Moving to Annapolis

[Anonymous]

There are so many assumptions I see here that I just don’t agree with.

- Annapolis K-12 public schools are fine. I’d actually rather send kids to Annapolis publics than most of the privates in the area. Annapolis High School is evenly split between white, Black, and Hispanic students. A large percentage of the school is low-income, and a large percentage of the school
is also VERY wealthy. You can’t look at that school without accounting for these differences. Students from advantaged backgrounds attending the Annapolis schools actually have academic outcomes that match their counterparts in Severna Park schools in terms of test scores, and they actually do better in measures of college readiness. The privates in Anne Arundel suck. They don’t release their standardized test scores and their SAT scores are lower than many of the publics. Many of the public schools in the area send more kids to T20s than the privates do. The privates in Anne Arundel are very underwhelming, except for the Key School. I live in Davidsonville/Riva, in the South River High School cluster, and my daughter is in a private school currently, but she is applying for the IB program at Annapolis High School. Trust me when I say the privates here are not worth the money, that’s why we’re pulling our kids out and sending them to publics.

- Racism: Having lived in inner-DC burbs and the Annapolis area, the racism exists in both areas and it’s pretty much the same. There’s no shortage of racists in Bethesda, Potomac, and Chevy Chase. Just look at much of this forum for instance if you want to see proof of that 😉. Besides areas like Pasadena and some pockets in Edgewater, there really isn’t much difference in the racism you’ll see in Anne Arundel County vs the inner-ring DC burbs.

- it is true you will find a different culture in most of Anne Arundel County than in DC. The most DC oriented areas in the county are Crofton, Odenton, Davidsonville, and Gambrills, which are all amazing places to live in with great schools and lots of amenities, but they don’t have much of the water access Anne Arundel is iconic for. They’re still close to the water, but there’s no waterfront in these towns themselves (except for Davidsonville). That being said, Annapolis still has a decent portion of DC folk and more have been coming in the recent years.

- Severna Park is very underwhelming. It’s very old and outdated, and also very snobby and arrogant. The people there think they are way more rich than they actually are. People mostly move there for the schools or just so they can say they live in Severna Park. There’s no water access unless you live on the water there, and it’s very bland. Most of the people there are from there. Annapolis proper is infinitely better than Severna Park imo.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Anne Arundel Co and went to Severna Park HS. It’s a nice area, with good schools and nice homes, but as a POC, it really wasn’t that great. I never felt that I fit in as it’s very homogeneous. I eventually moved to DC and later to Mont Co. As far as commute to DC, I think Crofton, Gambrills, or even Odenton are going to be better bets than Annapolis or Severna Park. Also, you will be able to find a home in those areas in the $500-$600 price range.

[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?

Look at houses near Forest Glen & downtown Wheaton:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/1821-Sanford-Rd-20902/home/11063959

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/1916-Arcola-Ave-20902/home/11069050

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/11201-Valley-View-Ave-20895/home/10963405

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so many assumptions I see here that I just don’t agree with.

- Annapolis K-12 public schools are fine. I’d actually rather send kids to Annapolis publics than most of the privates in the area. Annapolis High School is evenly split between white, Black, and Hispanic students. A large percentage of the school is low-income, and a large percentage of the school
is also VERY wealthy. You can’t look at that school without accounting for these differences. Students from advantaged backgrounds attending the Annapolis schools actually have academic outcomes that match their counterparts in Severna Park schools in terms of test scores, and they actually do better in measures of college readiness. The privates in Anne Arundel suck. They don’t release their standardized test scores and their SAT scores are lower than many of the publics. Many of the public schools in the area send more kids to T20s than the privates do. The privates in Anne Arundel are very underwhelming, except for the Key School. I live in Davidsonville/Riva, in the South River High School cluster, and my daughter is in a private school currently, but she is applying for the IB program at Annapolis High School. Trust me when I say the privates here are not worth the money, that’s why we’re pulling our kids out and sending them to publics.

- Racism: Having lived in inner-DC burbs and the Annapolis area, the racism exists in both areas and it’s pretty much the same. There’s no shortage of racists in Bethesda, Potomac, and Chevy Chase. Just look at much of this forum for instance if you want to see proof of that 😉. Besides areas like Pasadena and some pockets in Edgewater, there really isn’t much difference in the racism you’ll see in Anne Arundel County vs the inner-ring DC burbs.

