Nice, affordable family towns within an hour of the ocean? (Annapolis: transplants, low crime)

[LaughinWillow]

Hello all! My husband, 3 kids and I are currently living in PA (lived here most of my life), but we both dream of living within driving distance (an hour or so) of the ocean. We're working on a plan to leave PA within the next 12-24 months to move closer to the coast. We don't want to move too far south, so we can stay close to PA family, so MD seems like the best option (and I've always loved the beaches there). We aren't wealthy by any means - but I have a masters in counseling and my husband does electrical work, so we're both employable and can probably make around $40,000 each.

Anyone have suggestions for affordable, family-friendly places to live within an hour of the coast? Good available jobs are obviously important, as well as good schools, low crime, affordable decent housing, etc. I'd really appreciate any input! Thanks!

[North Beach Person]

Pocomoke City, Berlin, Snow Hill, Fruitland, Salisbury, Crisfield-most near the Atlantic, a couple near the Chesapeake. All on the Eastern Shore. Get a job offer before moving. Get ready to jump through hoops on both your professional licenses. Depending where in PA you're from be prepared for housing price shock, property taxes are generally lower as a proportion of property value. Personal income tax is also higher but we don't have the nuisance taxes PA does.

[kjg1963]

Crisfield and Pocomoke City might be fine to move to but don't look for jobs there. You would need to look in Easton, Cambridge and Salisbury for that. Alot of the eastern shore is rural and the towns are small. My boyfriend's brother moved to Crisfield and it took him months to find a job. Luckily, his wife got her teaching degree and was able to find a job very quickly with the public schools.

[Njrover0216]

You can check the Salisbury, Cambridge and Easton areas...Easton will put you half way between Annapolis and the ocean scenary. You can also look in southern Deleware.

[waitininva]

There are plenty of place on the eastern shore that offer amentities for those looking to relocate from the city Pocomoke City is not one of them. The only thing that keeps Pocomoke going is NASA.

Other than that Pocomoke has nothing to offer. Having lived there most of my life we dealt with Rusty Iron Water which the City officials have never been able to fix! Only if you are on a well will you have some attempt of clean water!

Billed the friendliest town on the Eastern Shore it is far from it! The city fathers are only in office for their own agendas and not for the best interest of the town! The city manager is the farthest thing from a city manager I have ever known and really does nothing to promote living in Pocomoke or even working in or around Pocomoke.

Pocomoke is a good ole boys club where people are only in it for what is in it for them!!

Find a better place to live!

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Speaking of Nasa, maybe your husband could get a job there. There's a big NASA facility on Wallops Island, VA ( just south of the state line).

Also - why not Delaware? More towns to choose from, and anywhere south of route 8 is within an hour to the ocean.

[Lucania]

Though I've never actually lived in Easton, I know people who have and I have visited many times. It's a bit far from the ocean for what you're looking for, but it's very close to the Chesapeake Bay, and with good access to Annapolis. Finding a rural but still accessible home in Talbot county would be a good bet for you, I think. The county is not as poor as many others on the eastern shore, and it enjoys all the benefits that I just mentioned.

Apart from that, consider areas in eastern Sussex county, like perhaps Millsboro or Selbyville. The area has a higher number of transplants, so it might be easier for you to integrate into the community. It is also one of the more prosperous areas of the peninsula, and very close to the ocean.