Moving to Annapolis

[Anonymous]

OP here -thanks for the info, and keep it coming! One question that I'd love to hear your thoughts on: Right now, we live in an apartment in NWDC, which we love but have outgrown. We'll never afford to buy a home in our current neighborhood. Our options are to move out to someplace like Fairfax or Rockville, or even further, like Annapolis. I look at moving to Annapolis as moving *away* from DC. Yes, we would still be close, and would commute in twice a week for work, but we would relocating - new schools, doctors, restaurants, friends, new everything. In my mind, that isn't as true of a move out to NOVA or MOCO, but...isn't it? If we moved to Reston or Rockville or someplace considered part of the DMV, wouldn't it still feel like moving away? I think, because we have a lot of friends here, if we were to move to Rockville, we would still see our DC friends a lot. Am I kidding myself on that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be interested in some neighborhood recommendations, budget between $500-$600k for a single family home. Probably not Severna Park, as one of us would need to commute to DC a few days a week.

You are going to really limited on that budget. Your best bets would be Rolling Knolls, Hillmere, or something in older section off Riva Rd.

Your best bet in that budge would be to go across bay bridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -thanks for the info, and keep it coming! One question that I'd love to hear your thoughts on: Right now, we live in an apartment in NWDC, which we love but have outgrown. We'll never afford to buy a home in our current neighborhood. Our options are to move out to someplace like Fairfax or Rockville, or even further, like Annapolis. I look at moving to Annapolis as moving *away* from DC. Yes, we would still be close, and would commute in twice a week for work, but we would relocating - new schools, doctors, restaurants, friends, new everything. In my mind, that isn't as true of a move out to NOVA or MOCO, but...isn't it? If we moved to Reston or Rockville or someplace considered part of the DMV, wouldn't it still feel like moving away? I think, because we have a lot of friends here, if we were to move to Rockville, we would still see our DC friends a lot. Am I kidding myself on that?

I’m the PP that moved to SP this summer and I totally feel like I moved away from DC. Like, it’s a big trip to me to go back to DC now. I have siblings in Rockville and I feel like that’s included in DMV and isn’t moving “away” away from DC. Short metro ride into the city or right down the pike/Wisconsin. I’m a little bummed about being away from DC (plus we get Baltimore affiliate local news here- not dc), but this was the best move for our family with our budget! We couldn’t afford much more than a tiny townhouse in the dc area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -thanks for the info, and keep it coming! One question that I'd love to hear your thoughts on: Right now, we live in an apartment in NWDC, which we love but have outgrown. We'll never afford to buy a home in our current neighborhood. Our options are to move out to someplace like Fairfax or Rockville, or even further, like Annapolis. I look at moving to Annapolis as moving *away* from DC. Yes, we would still be close, and would commute in twice a week for work, but we would relocating - new schools, doctors, restaurants, friends, new everything. In my mind, that isn't as true of a move out to NOVA or MOCO, but...isn't it? If we moved to Reston or Rockville or someplace considered part of the DMV, wouldn't it still feel like moving away? I think, because we have a lot of friends here, if we were to move to Rockville, we would still see our DC friends a lot. Am I kidding myself on that?

One of the PPs here. Outside of rush hour it is an easy drive in. DW and I frequently Uber in for Caps/Nats games for work events (and I know more season ticket holders here than I did n DC). We drive or Uber in for dinner frequently. Making friends won't be hard. We kept most of our old doctors and still see them. We aren't going to the dr every week really isn't a big deal. There are a bunch of great urgent care facilities in and around Annapolis. As far as schools, do you plan on going private or public? What type of house do you want, budget? Why not rent an apartment or condo at Annapolis Towne Centre and try it out for a year? You can walk to 3 grocery stores in less than 5 min and there is a Target there, makes thing convenient while you figure out what you want to do and where you really want to be.

By the way I previously lived in Reston, and don't feel Annapolis is any more moving "away" than Reston

[Anonymous]

Would love to hear more about Severna Park ... remote work really opens up some different options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would love to hear more about Severna Park ... remote work really opens up some different options.

What do you want to know? It isn't Annapolis, there towns between Annapolis and SP. Some nicer water front homes, some older single family homes, a couple of smaller older "local" shopping centers off of the main commercial road (Rt.2) A lot of newer shopping centers/national chains on Rt. 2. Brand new high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wardour is in West Annapolis, it is a small neighborhood and the two houses on the market right now are 3 mil and 7 mil.
There are other houses in West Annap that are cheaper. If you want a traditional neighborhood close in downtown, Murray Hill would be a good option.

Do you plan on doing privates?

What type of neighborhood do you want, what is your budget?

We have been in Annapolis for the past 13 years. I lived in Alexandria and DC before that. The biggest sacrifice is restaurants. Food in general sucks here. A lot of average, a lot of really bad and a couple of places that are worth it. Biggest benefit outside of COVID is access to BWI.
Let me know if you have specific questions happy to answer.