- it is true you will find a different culture in most of Anne Arundel County than in DC. The most DC oriented areas in the county are Crofton, Odenton, Davidsonville, and Gambrills, which are all amazing places to live in with great schools and lots of amenities, but they don’t have much of the water access Anne Arundel is iconic for. They’re still close to the water, but there’s no waterfront in these towns themselves (except for Davidsonville). That being said, Annapolis still has a decent portion of DC folk and more have been coming in the recent years.

- Severna Park is very underwhelming. It’s very old and outdated, and also very snobby and arrogant. The people there think they are way more rich than they actually are. People mostly move there for the schools or just so they can say they live in Severna Park. There’s no water access unless you live on the water there, and it’s very bland. Most of the people there are from there. Annapolis proper is infinitely better than Severna Park imo.

This totally matches our impression of SP. People there thought they were so special because they lived there. I mean, it had nice parts and people were nice, but it felt like they thought they were special in a new money kind of way. It felt like they wanted a nicer house so they could say it was nicer, but because they actually enjoyed more space or a quieter setting or even being near the water.

[Anonymous]

Severna Park waterfront homes are a hidden gem, IMO. But off the water it can be hit or miss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so many assumptions I see here that I just don’t agree with.

- Annapolis K-12 public schools are fine. I’d actually rather send kids to Annapolis publics than most of the privates in the area. Annapolis High School is evenly split between white, Black, and Hispanic students. A large percentage of the school is low-income, and a large percentage of the school
is also VERY wealthy. You can’t look at that school without accounting for these differences. Students from advantaged backgrounds attending the Annapolis schools actually have academic outcomes that match their counterparts in Severna Park schools in terms of test scores, and they actually do better in measures of college readiness. The privates in Anne Arundel suck. They don’t release their standardized test scores and their SAT scores are lower than many of the publics. Many of the public schools in the area send more kids to T20s than the privates do. The privates in Anne Arundel are very underwhelming, except for the Key School. I live in Davidsonville/Riva, in the South River High School cluster, and my daughter is in a private school currently, but she is applying for the IB program at Annapolis High School. Trust me when I say the privates here are not worth the money, that’s why we’re pulling our kids out and sending them to publics.

- Racism: Having lived in inner-DC burbs and the Annapolis area, the racism exists in both areas and it’s pretty much the same. There’s no shortage of racists in Bethesda, Potomac, and Chevy Chase. Just look at much of this forum for instance if you want to see proof of that 😉. Besides areas like Pasadena and some pockets in Edgewater, there really isn’t much difference in the racism you’ll see in Anne Arundel County vs the inner-ring DC burbs.

- it is true you will find a different culture in most of Anne Arundel County than in DC. The most DC oriented areas in the county are Crofton, Odenton, Davidsonville, and Gambrills, which are all amazing places to live in with great schools and lots of amenities, but they don’t have much of the water access Anne Arundel is iconic for. They’re still close to the water, but there’s no waterfront in these towns themselves (except for Davidsonville). That being said, Annapolis still has a decent portion of DC folk and more have been coming in the recent years.

- Severna Park is very underwhelming. It’s very old and outdated, and also very snobby and arrogant. The people there think they are way more rich than they actually are. People mostly move there for the schools or just so they can say they live in Severna Park. There’s no water access unless you live on the water there, and it’s very bland. Most of the people there are from there. Annapolis proper is infinitely better than Severna Park imo.

I agree with all of this. Annapolis High might actually be the rare high school that is *actually* integrated with minority and white kids; rich and poor kids. That said I send my kids to Key School. My zoned high school is South River which is supposed to be good but I’ve heard concerning race stuff.

I’d add Crownsville, Edgewater, and Riva to your list of nice places to live in AA Co.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Severna Park waterfront homes are a hidden gem, IMO. But off the water it can be hit or miss.

Those houses are often dated, insanely priced, and have such high maintenance. Plus flooding and storm surge, which poses so many financial challenges. If you have tons of money, ok, but everyone we know with houses in that area agree that their house is a money pit, albeit a nice one. Houses are often money pits but waterfront (and not freshwater!) Totally adds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Severna Park waterfront homes are a hidden gem, IMO. But off the water it can be hit or miss.

