different subject, but one which you will probably know a lot about since you've lived there for awhile: how protected is the chesapeake beach area when a storm hits? have you been around there to witness any tropical storms or hurricanes coming ashore there? just wondered how bad the damage has been and how prepared your town is to handle it. thanks again for the nice responses. we really appreciate it.

[homebythebay]

Hi, was born and raised in the area on the EAST side of Cleveland. definitely know where North Ridgeville is though. N. Ridgeville was quite a hike for us, but do remember (long time ago) all of us taking a ride and going to Spanky's there on the weekends. sometimes we were lucky and they would have some good live music there. you probably have never heard of Spanky's because it doesn't exist any longer (that was back in the 80's). have a feeling we are much older than you, but we do have two daughters who are college age now. one lives and works in Bethesda since she's graduated, and the other one is going to college in southern Ohio (Miami University).

we are selling our house right now in Chagrin Falls (have you heard of it?) and currently renting in Annapolis, but would like to move a little further south. Calvert County looks good to us, but we don't know the area that well yet. know anything about it?? we would love to find a town just like Chagrin on the bay. this might be a little too much to ask though. haha... and unrealistic. if you have heard of any places like this, please let us know.
good luck to you with your move and new job.

[homebythebay]

oh, and 'go Cavs'. you have to be a huge Cleveland sports fan if you lived in N. Ridgeville for 21 years. that's one of the things we are going to miss the most: Cavs/Indians/Browns. one of the first things we did was to make sure we could watch the games there w/o too much problem. and...we went to a Ravens/Browns game. that was quite an experience. we lost, of course, and the people were actually very nice there. it's much different when going to a Steelers/Browns game, but then you probably know exactly what i'm talking about.

[1973 Forced Busing]

It is 15 miles across the Bay to the land on the Eastern Shore. If you are willing to go the extra 15 water miles prices drop like a rock. I am sitting here right now looking across the Bay at the places you mentioned knowing it would of cost me double maybe triple to buy there.

[pkurst]

Originally Posted by 1973 Forced Busing

It is 15 miles across the Bay to the land on the Eastern Shore. If you are willing to go the extra 15 water miles prices drop like a rock. I am sitting here right now looking across the Bay at the places you mentioned knowing it would of cost me double maybe triple to buy there.

I don't think Kent Island would be any more affordable then Chesapeake Beach or North Beach. I live on the Shore and have spent much time working in the N. Beach and Ches. Beach area. Commutes from both to Annapolis are equally as horrible in my opinion. Crossing the Bay Bridge during summer, or routes 2 & 4 all year round are both pull your hair out events if you ask me. Maybe settling for a little less house closer to Annapolis might save some aggravation. Best of luck to you...