Home & Living

10 Best-Kept Secret Neighborhoods

With the market finally on the mend, we went house-hunting to come up with a list of more than 50 of the region’s best neighborhoods, from Annapolis to Roland Park to Havre de Grace, and then tracked down some of the folks buying there.

Even if you’ve heard of these communities, you may not appreciate their individual charms.

Woodberry
Trendy development projects are rising
under the familiar television towers in historic Woodberry, which offers
hip restaurants, businesses, and artists’ studios.

Cedarcroft
Characterized by distinctive Dutch
Colonial Revival and Federal Revival-style homes, this neighborhood
offers space and quiet, starting around $320,000.

Rodgers Forge
This historic community boasts
strong public schools, thriving community organizations, and easy access
to shopping and entertainment in Baltimore and Towson.

Glyndon
Founded as a privileged retreat from the
city’s heat, Glyndon’s spiffier listings run into the millions, but more
affordable options are available for under $500,000.

Eastport
The spiritual home of Annapolis’s
sailing community across the drawbridge from the downtown, it boasts
marinas, high-end restaurants, and easy-going local bars.

Crofton/Gambrills
Crofton’s location at the
center of the Baltimore-Annapolis-D.C. triangle has made it a tranquil
bedroom community, but there’s also lots of shopping along the Route 3
corridor.

Oella
Originally constructed in the early 1800s
as housing for cotton-mill workers, leafy Oella—in Baltimore County—is
now one of the region’s most charming, historic enclaves.

Uniontown/New Windsor
Just up the road from
Uniontown’s historic district, New Windsor retains a small-town feel,
with a population just under 1,500 and great home values.

Havre de Grace
Home to the oldest publicly
accessible lighthouse in Maryland, Havre de Grace offers plenty of
fishing, boating, hiking, and golf, as welll as lots of art galleries.

Ellicott City
Originally a mill community, its
historic façades on Main Street are now home to businesses like the
Ellicott Mills Brewing Co. and Mumbles & Squeaks Toy Shoppe.