Those houses are often dated, insanely priced, and have such high maintenance. Plus flooding and storm surge, which poses so many financial challenges. If you have tons of money, ok, but everyone we know with houses in that area agree that their house is a money pit, albeit a nice one. Houses are often money pits but waterfront (and not freshwater!) Totally adds.

As long as your property sits high enough, this isn't a real concern. I've lived on the South River for a long time and there's really no increased maintenance costs.

[Anonymous]

I love this house: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/612-Holly-Ridge-Rd-Severna-Park-MD-21146/36026182_zpid/.

Does anyone know anything about the area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love this house: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/612-Holly-Ridge-Rd-Severna-Park-MD-21146/36026182_zpid/.

Does anyone know anything about the area?

It has no water access and is in an odd location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This totally matches our impression of SP. People there thought they were so special because they lived there. I mean, it had nice parts and people were nice, but it felt like they thought they were special in a new money kind of way. It felt like they wanted a nicer house so they could say it was nicer, but because they actually enjoyed more space or a quieter setting or even being near the water.

Severna Park is an upscale version of Glen Burnie that thinks it’s Bethesda, Potomac, and Chevy Chase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This totally matches our impression of SP. People there thought they were so special because they lived there. I mean, it had nice parts and people were nice, but it felt like they thought they were special in a new money kind of way. It felt like they wanted a nicer house so they could say it was nicer, but because they actually enjoyed more space or a quieter setting or even being near the water.

Severna Park is an upscale version of Glen Burnie that thinks it’s Bethesda, Potomac, and Chevy Chase.

Eh, how so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eh, how so?

It’s pretty much culturally the same. Very Baltimore white-flight oriented, pretty Republican, and very “Maryland.” A lot of the people in Severna Park are originally from areas like Glen Burnie, Pasadena, and Millersville and moved to Severna Park to signify that they “made it big.” Severna Park is seen as “wealthy” because it’s surrounded by a bunch of very working-class areas. Next to southwestern Montgomery County and even Western Howard County, Severna Park looks very working-class when you exclude the waterfront strip, which is only a minority of the homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh, how so?

It’s pretty much culturally the same. Very Baltimore white-flight oriented, pretty Republican, and very “Maryland.” A lot of the people in Severna Park are originally from areas like Glen Burnie, Pasadena, and Millersville and moved to Severna Park to signify that they “made it big.” Severna Park is seen as “wealthy” because it’s surrounded by a bunch of very working-class areas. Next to southwestern Montgomery County and even Western Howard County, Severna Park looks very working-class when you exclude the waterfront strip, which is only a minority of the homes.

While I agree, it’s in central Maryland, I disagree that it’s very working class. The median income for Severna Park is $139k. I don’t think that that is working class. In comparison the median income in Bethesda is $159k. So while more, I don’t think significantly more. While there are pockets that I would describe as working class, I think those are fewer than the more solidly upper middle class and upper class. I agree that with proximity to DC, Mont Co is more cosmopolitan. My experience in Severna Park was that there were very few people who were originally from Glen Burnie or other similar areas. Not to say that I’m a big Severna Park fan. I currently live inside the beltway in Mont Co.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh, how so?

It’s pretty much culturally the same. Very Baltimore white-flight oriented, pretty Republican, and very “Maryland.” A lot of the people in Severna Park are originally from areas like Glen Burnie, Pasadena, and Millersville and moved to Severna Park to signify that they “made it big.” Severna Park is seen as “wealthy” because it’s surrounded by a bunch of very working-class areas. Next to southwestern Montgomery County and even Western Howard County, Severna Park looks very working-class when you exclude the waterfront strip, which is only a minority of the homes.

While I agree, it’s in central Maryland, I disagree that it’s very working class. The median income for Severna Park is $139k. I don’t think that that is working class. In comparison the median income in Bethesda is $159k. So while more, I don’t think significantly more. While there are pockets that I would describe as working class, I think those are fewer than the more solidly upper middle class and upper class. I agree that with proximity to DC, Mont Co is more cosmopolitan. My experience in Severna Park was that there were very few people who were originally from Glen Burnie or other similar areas. Not to say that I’m a big Severna Park fan. I currently live inside the beltway in Mont Co.

I agree that areas like Severna Park, Crofton, Gambrills, Davidsonville, Arnold, etc are quite upper-class relative to the nation and even to most of Maryland. I’m essentially saying that snobbery you see in SP is comparable or even worse to the kind you see in southwestern burbs that are some of the richest in the country.