Hip areas to live in Delaware and Md???

[phytoangel]

Hey mamas!

DH and I are looking at moving south. We currently live in the Boston area and we are missing a more laid back livin'.

Are there any hip,veggie friendly areas to live that you could suggest. Plus, we are looking at living at the beach. Nothing inland.

We have a 17mo, homebirthed, hopefully homeschooled, no vax, on and on.

Thanks mamas!

[VTnurse]

I would say Annapolis, MD. It seems to be a very 'holistic' centered place... birthing centers, etc. Plus, it's close to the water.

[MAWebster92182]

Originally Posted by VTnurse

I would say Annapolis, MD. It seems to be a very 'holistic' centered place... birthing centers, etc. Plus, it's close to the water.

Not so much laid back though....or at least not what I consider to be so. We live on the eastern shore, in Deal Island. Not the beach (ocean), but the bay....so it's still water. Veggie friendly in the sense that there are lots of farms in the area, and a good # of farmer markets as well.....

Good luck in finding a place that fits your needs/wants! I have several friends who live up in the Boston area now....

[mojumi]

Originally Posted by phytoangel

Are there any hip,veggie friendly areas to live that you could suggest. Plus, we are looking at living at the beach. Nothing inland.

hmmm ... North Carolina?

Love Annapolis, but not sure I'd call it hip or laid-back. Lot's of docks and dock access and small 'community beaches' around, but not what I think of as beach-life from my CA days, so not sure what you are looking for. Is commute any issue?

[MoonJelly]

Annapolis: No, it's not beachy but there is a lot of water and boaters around. I have lived there or near there most of my life. People are fairly progressive here as a rule. I think it would have the culture you are seeking without being totally urban. And Baltimore and DC are close enough to go to for dinner or for work or whatever. Beaches are about two hours or less from Annapolis. There's a fairly large contingent of MDC moms here as well.

If you are looking for really quiet but cute and not totally hick there's Chestertown which is a college town or Rock Hall which is near it, both on the Eastern shore. Again, not at the ocean, but lots and lots of water.

Good luck!

ETA: You should definitely come visit too!

[jlizgar]

Ive heard Takcoma Park is a pretty hip area of Maryland...you should check it out. I live in Silver Spring, the farthest thing from laid back on earth but its alright

Liz

[jlizgar]

OOPPSS, missed the part about wanting to live on the beach....disregard my recommendation then

[NaturalMama311]

Pasadena is great, its close to Baltimore, Annapolis and DC so everything is convenient but its much more laid back than the city life. There's lots of water and beaches, we live in a townhouse and have a beach in our backyard where our lab goes swimming several days a week! It's a very hodge-podge type of area with all types of people so its friendly everyone - very diverse!

Good luck in your search, I hope you find someplace where you adn your family will be happy!

[berry987]

I agree that Annapolis is beautiful and has a lot of water, but is not hip or laid-back. Chestertown, MD is on the Chester river and is a great little town with what appears to be a holistic leaning. I've never lived there, so I can't say for certain, but there is a natural food store downtown and a lot of cute, laid back eateries. Takoma Park is great, but not near the water, and pretty expensive. To be honest, we are trying to leave MD because we are looking for a more easy-going, less expensive, more liberal area.

[Pariah]

I love Annapolis very much, but I wouldn't call it hip or even progressive...we're kind of the freakish ones when we go there (and DH felt that way when he lived in that area). Most people are pretty conservative/preppy...it is a higher income area, and everyone we know there (and we know a lot of people there, DH lived in the immediate area for many years and went to school there) is very mainstream (though still nice people!) and lean to the conservative side. There is a store that sells natural health related books and supplies, an indie health food store, and there's a birth center in the area, but that's not enough for me to think of it as an especially progressive, NFL-friendly area.

Despite this, I think Annapolis is a beautiful area and DH is applying for jobs that will hopefully allow us to live there in the very near future (we're in NoVA at the moment). The DC area in general does have a good selection of alternative medicine practitioners (including non-vax friendly), and there's tons to do here. Maryland overall has a large homeschooling population, and we've never had problems finding activities for homeschoolers (this was when my sister and myself homeschooled), and there is a large selection of homeschooling groups to join.

DC is consistently in the top few veggie-friendly places in the country. There are LOTS of ethnic restaurants that are veg friendly around here, and several veg-specific restaurants (Java Green in DC is my favorite, it is delicious!) and smaller health food stores (My Organic Market, Roots, David's, etc., plus alt medicine stores like Smile Herb Shop -- love this place!). There is also a Green Festival in DC, and the Prayer Vigil for the Earth in October (a pro-peace event inclusive of many different belief systems -- we went two years ago and it was really cool)...

We've looked at places to live at the beach, but so far there's no work in DH's field available there. I would absolutely love to live at the beach if he could find work there, but nothing has turned up for him so far. Annapolis is my #2 choice.

Obviously I'm quite a fan of Maryland! DH and I left about five years ago for college and moved around several times in three different states, and we keep ending up back here. We've decided to embrace it this time, and we're home for good. :

[MoonJelly]

Originally Posted by Pariah

I love Annapolis very much, but I wouldn't call it hip or even progressive...we're kind of the freakish ones when we go there (and DH felt that way when he lived in that area). Most people are pretty conservative/preppy...it is a higher income area, and everyone we know there (and we know a lot of people there, DH lived in the immediate area for many years and went to school there) is very mainstream (though still nice people!) and lean to the conservative side. There is a store that sells natural health related books and supplies, an indie health food store, and there's a birth center in the area, but that's not enough for me to think of it as an especially progressive, NFL-friendly area.

