Calvert County (Andrews AFB, Chesapeake Beach, Huntingtown: crime, how much, house)

[tawnya_s]

We are looking to move to MD soon. Initially my husband will commute to DC for a year and then to Andrews AFB. We have kids in HS, Middle and Elem. school and school is the most important factor for us. We want good, safe schools and a nice home. This area (on paper atleast) looks very appealing and we want some advice on all the schools in the Northern part of the county. Any other suggestions of a nice place (with great schools) to live would be great. Thanks!

[PenguinSix]

Dunkirk/Owings area feeds into Mt. Harmony elementary (very good) and Northern High school which is also pretty good. I think you would search for towns like Dunkirk or Owings on realtor.com. You can also look at Huntingtown and Chesapeake Beach / North Beach, especially if you want some water nearby.

Basically you'll be under 30 minutes to Andrews most of the time from these areas, a bit less if in Dunkirk.

Do you have a budget for housing? Rent/buy?

[tercel95]

Calvert County has some of the best schools in MD, Northern isn't the best school in the county but it is still a very good school. Huntingtown is just a little bit further down the road and feeds to Huntingtown High which is an awesome school...

If you want a safe area and good schools Southern MD is one of the few areas in MD that you can get that. It is an awesome place to raise a family...

Beware that housing in MD is extremely expensive a lot of people are shellshocked when they see how much it costs to live there...

[tawnya_s]

Thanks so much! We are looking at a house in Huntingtown. I think the schools are great, but a little concerned about the kids maybe not having enough to do in such a rural area, thus maybe leading to some trouble makers??

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by tawnya_s

Thanks so much! We are looking at a house in Huntingtown. I think the schools are great, but a little concerned about the kids maybe not having enough to do in such a rural area, thus maybe leading to some trouble makers??

As someone who spent their teen years in Calvert county I can attest that it does get somewhat boring in your pre-license years... However, what kids do when they are bored is up to their parents. There are plenty of summer camps for younger kids and when they are 14 BAM job time... Nothing makes a kid mature faster than having a crappy job like washing dishes or something like that...

The annapolis mall isn't too far away and there is also a movie theater... As for "trouble makers" yes there are some but I would rather have punk kids vandalizing stuff then real thugs robbing and murdering... The crime in Calvert is petty... Most of the arrests involve drunk driving or possession... I honestly couldn't think of a better place to raise kids...

[tawnya_s]

Thanks so much!! Pretty much the exact answer I was hoping for! Thanks to everyone for taking time to reply!! May I ask what high school you went to?

[tercel95]

Patuxent High School... Go PANTHERS!!! Huntingtown was just opening up when I was graduating in '05... Statistically Patuxent is the best in the county and one of the best in the state... I went to a really crappy high school when I lived in Montgomery county and going to Patuxent was amazing... The staff were great, the teachers were great and the facility itself is great... There were no serious fights the whole time I was there. The marching band at PHS is excellent and the NJROTC unit is ranked 3rd in the nation...

From what I know Huntingtown is also a very nice high school. My brother is the assistant drumline coach for the marching band there...