Kent Island - worth the move?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by saintcharlie

Maybe you get the wrong impression of me and my family or maybe I didn't make it clear enough. We are leaving Montgomery County for a different lifestyle. Makes no logical sense to make the move under that premise then want to convert a new location to the old. In addition, we own guns. Guns do not scare us. I feel like you're making assumptions about us without really knowing us. Don't really see how your post helps me gather information.

Wrong impression? Maybe. If so, then I apologize.


I may be jaded from a few decades here in Calvert hearing people saying the exact same things you have, and having the exact same motivations you say you have when they moved here, who have become complete and total pain in the ass complainers about the "rural lifestyle". The new one is that the fire trucks have sirens.

[CindyTevis]

You could live somewhere in Anne Arundel County like Arnold, Gambrills, Crofton, Edgewater. Good schools. Some parts of Odenton are good too. They're all relatively near water and the eastern shore, and the commute would be more doable. Those areas are a bit more expensive than Kent though.

[MdlocalBrian]

That commute would be brutal on a regular day. Add in poor weather, or beach traffic, and it would be unbearable. Maybe you can find work in that area, or maybe Annapolis or Baltimore? Both are easier commutes.

I wish I had moved to KI when the kids were young. Now, Im anchored in Howard County till they are done with school. Wouldnt be fair to move them at this point.

[CindyTevis]

Originally Posted by MdlocalBrian

That commute would be brutal on a regular day. Add in poor weather, or beach traffic, and it would be unbearable. Maybe you can find work in that area, or maybe Annapolis or Baltimore? Both are easier commutes.

I wish I had moved to KI when the kids were young. Now, Im anchored in Howard County till they are done with school. Wouldnt be fair to move them at this point.

I've moved kids before, into middle school/right before starting high school. It's not that bad. Sometimes they may not be happy at first, but they start at their new schools and get used to them, appreciate it all. KI isn't too far for your kids to visit their old friends occasionally, either.

[MdlocalBrian]

HS sophomore and college freshman, so moving now isnt in the cards. 5 years from now, a small efficiency on some island will be just the ticket!

[Cruzincat]

The commute from KI to Rockville has gotten much better with the ICC, MD200. The beltway starts jamming up in the morning just before I-95, so, if you keep to the right when approaching US-1, and take I-95 north to the ICC, it usually moves pretty good.

The return commute will often be bad, though, because at that time the through traffic on I-95 has picked up and mixes with the afternoon rush in all directions. If you go north on 29 or 95 to 32, or use 198, there is always a slowdown on 32 through the Ft Meade area. I-97 is iffy, and either way, US 50 can back up to Davidsonville from the Severn River.

For other reasons than what I will say next, we just moved from KI to near BWI. After about 15 years on Southern KI, and moving to a nicer part of Glen Burnie, we have realized how much we missed having a short drive to a much better selection of shopping and restaurants. While we could afford to go out to eat while living on KI, we found we didn't so much because of the lack of choices and the fact that we would have had to cross the bridge or trek down to Easton to find what we wanted to buy or have something to eat besides high end, high cost seafood or the usual fast food. There is not a lot in between on or near KI. We too thought the lifestyle on KI was nice and still do for the quiet, but after a while, we came to appreciate living nearer to varied restaurants and shopping options.

Edit to add:One thing we didn't find out until after we moved is that our car insurance rates went up about $45 a month for two cars.

[hebell]

Lived in downtown DC, lived in Bowie, lived on the Eastern Shore for years, did frequent contract work in Rockville and Potomac, and have spent countless days on Kent Island. We'd spend afternoons and evenings there before heading back to our home east of the island.

I can't think of anything more horrible (well, not much anyways) then driving Kent Island to Rockville on a regular basis. That drive is so brutal it would probably affect the dynamics of your marriage and/or other family and friend relationships due to the frequent exposure to delays, road hazards, and road rage of other drivers.

[MB0909]

I would think the commute would be absolutely brutal. I am one of those that the locals complain about. My main issues living on Kent Island are twofold: 1) there is nothing for kids to do over here when you are stuck on the island because of Beach traffic. No mini golf, movie theatre, trampoline place, bowling alley, etc. Unless you personally have a pool or boat, there is nothing to do. 2) I personally have a problem with the schools. The instruction has been fine, but they recently created a grading system called progress based reporting with a number scale versus grades. It doesn't tell you how your kid is doing, only what they are still learning or what they learned. There are only 3 report cards instead of 4 and comments are optional, so no teachers write anything. They discontinued honor roll. Pretty sure we are the only county who does it this way. You have no idea how your kid is really doing. I feel it is trying to lump kids together and not differentiate them, which is illegal.

[Cruzincat]

Originally Posted by Cruzincat

The commute from KI to Rockville has gotten much better with the ICC, MD200. The beltway starts jamming up in the morning just before I-95, so, if you keep to the right when approaching US-1, and take I-95 north to the ICC, it usually moves pretty good.

The return commute will often be bad, though, because at that time the through traffic on I-95 has picked up and mixes with the afternoon rush in all directions. If you go north on 29 or 95 to 32, or use 198, there is always a slowdown on 32 through the Ft Meade area. I-97 is iffy, and either way, US 50 can back up to Davidsonville from the Severn River.

For other reasons than what I will say next, we just moved from KI to near BWI. After about 15 years on Southern KI, and moving to a nicer part of Glen Burnie, we have realized how much we missed having a short drive to a much better selection of shopping and restaurants. While we could afford to go out to eat while living on KI, we found we didn't so much because of the lack of choices and the fact that we would have had to cross the bridge or trek down to Easton to find what we wanted to buy or have something to eat besides high end, high cost seafood or the usual fast food. There is not a lot in between on or near KI. We too thought the lifestyle on KI was nice and still do for the quiet, but after a while, we came to appreciate living nearer to varied restaurants and shopping options.

Edit to add:One thing we didn't find out until after we moved is that our car insurance rates went up about $45 a month for two cars.

But our county income tax supplement went down, going from QAC to AAC.

[DaveinMtAiry]

I am very familiar with all the areas mentioned. I was all set to recommend Kent Island until I read the part about going to Rockville 2-3 times/week. I agree with the others, I can't see how that would be possible without a helicopter.

I investigated Harper's Ferry too as a retirement sight. I think it's safe to say you don't want your kids educated in a West Virginia school system. I really liked the Frederick idea. Good schools, great mid sized town, not that bad of a commute. Or you could always look at New Market, Mount Airy, or as suggested some of the towns in Anne Arundal County.


I'm curious as to where the OP lives. When I grew up in Montgomery County they had some of the best schools in the nation and virtually no crime. But I also know it's different now.