Anonymous wrote:Don’t do Guilford unless you are willing to risk being carjacked in your driveway.

Guilford, Roland Park, Canterbury- Tuscany

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Stoneleigh sounds great! Is it the kind of neighborhood where the kids are out playing together, riding their bikes around the neighborhood , etc. like in the 80’s? I would love that for my kids.

It’s not a cul de sac neighborhood, and the streets are a bit too trafficky for kids playing in them, but it is walkable to the public schools and swim club. The only downside is very limited inventory, and that the houses tend to be on the smaller side.

"Charming" (wink wink)
I'm a Stoneleigh neighbor and agree with this, you don't buy in Stoneleigh if you want a McMansion. There are plenty of great options for this if you choose something a little North in the County. Stoneleigh homes skew small (but charming), Rolandn Park homes skew too big (but drafty and hard to maintain). and Homeland's skew too vanilla and close together
(but lovely).

Lol, perusing the forums from my home in roland park and drafty + hard to maintain is sooo accurate.

Love our home and glad the previous owners maintained it so well but was not emotionally (or fiscally) prepared for the upkeep here.

A slate roof guy, chimney guy, an arborist so the 100+ year old black walnut trees don’t crush the house or one of us… and original leaded windows are gorgeous but any cold snap means it is >$1K+ to BGE and it’s still never quite warm.

Can’t beat the community for families with small kids though.

We're also a Hopkins family. We live in Keswick (basically southern Roland Park). Lots of kids, zoned for Roland Park schools, eligible to join the Roland Park pool, and I can walk to work on nice days. Nothing for sale right now, but you can check prior sales data to get a sense of the market, there would be plenty within your price range. Convenient to Bryn Mawr/Gilman/RPCS/Latin/Friends, although not truly walkable from those in the way that further north in Roland Park would be.

Anonymous wrote:NP. Stoneleigh sounds great! Is it the kind of neighborhood where the kids are out playing together, riding their bikes around the neighborhood , etc. like in the 80’s? I would love that for my kids.

Yes. This is why we moved here. It is a great benefit for kids to be in walking distance of their friends' houses, play in each other's yards, and be able to walk to the school and neighborhood pool. The houses are definitely on the smaller side, but nonetheless people still seem to like it here.

Anonymous wrote:Pinehurst is another great option. It straddles the county-city line but 75% on county side. It's sort of between Homeland and Stoneleigh geographically. Lovely 1920s housing vibes mostly fully updated. Good agents will show you around the area.

I don’t think it meets op’s criteria. No community pool, not particularly walkable to annything and a bus ride to school.

Pinehurst is another great option. It straddles the county-city line but 75% on county side. It's sort of between Homeland and Stoneleigh geographically. Lovely 1920s housing vibes mostly fully updated. Good agents will show you around the area.

I’d personally avoid Baltimore City schools completely (and I teach in the city). Yes, Roland Park is a great school but the city is a dumpster fire of an organization that I’d avoid if possible.

I’d also avoid the county schools but that’s just me. My kids went to Cathedral and then Loyola and NDP. Affordable, great education.

As for neighborhoods, I’d avoid high city taxes and choose Stoneleigh or Wiltondale.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Stoneleigh sounds great! Is it the kind of neighborhood where the kids are out playing together, riding their bikes around the neighborhood , etc. like in the 80’s? I would love that for my kids.

It’s not a cul de sac neighborhood, and the streets are a bit too trafficky for kids playing in them, but it is walkable to the public schools and swim club. The only downside is very limited inventory, and that the houses tend to be on the smaller side.

"Charming" (wink wink)
I'm a Stoneleigh neighbor and agree with this, you don't buy in Stoneleigh if you want a McMansion. There are plenty of great options for this if you choose something a little North in the County. Stoneleigh homes skew small (but charming), Rolandn Park homes skew too big (but drafty and hard to maintain). and Homeland's skew too vanilla and close together
(but lovely).

Anonymous wrote:NP. Stoneleigh sounds great! Is it the kind of neighborhood where the kids are out playing together, riding their bikes around the neighborhood , etc. like in the 80’s? I would love that for my kids.

Roland Park is definitely this kind of neighborhood. Kids can go to the pool sans parents (with permission & passing the swim test) at 10. Loads of kids as young as kindergarten bike to the private and public schools and around the neighborhood in general. It’s been lovely for us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Stoneleigh sounds great! Is it the kind of neighborhood where the kids are out playing together, riding their bikes around the neighborhood , etc. like in the 80’s? I would love that for my kids.

It’s not a cul de sac neighborhood, and the streets are a bit too trafficky for kids playing in them, but it is walkable to the public schools and swim club. The only downside is very limited inventory, and that the houses tend to be on the smaller side.

I drive through Stoneleigh all the time to see friends. There are always kids out playing. Not in the streets but in their front yards. Stoneleigh doesn't really get pass through traffic so it's not a neighborhood where you'd worry about speeding cars, once you drive off York Road or Regester Avenue, the two main entry roads for the neighborhood. And the streets are pretty narrow inside the neighborhood.

I worry more about a kid accidentally kicking a soccer ball into my passing car than hitting a kid with the car.

Anonymous wrote:NP. Stoneleigh sounds great! Is it the kind of neighborhood where the kids are out playing together, riding their bikes around the neighborhood , etc. like in the 80’s? I would love that for my kids.

It’s not a cul de sac neighborhood, and the streets are a bit too trafficky for kids playing in them, but it is walkable to the public schools and swim club. The only downside is very limited inventory, and that the houses tend to be on the smaller side.

Did OP ask for advice and then just ghost? Rude

NP. Stoneleigh sounds great! Is it the kind of neighborhood where the kids are out playing together, riding their bikes around the neighborhood , etc. like in the 80’s? I would love that for my kids.

For OP. We bought summer of 2025 in West Towson with no regrets. Did bid on two in Stoneleigh and Wiltondale and would have been happy there. But West Towson for our child is a 1 minute walk to his private school. Would also recommend Historic Lutherville a few minutes north of W. Towson. Still very easy access to JHU and lots of kids and activities. Check out 308 Morris Ave.

We are a Hopkins family and love Stoneleigh. It's a tight knit community and perfect for families with kids. The problem is finding inventory, as others have mentioned.