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If you're facing relocation to the Washington, D.C. area...  If you're a current Maryland homeowner contemplating another home purchase...

Choosing where to live may seem overwhelming in such a vast area!  The first step is probably to choose between living in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. - and that choice may be easier for you after reading Education Weekly's 12th Annual Quality Counts report.

MARYLAND SCHOOLS ARE RANKED #3 IN THE NATION!

Only three states earned a "B" in this report:  Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.  Under the leadership of Maryland's State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick, Maryland has climbed from 25th in 2006 to 3rd in 2008.  The District of Columbia is on the opposite end of the chart, ranking last with a D-, while Virginia is ranked #5 with a B-.

This is how the three local state school systems compared:

Quality Counts grades schools on their performance outcomes as well as their policy efforts.  They're looking at states' efforts to align policies across the various levels of education from K-12 study and training. This year, they also considered a new set of indicators that evaluates state efforts to attract, develop, and deploy talent in education, including both teachers and school principals.

"What about LOCAL schools?", you might ask.  Well, check out these two reports I prepared a few months ago on Crofton schools:  Report Card for Crofton Middle & High Schools and Crofton Schools Report Card.  As I mentioned before, Crofton teachers deserve a lot of the credit for excellent schools in the Crofton area. 

Relocation to a new area is never easy, but this report provides some excellent motivation for choosing Maryland over Virginia and D.C.  May I suggest that you focus on the Crofton area in Anne Arundel County, Maryland?

You can view the entire report for Maryland schools in PDF format.

NOTE:  Maryland Outshines Virginia and D.C on School Report published 2/10/2008.

 PHOTO:  Istockphoto

Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland  

European settlers arrived in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, in 1649, seventeen years after King Charles I signed the Charter of Maryland granting it to Cecil Calvert.  Calvert envisioned Maryland as a refuge for Roman Catholics, but the Maryland General Assembly enacted "An Act Concerning Religion" which legislated religious protection to all Christians.

With a history so steeped in religion, it's not surprising that Anne Arundel County is home to several historic churches, including two that date to the 1600's.

ALL HALLOWS EPISCOPAL CHURCH - Route 2 and Brick Church Road, Davidsonville, MD 21035

The Church of England was officially established in the Colony of Maryland In 1692 by King William and Queen Mary, who chartered 30 parishes, one of which was All Hallows.  However, early Parish records date back to March 1, 1669, noting the first recorded baptism at All Hallows.  The building's Interior was altered extensively during the 19th century according to needs and tastes of the time. A fire in 1940, left only the walls standing, but the subsequent rebuilding efforts restored The Brick Church to its original Georgian style.         Source:  Church website

ST. MARGARET'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH- 1601 Pleasant Plains Rd., Annapolis, MD 21401

This parish was established in 1692, and the present church building was originally constructed in 1803.  The structure suffered several accidental fires and rebuilding campaigns over the course of history. In 1985, 5he church underwent a massive restoration project that restored its 1896 appearance.
 

ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH - 109 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD 21401 (pictured above)

Victorian-Gothic structure, consecrated in 1860. The interior displays the rib-vaulting and hand-carved altar screen typical of the Gothic Revival style.  St. Mary's is located in downtown Annapolis, overlooking Spa Creek, and my son Tim was married there about 15 years ago.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH  - 144 Conduit St., Annapolis, MD 21401

The sanctuary, a portion of which was originally the Hallam Theatre, was built in 1828.

ST. ANNE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH - 199 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD 21401

The present church, built in Romanesque-Revival style, is the third to stand on this site. Construction began in 1859, using some of the walls and the tower of the second church, destroyed by fire in 1858. The St. Anne's window, given to the church in 1839, was designed by the Tiffany studios. 

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH - 220 Owensville Road, West River, MD 20778 

Built in 1869, this is one of the county's finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.

THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY CHAPEL - U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD (pictured above)

At a mere century old, this structure is the most recently built of these historic places of worship.  The cornerstone for the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel was laid in 1904, and construction was finished in 1908.  Revolutionary Naval hero John Paul Jones was laid to rest in the crypt of the Naval Academy Chapel in 1913. The chapel's copper dome is a landmark on "the yard" and in the city of Annapolis.

