advice for moving to Annapolis?

[Njrover0216]

Yes there is a Whole Foods in the Parole shopping center. In that center is also a Bed, BAth and Beyond, Omaha Steak and a place you must check out called the Amish Market(open Th-Sa only).Annapolis has a nice mall with a play area for children. Downtown Annapolis is beautiful full of stores and rest, mom and pop ones. I recommend Chick and Ruths diner, it looks run down but the food is great! Very old establishment. Also over near the Naval Academy is a grocery store called Graul's many people shop there. There are other chain stores: Giant, Food Lion, Shoppers(which is very run down in Annapolis), I can not tell you about Seafood because I do not eat it but there are tons of seafood places here. Nice rest, on the other side of the Bay Bridge on Kent Island. Go up Rt 2 and you can find just about anything! Feel free to PM me with any questions.

[Matthaeus]

Thank you so much, NJRover, for your wonderful tips and assistance.

I also would like to ask about public transportation... Now, I've lived in some cities where public transit was a bigger hassle than walking and others where it was the best way of getting around.


How efficient and/or well-run is it in Annapolis?

[Matthaeus]

How about the weather... about what month does Winter really kick in, and just how bad are the Summers?

I'm more accustomed to mild Winters with light/moderate intermittent snowfalls and long sultry Summers, with Autumn and Spring providing pleasant moderation between the two extremities... how does Annapolis/Maryland compare?

[J.A.]

Hi,

Shopping in Annapolis is not problem-- for anything a small city doesn't have, DC and Baltimore (both with various ethnic neighborhoods) are within 45 mins drive (and that time includes normal traffic). There is a Whole Foods- as the previous post pointed out. I wasn't a fan of the Amish Market, but a lot of my reluctance to visit the shopping center that holds those stores is the deficient parking (how they got approval on those plans is something I would like explained-- not enough spots for the stores + movie theater).

In the Annapolis Mall annex (around the back) there is a Trader Joe's. These are absolutely GREAT stores, part of a private chain that started in California, which has fantastic quality and much better prices than Whole Foods. They carry many organic items. There aren't many TJ's in the South, so I'm not surprised if you haven't heard of them, but they are quite popular in the West and Boston area.

Plus, there's a county farmer's market that is held most months of the year. It's on Saturday mornings. I can't remember the particular road intersection on the outskirts of Annapolis, but it's out by some of the state and county offices, west of the Parole section of town. There's a DMV and swimming center nearby. Watch the local newspaper for announcements, or ask at the library. I think there are some other farmer's markets also in the area, but that one was our favorite.

Saint John's has a beautiful campus-- enjoy your time there.

[Matthaeus]

Lately I've become interested in the crime in Annapolis, as some of the data seems to indicate a rather serious culture of criminal violence - at least compared to that of the low-crime but gun-toting pastoral Southern city in which I currently reside.

What's it really like? I mean, is it fairly limited to the drug/gang-bangers or is spillover from DC/Baltimore a legitimate problem in a town as small as Annapolis?

I live in a city of around 150,000 people and would not be concerned about going for walks in the evening or letting my young children play in our yard at all hours of the day - were I to try that in Annapolis, would I need a flak-jacket and a "gat" of my own to return fire?

Of course, I'm being a trifle wry in these questions (in case you couldn't tell) but my curiousity about the "dangerous elements" in Annapolis are serious.


...and if anyone could speak on any of these other points, I'd be glad to learn more about Annapolis.

Originally Posted by Matthaeus

I also would like to ask about public transportation... How efficient and/or well-run is it in Annapolis?

Originally Posted by Matthaeus

How about the weather... about what month does Winter really kick in, and just how bad are the Summers?

I'm more accustomed to mild Winters with light/moderate intermittent snowfalls and long sultry Summers, with Autumn and Spring providing pleasant moderation between the two extremities... how does Annapolis/Maryland compare?

[SouthrnMama]

I starts to get cold usually near the end of October. We have seen snow as early as Thanksgiving, or some years we will get no snow. Winter will usually last untill March or April. I say if it is a bad winter, we will have a mild summer, or visa versa. I recently moved from Annapolis to Charlotte, and summers here, while they are not as humid, are a bit longer and hotter.
I don't have much experience with the MTA, which is the bus system in Annapolis, but I don't think it seems to difficult. You can get anywhere between Arnold and Annapolis on the bus line.
Crime is pretty much limited to the "bad areas" which would be (in Annapolis)
Robinwood, Bywaters, which are 2 section 8 communities, A place near downtown which is Clay Street. Some areas of West St. leave a bit to be desired. Mostly it is a safe town, the police force is wonderful, you have a combitation of city and county police. I would suggest calling the P.D. when you have found a house and ask them the crime stats.

[Matthaeus]

Hey SouthernMama, thanks a lot. I really appreciate you taking the time to go through all this - especially in delineating the "bad areas" although I am a bit disappointed that Clay Street has a reputation, as I had found (online) a rather inexpensive place there... I guess that explains why.

I'll be visiting Annapolis soon to survey things for myself, but it is abundantly helpful to get these sort of insights before I come.


Thanks again.

[hagdog]

Heyim from robinwood

[SouthernDD]

Hey, have you moved yet to Anaapolis? I've newly become interested in moving to the Baltimore area. I'm a single, 33-year-old woman with no children. I am from the deep, country South and know very little about city-life. It's imperative that I have a safe place to lay my head! I want the least-crime infested area. I am also looking into Columbia. Any advice?