Need Help and Honesty about Edgewater for Potential Move (Bowie: for sale, new home)

[kayerswarren]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are considering a move to Edgewater, MD from Bowie, MD. My husband grew up in PG County and I lived in Davidsonville with my parents, who moved to Georgia once I graduated from high school. So I know there is definitely a difference between the two.

At the time, South River High was an excellent school although not very diverse. When I was a student (1995), the Edgwater area also had a "suspect" reputation but I'm not sure if that was area-wide or just some neighborhoods.

I would like to buy in Davidsonville, but the prices are way too steep for what we want (I couldn't even afford my old house if it were for sale!!), but we have found a possible new home community right on the edge of Edgewater near Gingerville that looks promising.

Can you tell me honestly what is the perception of Edgewater as a community positive/negative, and how are the schools these days? elementary, middle, high school? We figured we'd be close enough to Davidsonville/Annapolis without making our commute too much worse.

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

[Moth]

Just hearsay: Friends of mine in Davidsonville say that Edgewater has a rather...redneck reputation. I myself have seen a Stars & Bars or two flying there. Now, does that mean its full of snarling Klansmen? No, of course not. Just something to keep in mind if you are of the wine and cheese crowd.

[kayerswarren]

Thanks for the information. Would you say that is widespread perception of Edgewater or just that is just categorizes say a subset of "long term" residents who might be resistant to diversity? Just trying to get a handle on whether it would be easier to look somewhere else. For home values, I wonder if an Edgewater address is a positive or negative and do your friends know anything about the schools there?

Thanks again!

[bande1102]

I've lived in Crofton for the past dozen years or so and Edgewater has always had a somewhat shady kind of eputation. I've heard that there are groups of teens that get into some mischief. Not gang-related or anything like that. Just property damage, drinking, etc. It does have somewhat of a rough around the edges reputation. I haven't heard anything about the specific neighborhood you mentioned.

South River still has a pretty good reputation, I guess. But they're doing some redistricting so that the Crofton kids who used to go to South River are going to Arundel (and kids in Arundel that should've been going to Meade are going back to Meade). How that will affect South River, I dunno.

But I have to say I'm not originally from this area so I really don't get the whole Davidsonville vs Edgewater vs Crofton vs Severna Park vs Arnold thing anyway. To me, they are all simply suburbs and I ended up in Crofton b/c it happened to have the house I could afford.

[Moth]

Originally Posted by kayerswarren

Thanks for the information. Would you say that is widespread perception of Edgewater or just that is just categorizes say a subset of "long term" residents who might be resistant to diversity? Just trying to get a handle on whether it would be easier to look somewhere else. For home values, I wonder if an Edgewater address is a positive or negative and do your friends know anything about the schools there?

Thanks again!

I do not know more than I mentioned. I would assume that if you move there, charm your neighbors daily and you will be accepted.