Moving to the area... but which one?

These are my opinions, I grew up in Severna Park: * Arnold has a few too many main-ish roads, makes it unsafe for kids, and I've never gotten a great neighborhood vibe from it, a few too many professionals and kid-less families in the area.

  • Cape St. Clair is more neighborhood-y, great schools, great access to route 50 (Eastern Shore, Annapolis, DC). Don't reallllly know about the main street feel, but it has Anne Arundel Community College, which has great summer programs for kids (the cooking class is a good one). Fun parks, good library, kinda insulated, like a peninsula (actually, it is a peninsula), so you don't get crazy amounts of through traffic. On the water, if you can afford that.

  • Edgewater is okay. It's a little too close to 50 to have a good insular/main street feel. Again, a lot of professionals, and Edgewater is on the way south, so you get a lot of through traffic. Accidents in the mornings, makes it tough for work, tough for dropping kids off places. And I've house-sat in Gingerville and South River Colony, both those places feel a little chi-chi and not quite as intimate.

  • Severna Park is Cape St. Clair's much richer twin. Also has great schools top rated in the country. So many different types of neighborhoods, ranging from Pat Sajak's neighbor, to small one-bedrooms and from 1920's bungalows to colonials. It has beautiful waterfront properties on the Severna and the Magothy, and a lot of fun family activities. Of the 4 of your options, SP has the most main street feel. But I grew up in Severna Park, and there are issues being from a middle class family in a school where your classmate's parents bought him his 3rd BMW because he wrecked his first 2. There are issues with a school that pushes its students so hard, they burn out in AP classes they didn't belong in in the first place. Kids got caught cheating on AP tests 8 or 9 years ago, and it's because they just push you and push you, not to be your best, but to have the best grades and the highest scores. Broadneck isn't a lot better, but it's not quite as harsh. People who aren't good at being cookie cutter people end up feeling like Stepford Families here. And that's not just me, I've heard it from a lot of people, adults and kids (adults drink a lot in Severna Park and gossip with the babysitter a bit too much).

Clearly I still have unresolved issues with my childhood <cue laugh>.

  • Further south, Mayo, Galesville, Deale, Churchton: Great areas, not quite as populated, bit more spread out, and people won't want to come visit you from Annapolis, Severna Park, and the likes, because they feel so far south, even though they really aren't that bad.

Everywhere comes with its ups and downs, you just have to figure out what's most important to you.

/r/Annapolis Thread