Are there any "quaint" towns? (Baltimore, Towson: house prices, neighborhoods)

[la_Roxana]

Hello - I'm moving to the Ft Meade Maryland area soon and I'm house hunting right now. The first thing I need to do is find a nice neighborhood. I'm looking at the Anne Arundel County and I'm not sure where the nice neighborhoods are at. Does anyone have any suggestions? We're looking for a quite area, clean, water near by, low crime, not more than 20 mins away from Ft Meade.

[isis297]

Alido...what part do you live in if you don't mind me asking?

[relotomd]

Originally Posted by isis297

Are there any small towns where housing is affordable, crime is low, schools are great, etc.? I'd love to find a town where there is a real community feel in addition to the above.

Well, What areas are you looking to be in. Mainland Maryland...um...I really like Annapolis. Here on the Eastern Shore we have lots of little towns...Pittsville, Powellville, Willards, Snow Hill, Pocomoke, and some bigger ones Salisbury, Ocean City. All depends on your needs and what you like. Gas is $2.74 a gallon today on the shore. Low cost of living unless of course you want to buy a condo on the beach in OC! Not many (including me) can afford that. The pittsville and Willards communities have good schools, and something when I moved here struck me funny and heartwarming at the same time...everyone here waves to everyone...even people they don't know. I just love this town.
Colleen

[Tom Lennox 70]

Carroll County is a county of farms and small towns that's within commuting distance of the Baltimore area. Waldorf, Maryland in Charle County and Bel Air in Harford are nice too. In Montgomery County, Damascus and Poolesville are smaller communities but development is reaching there fast. Most of Montgomery County is your average suburbia with strips and subdivions and office parks.

Cumberland and Hagerstown are nice but not within distance of DC and Baltimore.

[mommyoftwogirlz]

St. Michaels and Tilghman Island are like Andy Griffith's Mayberry

[sbyman]

Mardela Springs, Sharptown, Bivalve, Tyaskin, Indian River, San Domingo, just to name a few

[Oldtowner]

There are many quaint towns in Maryland and in Virginia.
IT depends upon where your employment is and whether you want to live near the mountains or the shore or closer to a bigger city.
The old town section of Laurel is nice, with victorian homes and a main street that is coming into it's own. Savage, is another quaint town.with an old mill that has been converted into shops including antique, gift and unusual shops, and a few restaurants. Ellicott City has charming homes, restaurants and shops, many of them on the main street , some of which are built into the rocky hillside.Chestertown over on the Eastern Shore is a beautiful historic town located on the Chester River.
Solomons Island in Southern Maryland is a way of life. IF you want really quaint, try Smith Island -if you have a boat, or want to take the hour long ferry from there to Chrisfields on the mainland, which is another quaint town.
I would suggest that you do a computer search after you look at a Maryland map,because there are many fabulous little places to make a home.
Good luck.

[carebear1970]

Nothing is left in Maryland except Garrett County that is quaint. Yeah you can move to the Eastern Shore and have to deal w/ that traffic with all the numnuts that head to ocean or you can actually go where people are nice and still wave to ya. Everything is overprice in this state for what it is. Trust me I have lived here all my life and I am heading west. I grew up in Western Howard County when your closest neighbor was 3 cornfields away..not anymore. Mcmansions everywhere. It's disgusting!!!!!!!! Wherever anyone can stick a home anymore they will

[familymom]

Originally Posted by md to nc

I lived in Carroll County all my life. Yes Hampstead has gone to the pits and the only reason I come back is to visit my parents, who will never leave that town after 70 years. I would look into northern Westminster, Silver Run area. Yes you will still encounter the yo factor in Westminster but as far as living in the vicinity, the only problem you may have is seeing a deer in your driveway at night or in the morning. We lived in the 21158 area for 3 years and loved it. We had an acre and there are tons of homes with acreage in that area. As far as being totally away from the teens and yo boys. That will never happen. Even here in NC, they are everywhere. As far as crime I would not look around the Aberdeen area, I hear from others that area is growing with crime. Being close to 95 that is the drug trafficking highway.

Hi Md to Nc, We are a family with 4 young children and we have been looking around to relocate from NJ. Carroll county and Charlotte are our two top picks. I am concerned that Carroll county will be a little too laid back for us???? Since you lived in both areas, I was wondering what your imput would be for each area. Where would my kids have a more active childhood?? Which area would welcome outsiders more easier? Thanks for any insight.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Most small towns have low crime and are affordable.

Carroll County is a pretty nice place and Westminster has this very charming small-town feel. There are many places on the Eastern Shore as well as Western Maryland. Cumberland is a very pleasant place....not a very small town but a decent sized city that's still not overcrowded and has a historic feel to it. Also, Accident and Oakland in Garrett County has a very "quaint" feel (outside of the Wal-Mart in Oakland that is LOL). In fact I think Accident could have come out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Garrett County has Deep Creek Lake with miles of beaches and lots of watersports activities, and lots of skiing in the winter. However the witners in Western Maryland can be brutal even worse than Pittsburgh.

Also St. Mary's County is a very pleasant, friendly laid-back place that is very affordable and is located on both Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Down there the river is very wide, much bigger than the Potomac you see in Washington, D.C.

Basically as long as you stay out of Montgomery County, PG County, Howard County, Baltimore County, or Baltimore City, you'll find what you're lookin' for. You especially want to avoid Montgomery which is overpriced and very snobby (think Westchester County NY and Orange County CA meshed together and transplatned here) and PGC which is ghetto. Baltimore City goes without saying.