Check out the history of Anne Arundel County for more information about the religions struggles that defined so much of Maryland's history.

This post is included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland 

 PHOTOS:  Istockphoto

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Crofton Library is arguably the heart of the community.

Located at the intersection of Reidel Road and Aberdeen Drive, it is easily accessible to every neighborhood in Crofton, and walkable for many of them.

I remember a time when libraries were little more than a musty-smelling old building with poorly lit rows of books that could be borrowed for two weeks.  Geeky-types sat at large tables, surrounded by piles of books - doing research, I guess.  Well, that does NOT describe Crofton Library.

This is a beautiful newish facility with tall ceilings and a wall of windows.  Scheduled activities take place often, ranging from Babies in Bloom, for parents and caregivers "to bring their babies (up to 24 months) for a fun-filled half-hour of stories, songs, rhymes and fingerplays" to Book Clubs where you can "meet friends and neighbors at the library for a lively discussion about some favorite popular books."

On Thursday, July 24, visit the library for Harry Potter and the 10th Anniversary Extravaganza from 2 to 4 p.m.  Ferrando's Treasures is sponsoring the event for children of all ages to celebrate Harry's arrival at Hogwarts!  Read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, then come in costume for crafts, games and prizes, and sign a Hagrid-sized birthday card for Harry. 

Next month, families can meet some of our local firefighters during A Visit from the Friendly Firefighters  on Tuesday, August 5 and Thursday August 7 at 10 a.m. 

My 4-year old granddaughter Meghan is a daily visitor to Crofton Library, where her mom, Christine, spends valuable one-on-one time teaching her early reading and writing skills.  During the summer months, they're joined by six-year old Matthew, and it is the highlight of their days.

My favorite library offering is Crofton's Read and Review, which they call "a happy place where the staff of Crofton Library can write about what they're reading."  These are candid reviews, offering  opinions of the readers - both positive and negative - and they have reinvigorated my interest in reading.  In fact, I went out and bought Diary of a Wimpy Kid to read before giving it to my middle-school grandson, Tim.  Here are just a few of their recent reviews:

• The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin  (posted by Catherine)
• Escape from the Deep (NF 2008) - Alex Kershaw (posted by Andy)
• The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir by Ellie Mathews  (posted by CJ)
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: a novel in cartoons by Jeff Kinney (posted by Rachel)
• Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier (posted by Andy)
• High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed by Michael Kodas (posted by CJ)

If you're relocating to Maryland and looking for a community with a good library, be sure to stop into the Crofton Library when you're in the area shopping for a home.  If you currently live in Crofton and haven't yet visited the Crofton Library, I encourage you to take a few minutes to stop in and see what you've been missing.  

Directions:  From the intersection of Routes 3 and 424, go south on Route 424 (Davidsonville Road) to the 3rd traffic light, Riedel Road.  Turn left on Riedel to the library on the right, located at 1681 Riedel Road, Crofton, MD 21114.

Hours:  Monday - Thursday 9-9, Friday, Saturday 9-5, Closed on Sundays

Related Posts:

• Crofton Library to Close on Sundays
• Book Reviews By Crofton Library Staff

PHOTO:  MWoda
IMAGE:  Amazon.com

This post included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland  

Kauffman's Tavern, in Gambrills Maryland, is not located on the water, where you might expect to find one of Anne Arundel County's premier crab houses.  In fact, it's not even a crab house.  But boy.... do they have good steamed crabs!   You can get them any day for dining in or carry-out (in season, while supplies last) - yet Sundays are special because that's the day they offer "all-you-can-eat" crabs from 3-9 p.m. for just $28 per person. Not only that, they have live music on the patio from 2-6 p.m.

Kauffman's is located on Gambrills Road, off Route 175 between Fort Meade and Route 3.  It's kind of a road to nowhere, so you're not likely to discover Kauffman's in your daily travels - if you're a regular customer, you probably remember who first told you about their crabs.  

But crabs are not their only scrumptious menu item.  One evening, Larry and I noticed nearby diners with prime rib that looked very good, so we ordered it ourselves.  My own personal favorite place for prime rib is the Carolina Hotel at Pinehurst, in North Carolina, so I was thrilled to discover a local restaurant serving great prime rib.

There's more...

