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I don't know much about Anne Arundel County politics, so won't comment there, but Bucks County (Doylestown is its seat) has historically oscillated between a Democratic-majority county commission and a Republican-majority one, though as the GOP has drifted rightward at the national level, it appears that Democrats have gained at Republican expense much as they have in other highly educated, affluent jurisdictions. I'd wager, though, that at the local government level, the township is to the right of the borough.
Politics-wise AA County overall is somewhat solid blue now - although overall leans somewhat purple in Maryland standard. Annapolis itself is heavily blue, though.
The "red" part of AA County I would say are the white voters in North County (Glen Burnie etc.), the peninsula east of Pasadena MD (Not sure what it's call...), and South County (south of US-50) which is quite rural and undeveloped.
Either way there's no such thing as township in MD, and TBH the "suburb" of Annapolis like Arnold or even Parole, along with part of Annapolis outside of "downtown" and Eastport are also not THAT historical.
Not exactly sure, but some of those stats, particularly the one I boldfaced, lead me to speculate that Sperling's data cover the City of Annapolis on the one hand and both Doylestown Borough and Doylestown Township on the other.
I do doubt that Doylestown Borough is significantly more racially and ethnically diverse than Doylestown Township, based at least in part on several visits to the former, but I can say that in terms of character and walkability, Doylestown Township and Doylestown Borough are two different animals.
All, or almost all, of the new housing construction in "Doylestown" takes place in the township, which rings the borough on three sides. Doylestown Township is therefore more standard-issue late-20th-/early-21st-century auto-oriented suburbia, while Doylestown Borough is the actual town.
I don't know much about Anne Arundel County politics, so won't comment there, but Bucks County (Doylestown is its seat) has historically oscillated between a Democratic-majority county commission and a Republican-majority one, though as the GOP has drifted rightward at the national level, it appears that Democrats have gained at Republican expense much as they have in other highly educated, affluent jurisdictions. I'd wager, though, that at the local government level, the township is to the right of the borough.
Sorry, I wouldn't know. All I can tell you is that it specifies CITY overview. Also, the population of Doylestown on that site is listed at a bit over 17K and that of Annapolis is listed as a bit over 40K.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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OP, we've communicated before, so you may know that Doylestown is currently on the top of my list of where I plan to move to next (in two years!). As I lived in Maryland for ten years, I am also somewhat familiar with Annapolis (although I lived in the DC suburbs side of Maryland).
Both are charming towns. Doylestown seems a bit more secluded as it takes a bit more effort to get to, even though it's located near both Philadelphia and New York. But once in Doylestown, there is so much to do! It is hard to believe that a town that size has so many attractions. Walkable streets, stores, restaurants, a castle, museums, etc. The train to Phila. is a bonus and drivable to NYC or a NJ transit station (we prefer Hamilton over Trenton). It is only about 1 1/2 hours from the Jersey shore. And of course there are a lot of other quaint nearby towns to explore like New Hope, Lambertville, Princeton, and Yardley.
Annapolis is bigger and being the state capital and located right off 50 and on the water with the Naval Academy, it is more of a tourist town than Doylestown. The traffic around it can be bad in the summer months as DC metro residents drive to the beach and back. Fridays and Sundays (probably Saturdays too) are the worst. Annapolis is delightful to walk around in and get dinner. I would guess that a lot of people that live there are into the sailing/boating culture that is associated with Annapolis. To me it has a Chesapeake Bay/Sailing/Maryland Crabs vibe. I would think it would be nice if you were into those things. A nearby residential town that is popular is Severna Park which may be worth looking into. Places to visit if you lived in Annapolis (in addition to DC and Baltimore) would be Eastern Shore towns like Easton, St. Michael's, Cambridge, and Berlin. If you like biking, the Eastern Shore is a great place to explore on bikes.
Both are quaint, interesting towns. I think a lot depends on whether you prefer to be around DC/Baltimore or Philly/New York. Annapolis will be milder weather-wise. Doylestown will be better for tax treatment (fairly reasonable property tax and no state tax on retirement income).
Sorry, I wouldn't know. All I can tell you is that it specifies CITY overview. Also, the population of Doylestown on that site is listed at a bit over 17K and that of Annapolis is listed as a bit over 40K.
Then someone at Sperling's blew it big-time, then.
17,428 is the 2018 estimated population of Doylestown Township.
Doylestown Borough — which is the Doylestown we're talking about here — had roughly 8,250 residents in 2021.
Doylestown, then, is much smaller than Annapolis. Put the two municipalities together and you get a little more than 25,000.
If the OP wants to live in the borough, they will need to be prepared to shell out for the privilege. Currently on Zillow, only one listing within the borough has a price tag below $800k — a recently built (2005), 3br, 2/1ba, 1,600 SF townhouse in a development near the borough's northeast border. The good news is, the development it's in looks very neotraditional in style and layout, but it's not quite as walkable as the heart of the borough itself because the shops and services are all on main roads, with few access points connecting the two (this is the street it's located on).
All of the other more reasonably priced properties are in the township.
BTW and FWIW, this sort of municipal distinction — townships and boroughs, many of the latter surrounded by identically-named townships — is found only in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, two of about seven or eight states with no unincorporated territory within their borders. (New York State, which is another, has a similar setup with towns and villages.) It's something outsiders trip over, as here.
