Annapolis & Surrounds??-Best Neighborhoods (Baltimore, Silver Spring: homes, middle school, live in)

[MamaVanTwee]

Hi everyone!

I just happened upon this website a couple of days ago (the forums, I mean), and wanted to pose ths question as people seem genuinely eager to help:-) We are looking to move to a more kid-friendly county, and are looking at the Annapolis area as a possibility. We are including Severna Park or similar areas in our search. Here are our criteria:
1) Fabulous schools
2) Community oriented neighborhood (friendly, active) with young families
3) Close to schools, playgrounds etc-kid friendly
4) Close to shopping etc

Are there any such 'hoods out there? Tell me the good and bad of it! We are not looking for an old bungalow either, KWIM...we did the fixer before, and are done with that:-)

Thanks so much in advance:-)

[MamaVanTwee]

Anyone??

[mbieber1029]

Going North: Arnold, Cape St. Claire (in Annapolis), West Annapolis, (in Annapolis), Severna Park, most of Pasadena

Going South: Crofton, Davidsonville, Millersville

Some general suggestions to get started. I;m sure many other people will add there opinions now.

[ReloAssistant]

We moved here two years ago from Florida. Moved to Edgewater into a planned community called South River Colony. I did a great deal of research on schools (elementary and feeders) and found Central El to be strong. Others may be stronger, but I like the atmosphere and the newness of the neighborhood much better than north AA County.

[MamaVanTwee]

Originally Posted by mbieber1029

Going North: Arnold, Cape St. Claire (in Annapolis), West Annapolis, (in Annapolis), Severna Park, most of Pasadena

Going South: Crofton, Davidsonville, Millersville

Some general suggestions to get started. I;m sure many other people will add there opinions now.

Thank you so much for the reply! I am looking into some of these right now:-)

[MamaVanTwee]

Originally Posted by ReloAssistant

We moved here two years ago from Florida. Moved to Edgewater into a planned community called South River Colony. I did a great deal of research on schools (elementary and feeders) and found Central El to be strong. Others may be stronger, but I like the atmosphere and the newness of the neighborhood much better than north AA County.

We are torn between the need for a newer home, and the lure of a more established community. This is a great rec, thank you! We have two small children, so we are looking for a neighborhood that has lots of potential playmates, as well as playgrounds etc close by. Thanks also for the school info...that is good to know:-)

[jlou18]

I am in the same boat moving to Annapolis area and looking for the best neighborhoods. Have you found what you were looking for? Any tips. I have 2 young kids and love to be near/on the water. What neighborhoods have the best amenities, people ect??

[kcmo]

We just moved to Edgewater and really like like it. Close to the water, Annapolis is just a few minutes away. We can be in Annapolis Town Center in minutes, same with the mall, downtown etc. So even though we live in Edgwater, it basically feels like we live in Annapolis. Baltimore and DC are both within easy reach. I can get to Silver Spring in just about the same amount of time it takes coworkers that live in Montgomery County to get there and the drive is not as bad as it was from Germantown where I lived before although the north side of the beltway is a disaster and I try to metro into SS from Greenbelt. I do miss the MARC train though, but if I ever work in downtown DC, there are lots of transit options from Annapolis via Express bus or METRO and MARC from New Carrollton.

We like it. I have two kids (elem and middle school) and the schools so far are top notch. Overall, it's a very nice area, pretty upscale and more in line with what we were moving from (suburban KC), so it wouldn't be as hard on the kids. Lots of new local shopping like I said, just about everything you need across the south river in Annapolis.

You have to drive somewhat close to Baltimore and DC to access transit (metro, light rail etc), but it's fine. I hear traffic is bad in the summer as people head to the beaches via the Bay Bridge, but that's fine.

We looked ALL OVER the city metro because every time my wife had a job offer, I had to research, look for homes etc. So I'm pretty familiar with most of Maryland in Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, PG, Baltimore and Anne Arundel County. All of the counties have some very nice areas, but I'm glad we ended up where we are. We have the entire DC/Baltimore area's attractions within 45 minutes of our home and we are five minutes from the Bay.

Anyway, I had a hard time getting a lot of help on the Maryland forum when we were trying to move to the area so if you have any questions feel free to PM me and good luck!