• Sunday -Jazz Brunch from 10 a.m. -2 p.m., with live music in the Sunight Garden Room
• Monday - One pound of jumbo spiced shrimp, just $15
• Tuesday - Prime rib night $15.95.  Enjoy it with select wines for 50% off
• Wednesday and Thursday - All night Happy Hour (4 p.m. - 1 a.m.) with $5 chicken basket - on the patio
• Friday and Saturday - Live music on the patio

I've never had anything at Kaufmann's that wasn't good, and the service is always good, too.   It's one of those neighborhood restaurants that only the locals know about, and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

DIRECTIONS:

From Crofton, take Route 3 North to Left on MD Route 175, Right on Gambrills Road to restaurant on the right.  (about 15 minutes)

From Fort George G. Meade, take MD Route 75 to Gambrills Road on the left to restaurant on the right.  (about 10 minutes) 

PHOTOS: Istockphoto and MWoda

This post included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland 

Included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County, Maryland - Home of Fort George G. Meade, NSA, Northrop Grumman, BWI, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

If you're looking for a home in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, this is something I'll probably ask you before we step foot into a single home.

Even though price IS an object, I do want to know what you're looking for.  It's the most important step of the home-buying process! 

When two buyers are involved - a couple or partners, for example - it quickly becomes apparent where there's a difference of opinion.  It's easy to laugh about those differences, in this context.  Some buyers never even dared think about what they really want, and they become downright giddy as they describe their log cabin on acreage with a view of the Smoky Mountains or other "impossible dream." 

How does this help, when I'm working with you to find a townhome in the Baltimore-Washington area?  Good question, so let's use that example...

If a log cabin with a view is your dream home, it tells me the townhome you buy from me is probably not your "forever" one; therefore, appreciation and resale value are very important.  It also says that a view is something you will appreciate, and you will treasure whatever privacy you can get.  It may even signal that you prefer a more casual lifestyle rather than a formal one.

The next phase of this conversation is to add in some realism here.  First, of course, is to identify items for your Long Term Goals, knowing (for example) that acreage is beyond your means at this time and in this place.  But that doesn't mean we can't make a serious effort to satisfy your housing wish list, within the restraints of budget, location, and timing.

Now it's time to get down to business! 

By that, I mean separating your WANTS  from your NEEDS.  Is a fireplace a "must have" or "would like to have" feature?  Do you need two bathrooms or, if everything else was perfect, could you live with one and a half?  Knowing this helps me choose homes to show you that are likely candidates for you to purchase.  It saves a LOT of time and aggravation for both of us. 

Today's buyers often come to me with a list of homes they found online, and those are the homes they want to see. 

May I suggest that you bring the list of homes you found on the Internet, BUT also take the time to talk with me about your dream home; let's make sure we're on the same page about your WANTS and NEEDS, and review together the homes you found online.  After all, I really know the area and the inventory of available homes.  I may be able to save you time and money by suggesting other homes and communities; and some of the homes you found online may not fit your criteria at all.

You see, I'm more than a taxi-driver with a key to get inside homes that are for sale.  I'm a professional REALTOR with over 30 years experience.  My knowledge of Anne Arundel County real estate and the home-buying process will help make your home-buying transaction a smooth and pleasant one. 

RELATED LINKS: 

• Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland
• Find out how today's mortgage interest compares with the rates last week and last month 

Crofton's location is one of the reasons many people chose to live in the community.  When the traffic gods are smiling, it's less than an hour to most places residents have to go on a daily basis.

With Route 50 for East-West travel and Route 3 for North-South travel, and both the D.C. and Baltimore Beltways within a half hour, it really is a commuter's heaven - if there is such a thing.  With so many people heading towards D.C., it's a bonus that the sun will be at your back, and not in your eyes, both on the way to and home from work.  

A prospective Crofton resident contacted me this week to ask what the commuting time would be for her husband to downtown Washington.  That inspired me to put together this little directory for anyone relocating to the area.  The origination point for these destinations is the Crofton Village Green, in old Crofton.

If you have any questions about commuting or any aspect of living in Crofton, I'll be glad to help - and you, too, may inspire a blog!

RELATED LINKS:

• A Commuting Guide for Northrop Grumman Newbies

 This post included in Your Online Relocation Package for Anne Arundel County Maryland