I have lived in the area and had to drive to Annapolis, Washington, and Baltimore at various times for work. Baltimore is slightly closer to Annapolis than Washington, and easier to get to, but what really matters is the traffic. How backed up roads are is what counts, particularly in afternoon rush hour.
Annapolis has a good hospital; it is now part of a regional chain of hospitals and clinics serving that area. If you don't want to go to that hospital, there are several in Baltimore that will meet your needs. Baltimore, like Philadelphia, is a mecca for health care. Washington DC is not. Philadelphia also has many good hospitals; Penn and Temple included.
If you are in Annapolis and want to take Amtrak somewhere, your best bet is to go to the Baltimore airport (BWI), park in the garage, and take the free shuttle over to the train station where you can catch an Amtrak going anywhere. That way you don't have to go into Baltimore or DC and encounter traffic or parking problems. There are also commuter trains to Baltimore and DC regularly stopping at that BWI train station. BWI has easy access from three interstates, I-95, I-295, and I-97.
If you are really into water, Annapolis should be your choice. If water doesn't matter much, then Doylestown might be a better pick.
Sorry, I wouldn't know. All I can tell you is that it specifies CITY overview. Also, the population of Doylestown on that site is listed at a bit over 17K and that of Annapolis is listed as a bit over 40K.
Yeah, this is what makes things hard to compare.
Doylestown Borough (the town itself) + Doylestown Township is like 26k people.
City of Annapolis alone is almost 41k, plus neighboring Parole (which is basically Annapolis, just not within city limit...I mean both Annapolis Mall and "Annapolis" Town Center is there) is another 16k or so, making the immediate area around Annapolis close to 57k, more than twice the size of Doylestown.
Annapolis at the end feels more like a small city - it has historical central, some old neighborhood around that feels like a New England coastal town, some sprawl, some outright hood. Main St, indoor shopping mall (Westfield Annapolis), modern mix use open air development (Annapolis Town Center)...
Doylestown Borough (the town itself) + Doylestown Township is like 26k people.
City of Annapolis alone is almost 41k, plus neighboring Parole (which is basically Annapolis, just not within city limit...I mean both Annapolis Mall and "Annapolis" Town Center is there) is another 16k or so, making the immediate area around Annapolis close to 57k, more than twice the size of Doylestown.
Annapolis at the end feels more like a small city - it has historical central, some old neighborhood around that feels like a New England coastal town, some sprawl, some outright hood. Main St, indoor shopping mall (Westfield Annapolis), modern mix use open air development (Annapolis Town Center)...
In that respect, the Doylestowns together feel more like a large town than a small city. One reason the borough retains its small-town charm is because its merchants rebelled against a plan the borough had for revitalizing it by building some sort of downtown mall (and razing a bunch of buildings to do it) in the early 1960s. They argued that preserving the historic buildings and rehabbing them would attract more visitors from points well beyond the borough, and time proved them right.
A second borough, New Britain, straddles the border of Doylestown Township and its namesake township.
In that respect, the Doylestowns together feel more like a large town than a small city. One reason the borough retains its small-town charm is because its merchants rebelled against a plan the borough had for revitalizing it by building some sort of downtown mall (and razing a bunch of buildings to do it) in the early 1960s. They argued that preserving the historic buildings and rehabbing them would attract more visitors from points well beyond the borough, and time proved them right.
A second borough, New Britain, straddles the border of Doylestown Township and its namesake township.
Yep - and I would say Doylestown Township area feel different since the housing simply has much larger lots and has much more of a "country" feel once you're outside the Doylestown borough proper.
You can find those larger lot "country" feel (with water access no less) SFHs around Annapolis also (i.e. around Crownsville or the part of Arnold just across the Severn River Bridge), but you're no longer adjacent to DT Annapolis.
Annapolis is my favorite place in all of Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay area generally is very underrated outside of the Mid-Atlantic.
Both are also in great Northeast Corridor locations to access top amenities, like healthcare, dining, shopping, and large urban hubs.
Annapolis is of course the larger locale (really it's a small city) and a state capital, so it does indeed get pretty crowded. The Annapolis area will of course will excel in water vibes, but Doylestown is in the middle of bucolic Bucks County countryside (although the NJ coast of course isn't super far).
Good luck!
Yes, I love Annapolis. I've always been partial to places near/on the water. When I lived in Allentown, I greatly missed the water.
Where would be the nearest NJ beach to Doylestown?
I went to Annapolis for the first time last year and I really took a liking to it. It has similar colonial waterfront vibes that are found in New England and it compelled me to research the area a little more as I had similar question being; what else is around there besides Balt/DC?
In September we're taking a road trip down to the DE/MD beaches but we're also stopping in Talbot County to explore more of the Chesapeake Bay area. I landed on Easton, St Michael's, Oxford, and Tilghman Island. I think this area has a similar waterfront charm to what you may be looking for other options outside Annapolis. It's over the Bay Bridge about 30-45 minutes away. Might be worth looking around St Michael's in particular. I'm looking forward to checking the area out and seeing the small towns around the Chesapeake Bay.
I grew in West Newbury, MA adjacent to Newburyport, so I definitely know where you're coming from with this.
Thank you! We like West Newbury a lot. We used to go to a tree farm there every year and cut our Christmas tree.
We've actually been to Talbot County. It's a beautiful place. St. Michael's is adorable, but small. It just felt too isolated to us. We want to be near to lots of services - good hospitals, vets, 24 hr vets, a mix of shopping, etc.
Enjoy your trip. It's a beautiful area.
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