There are also smaller houses in Wardour that have gone for under 1m though it is certainly a more expensive area. West Annapolis can be great, just be careful to stick in the good elementary school district.

I'm sorry the PP seems to not like the Annapolis dining scene, I think its great--though of course, you're in a much smaller city. The below are slighted dated, but give a good sense of the general vibe:

http://edibledc.com/stories/annapolis-is-a-trip-fit-for-foodies

http://dcrefined.com/eat-drink/guide-to-summer-eating-in-annapolis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here -thanks for the info, and keep it coming! One question that I'd love to hear your thoughts on: Right now, we live in an apartment in NWDC, which we love but have outgrown. We'll never afford to buy a home in our current neighborhood. Our options are to move out to someplace like Fairfax or Rockville, or even further, like Annapolis. I look at moving to Annapolis as moving *away* from DC. Yes, we would still be close, and would commute in twice a week for work, but we would relocating - new schools, doctors, restaurants, friends, new everything. In my mind, that isn't as true of a move out to NOVA or MOCO, but...isn't it? If we moved to Reston or Rockville or someplace considered part of the DMV, wouldn't it still feel like moving away? I think, because we have a lot of friends here, if we were to move to Rockville, we would still see our DC friends a lot. Am I kidding myself on that?

One of the PPs here. Outside of rush hour it is an easy drive in. DW and I frequently Uber in for Caps/Nats games for work events (and I know more season ticket holders here than I did n DC). We drive or Uber in for dinner frequently. Making friends won't be hard. We kept most of our old doctors and still see them. We aren't going to the dr every week really isn't a big deal. There are a bunch of great urgent care facilities in and around Annapolis. As far as schools, do you plan on going private or public? What type of house do you want, budget? Why not rent an apartment or condo at Annapolis Towne Centre and try it out for a year? You can walk to 3 grocery stores in less than 5 min and there is a Target there, makes thing convenient while you figure out what you want to do and where you really want to be.

By the way I previously lived in Reston, and don't feel Annapolis is any more moving "away" than Reston

I'm the much earlier poster who lives in Howard County. With the BIG caveat that I think it is much easier to get into DC from Annapolis compared to where we currently are, we also still go into DC a fair amount. For me, used to be several times a week for work, but then also occasional date nights, playdate with friends, and Nats games. The drive is consistently 45 minutes and that just isn't that bad to us--used to take us 25/30 minutes from far NW to get to our friends on the Hill anyways. That said, we also go into Baltimore and Annapolis for drinks and dinner a fair amount, which I never did DC and really enjoy.

But, for me, once you get more than 30-ish easy minutes from the city center and no longer have a DC address it is hard to feel part of the District no matter where you land. When I (used to) go to the bars on Main Street in Ellicott City, there are always a fair amount of people having "DC-type" conversations about careers/politics/whatever along with a variety of other folks--Marylanders and Baltimoreans with careers/families/friends unconnected to the District.

It was a hard adjustment when we initially made the decision to move out, and it is a different mindset for SURE which anyone should be prepared for, but has come with a lot of unexpected benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you moved from DC to Annapolis, can you share your experience? Especially if you moved with young kids? We are thinking of doing this (both will still work in DC, will have to commute in 2x a week). I'm wondering if it was hard to make new friends. What are some neighborhoods to look into for families with young children?

We ended up moving to Ellicott City but almost pulled the trigger on Annapolis and have friends there. Hope some of this is helpful to you:

-It is a very family-friendly area, though the schools are generally not great so a lot use the great privates around Annapolis.
-Wardour is a terrific neighborhood where you can still bike down and, contrary to my last statement, has a WONDERFUL elementary school.
-Commute from Annapolis is much better than from the burbs on the NW side of the state. Yay!
-You should have no trouble making friends and there are a fair amount of folks who move to Annapolis from DC. That said, you'll be in "real" Maryland, and that is a different mindset from DC. Because you'll be in Annapolis, will be around plenty of political-types, though most will have MD-focused careers. It is also a very relaxed town, which I love, but worlds away from DC.
-Super easy to get to DC and Baltimore on the weekends, as well on down the ocean.

There is a lot of hysteria about commutes on this board, mostly by people that I think have rarely actually done them. I have (perhaps an unfortunate amount of) experience with a bunch of the commutes in DC coming from Maryland, and I think Annapolis strikes a good balance between being reasonable and also having its own great culture, restaurants, etc.

Good luck with the decision!

Edited because I got distracted and hit submit before finishing two lines...

I am a new poster and we made this move a few years ago. I always try to highlight the bolded point above when people ask about Annapolis on DCUM. It's a different culture here and the PP's designation of "real Maryland" is spot on. After living in DC area for 15 years, I have found that surprisingly I enjoy being outside of the DC bubble. I didn't expect to like it, but it's a nice change.

