From Annapolis, to chestertown, Md?? (Rock Hall, Queenstown: relocate, apartment, work)

[babyqs4]

I have done a little research as far as crime rates and the shopping that is available in Chestertown but I cant find much on the schools.
I have elementary age children and preschool children. How are the teachers? How is the head start program? I registered my daughter here in Anne arundel for pre-k but Im not sure if they will have a spot for her in Kent County when we move this summer.

[Tanukiki]

Originally Posted by babyqs4

I have done a little research as far as crime rates and the shopping that is available in Chestertown but I cant find much on the schools.
I have elementary age children and preschool children. How are the teachers? How is the head start program? I registered my daughter here in Anne arundel for pre-k but Im not sure if they will have a spot for her in Kent County when we move this summer.

I live in Chestertown and have for almost 5 years. We are moving out of state due to work (hopefully in June if our house sells by then). I don't know anything about the head start program but my 2 year old is receiving speech therapy in our home through infants and toddlers program through the schools and I am very happy with them. My other son is in third grade and attends the public elementary school in town. I was not very keen on his kindergarten teacher but his 1 and 2 grade teachers (in Kent Co the 1st and 2nd graders are in multi-age classes that have both grades with two teachers that they get for both years) were phenomenal. I like his 3rd grade teachers as well. He has one for math and science and one for reading and language arts as they are broken out by ability. The principal has been at the school for quite some time and is well-liked by all of the parents I hhave spoken with. Unfortunately the middle school and high school have had some issues but they have made personnel changes there so everyone is hopeful that things will improve. Should point out that Kent Co is the only county in MD (I believe) that elementary school is Pre-K through 4th grade instead of Pre-K through 5th like everyone else. I personally feel like 5th should still be in elementary school. We like Chestertown very much and I will be sad to leave. There are a couple of grocery stores in town and a fair amount of restaurants, etc but to do any major shopping, you're looking at about a 45-55 minute drive to: Annapolis, Wilmington, DE, or Dover, DE.

[babyqs4]

Thank you that was very helpful.
I went to PG county public schools and ours went up to 6th grade. Middle school is 7th and 8th. That is a big change. That would mean that my daughter would be going to middle school in 2 yrs. Maybe we will have moved by then. I wasnt planning to be in chestertown forever but maybe a few years. I was hoping that my kids would be in the same school for at least a lil while. Dont want them bused all around the county. I take them to school now but they'd probably be taking the bus once we move there. I hope it is really nice. I have heard its a dull town but thats what Im looking for now. Tired of this annapolis drama. A couple of ppl have been killed in my apt complex that last couple years and the police are constantly being called.

What is the outlet like in Queens county? I havent been able to stop by there yet.

[Tanukiki]

Originally Posted by babyqs4

Thank you that was very helpful.
I went to PG county public schools and ours went up to 6th grade. Middle school is 7th and 8th. That is a big change. That would mean that my daughter would be going to middle school in 2 yrs. Maybe we will have moved by then. I wasnt planning to be in chestertown forever but maybe a few years. I was hoping that my kids would be in the same school for at least a lil while. Dont want them bused all around the county. I take them to school now but they'd probably be taking the bus once we move there. I hope it is really nice. I have heard its a dull town but thats what Im looking for now. Tired of this annapolis drama. A couple of ppl have been killed in my apt complex that last couple years and the police are constantly being called.

What is the outlet like in Queens county? I havent been able to stop by there yet.

We had a murder last year in the "bad" part of town which is pretty small but unfortunatelty not too far from the elementary school. It was drug-related but it was the first murder in (I think) the whole county in about 7 years or so. It can be a little dull but you can drive to other places for more excitement and then come home to quiet which I love. I love shopping at Queenstown Outlets. There are better outlets in Rehobeth DE but whenever I go down to Kent Island or over to Annapolis I try to stop at the outlets. They have added more stores some of which I just window shop (like Coach who sells REALLY expensive purses) and others I actually buy like clothing outlets.

[babyqs4]

Originally Posted by Tanukiki

We had a murder last year in the "bad" part of town which is pretty small but unfortunatelty not too far from the elementary school. It was drug-related but it was the first murder in (I think) the whole county in about 7 years or so. It can be a little dull but you can drive to other places for more excitement and then come home to quiet which I love. I love shopping at Queenstown Outlets. There are better outlets in Rehobeth DE but whenever I go down to Kent Island or over to Annapolis I try to stop at the outlets. They have added more stores some of which I just window shop (like Coach who sells REALLY expensive purses) and others I actually buy like clothing outlets.

Oh that is unfortunate- the murder i mean. The crime rate posting that i checked was from 2000 to 2005. Annapolis isnt that bad but there were a few murders last year and already this year too. The majority of it happening within miles of my apartment. I do hope that the neighborhood Im moving to is also quiet.
I did notice that there are quite a few registered sex offenders in chestertown.
Eventually I want to buy a house in Centerville.
I was gonna drive to the outlet today but it was so windy and hear ppl go really slow over the bay bridge when its windy. I dont like bridges. lol
Im not interested in Coach. Im anything but "stylish". Last thing i'd think of buying is a $400 bag. Im a technology freak. I like all that and improving my home for the better. Trying to be as green as i can be.
Thanks again for the info.

[painter_jed]

I grew up in Chestertown and lived there until 2 years ago (moved to Chicago for work). Here's what I think of the place now...

Pros:
Beautiful town
Low crime rate (mostly drug-related). If you aren't a big drinker or drug user, you won't have a problem.
Schools are adequate, but not great.
Reasonably priced compared to many other parts of MD (houses, that is).

Cons:
Kind of isolated. Get used to driving everywhere, and using internet shopping (Chestertown runs on UPS/FedEx).
Gets crowded in the summertime.
College kids mean well and are great, until you have to be at work at 5 a.m. and they're still partying next door at 4 a.m.
Taxes in town are a little pricey, but managable.

Overall, it's a great place to raise kids and live a nice, quiet life. The town is a little sleepy, but has some good festivals, events, etc to break up the monotony. In 35 years of living there, I never felt unsafe, met VERY few unfriendly people (most of whom relocated there anyway), and basically enjoyed living there 90% of the time.

If you're looking for a nice little town, it's awesome. If you like a city vibe, you'll be disappointed.

jed

[babyqs4]

Thank you for the post Jed.

I have been living in Fairlee for almost a year now and I pretty much like Chestertown. Fairlee as I have found out is mostly the ghetto part of Chestertown.

I pretty much stay to myself and go back n forth from here to Rock Hall. I love Rock Hall, I hope to move there someday or maybe go to Queenstown.

Anyway I havent had any bad experiences yet but I have seen some of the drug use that goes on around here and I don't like that at all.

Thanks again..