On the other hand, there is a significant downgrade in food and restaurant options. I not a 'foodie' by any stretch, but I do miss the options and variety of DC and the NOVA suburbs.

The other thing to be aware of is differences in diversity. My children's school (public) and pre-school is probably 95% white. Other parts of the area are more diverse, but in different ways than DC. From my experiences most folks here are white or black and some Latinos. There are very few Asians compared to the DC suburbs and my Asian friends who lived here really did not care for it. They escaped back to the DC/NOVA as soon as possible. Also, there have been some racial incidents at some of the more rural schools that are concerning. I would look into schools closely before moving into a school district if you are going public. Elementary is generally good, I noticed that people will use publics when kids are little and then move to private when they reach middle or high school.

[Anonymous]

Would living in Annapolis/SP be challenging for a single mother - widow, 40ish with toddler. One thing that keeps me in DC is worrying that I won't make friends out of the DMV where there are many single mothers/professional women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would living in Annapolis/SP be challenging for a single mother - widow, 40ish with toddler. One thing that keeps me in DC is worrying that I won't make friends out of the DMV where there are many single mothers/professional women.

Plenty of single moms and dads with kids in Annapolis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wardour is in West Annapolis, it is a small neighborhood and the two houses on the market right now are 3 mil and 7 mil.
There are other houses in West Annap that are cheaper. If you want a traditional neighborhood close in downtown, Murray Hill would be a good option.

Do you plan on doing privates?

What type of neighborhood do you want, what is your budget?

We have been in Annapolis for the past 13 years. I lived in Alexandria and DC before that. The biggest sacrifice is restaurants. Food in general sucks here. A lot of average, a lot of really bad and a couple of places that are worth it. Biggest benefit outside of COVID is access to BWI.
Let me know if you have specific questions happy to answer.

There are also smaller houses in Wardour that have gone for under 1m though it is certainly a more expensive area. West Annapolis can be great, just be careful to stick in the good elementary school district.

I'm sorry the PP seems to not like the Annapolis dining scene, I think its great--though of course, you're in a much smaller city. The below are slighted dated, but give a good sense of the general vibe:

http://edibledc.com/stories/annapolis-is-a-trip-fit-for-foodies

http://dcrefined.com/eat-drink/guide-to-summer-eating-in-annapolis

Outside of Flament all of the places on both of those list would be run of the mill establishments anywhere else. And Flament is the only where you are going to sit down and have a full portion meal.

[Anonymous]

We live more on the Edgewater side of the Annapolis metro area. It’s wonderful and we love it. Severna Park is completely different, and more ritzy I think. Admittedly there were some big obnoxious Trump flags around but I found it very easy to find likeminded friends.

Atmospherically, Annapolis is its own “place.” It is not a suburb of DC at all. I probably know more people who commute to Baltimore than DC, but it’s its own center of gravity, which I really like.

We do send our kids to private school, and I think it’s more common here than in the inner ring DC suburbs, but my neighborhood friends are mostly public school parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live more on the Edgewater side of the Annapolis metro area. It’s wonderful and we love it. Severna Park is completely different, and more ritzy I think. Admittedly there were some big obnoxious Trump flags around but I found it very easy to find likeminded friends.

Atmospherically, Annapolis is its own “place.” It is not a suburb of DC at all. I probably know more people who commute to Baltimore than DC, but it’s its own center of gravity, which I really like.

We do send our kids to private school, and I think it’s more common here than in the inner ring DC suburbs, but my neighborhood friends are mostly public school parents.

Also—we are a racially mixed family and have never had any issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wardour is in West Annapolis, it is a small neighborhood and the two houses on the market right now are 3 mil and 7 mil.
There are other houses in West Annap that are cheaper. If you want a traditional neighborhood close in downtown, Murray Hill would be a good option.

Do you plan on doing privates?

What type of neighborhood do you want, what is your budget?

We have been in Annapolis for the past 13 years. I lived in Alexandria and DC before that. The biggest sacrifice is restaurants. Food in general sucks here. A lot of average, a lot of really bad and a couple of places that are worth it. Biggest benefit outside of COVID is access to BWI.
Let me know if you have specific questions happy to answer.

There are also smaller houses in Wardour that have gone for under 1m though it is certainly a more expensive area. West Annapolis can be great, just be careful to stick in the good elementary school district.

I'm sorry the PP seems to not like the Annapolis dining scene, I think its great--though of course, you're in a much smaller city. The below are slighted dated, but give a good sense of the general vibe:

http://edibledc.com/stories/annapolis-is-a-trip-fit-for-foodies

http://dcrefined.com/eat-drink/guide-to-summer-eating-in-annapolis

Outside of Flament all of the places on both of those list would be run of the mill establishments anywhere else. And Flament is the only where you are going to sit down and have a full portion meal.

Wow, if you’re the same PP I was responding to who thinks the main amenity of Annapolis is BWI for Pete’s sake—I hope you move soon. What a miserable way to look at where you live.