Despite this, I think Annapolis is a beautiful area and DH is applying for jobs that will hopefully allow us to live there in the very near future (we're in NoVA at the moment). The DC area in general does have a good selection of alternative medicine practitioners (including non-vax friendly), and there's tons to do here. Maryland overall has a large homeschooling population, and we've never had problems finding activities for homeschoolers (this was when my sister and myself homeschooled), and there is a large selection of homeschooling groups to join.

DC is consistently in the top few veggie-friendly places in the country. There are LOTS of ethnic restaurants that are veg friendly around here, and several veg-specific restaurants (Java Green in DC is my favorite, it is delicious!) and smaller health food stores (My Organic Market, Roots, David's, etc., plus alt medicine stores like Smile Herb Shop -- love this place!). There is also a Green Festival in DC, and the Prayer Vigil for the Earth in October (a pro-peace event inclusive of many different belief systems -- we went two years ago and it was really cool)...

We've looked at places to live at the beach, but so far there's no work in DH's field available there. I would absolutely love to live at the beach if he could find work there, but nothing has turned up for him so far. Annapolis is my #2 choice.

Obviously I'm quite a fan of Maryland! DH and I left about five years ago for college and moved around several times in three different states, and we keep ending up back here. We've decided to embrace it this time, and we're home for good. :

Hehe, you said it wasn't a progressive area but then went on to give many examples of how it is. I often want to ask if people who say this have ever lived in the Mid-West or the South.

I find it's a common sentiment by people who live here and are progressively-minded. But I insist that, other than the normal exceptions, Maryland (incl Annapolis) is progressive! It may not appear so on the surface or in every case, but fundamentally (where it counts) I fully believe that it is and here's why:

Our environment is very conducive to people living in whatever way they choose. IME, when you have this, people will actually appear to be less radical. But trust me, I have grown up within ten miles of Annapolis and I have known many more liberals than conservatives. They just may not always look like it.

Many of my own family members are technically conservative, but they are very "Maryland" in that they are live-and-let-live types and would seem fairly liberal, especially socially, by middle-of-the-country standards.

Maryland is very progressive, and with the exception of a recent four-year stretch, a solidly blue state. And don't let the preppiness fool you! In fact the grade school my husband went to was in the 'Preppy Handbook' that came out in the 80's, but is one of the most liberal private schools in the country.

[Pariah]

Hehe, you said it wasn't a progressive area but then went on to give many examples of how it is.

I was referring to Annapolis specifically when I said it wasn't progressive. The DC area as a whole I would say IS progressive. The city of Annapolis specifically, not as much.

I've lived in Maryland my entire life, except for the aforementioned five year stretch. 1.5 years of that was spent in Tennessee, which was a nightmare, to put it nicely. It makes even Annapolis look like a liberal utopia.

[MoonJelly]

Originally Posted by Pariah

I was referring to Annapolis specifically when I said it wasn't progressive. The DC area as a whole I would say IS progressive. The city of Annapolis specifically, not as much.

I've lived in Maryland my entire life, except for the aforementioned five year stretch. 1.5 years of that was spent in Tennessee, which was a nightmare, to put it nicely. It makes even Annapolis look like a liberal utopia.

I can see what you mean and there certainly are pockets. But there is a really active NFL, AP, or otherwise crunchy mom contingent here. And there are so many new alternative services popping up these days and that's what I guess I am thinking of. There's a ton of organic grocers now, two Montessori schools, tons of art shops, new ethnic restaurants... You may see more McCain stickers than elsewhere because there is a military influence, but the crunchy-related side is growing not shrinking IMO.

(Yeah, I have heard about some other places. My cousin moved to Memphis I think because it was too liberal here for her. )

[Pariah]

Originally Posted by MoonJelly

Yeah, I have heard about some other places. My cousin moved to Memphis I think because it was too liberal here for her.

Eek. Well...I hope she likes it? If she doesn't like liberalism, she'll certainly be happy with that aspect. I will say no more, for fear of being reprimanded!

but the crunchy-related side is growing not shrinking IMO

That is awesome! That's what I was hoping to find since we've been back. I was just there in downtown/Main St. Annapolis yesterday and DH was commenting on how happy he was that I demanded we come back home. I said, "TOLD YOU SO!" I don't know of organic grocers except the little place on West St. and the Whole Foods...what else is there now? We had an event to go to yesterday, so we didn't have time to wander like I wanted to. But I heard my tattoo studio has all new staff, and the receptionist doesn't know/won't say where my old artist and piercer went to.

[marimara]

I didn't read all the posts but here is my take on Annapolis. I lived in Annapolis for one year but lived in the general area for 7 years. I recently moved down south and want to go back so bad.
My take: Annapolis is great for sailing, boating, being near the water. There are lot of cute shops downtown, kinda artsy. The bigger cities of Baltimore and DC are not that far away.
In Annapolis, there is a Trader Joe's, and a couple of other health food stores (this was as of a few years ago though). There a dog parks and other parks where you can go hiking. Ocean City is 3 hours away, for Atlantic beaches.

I'd say that Annapolis is hip, in the sense that that there are cool places to shop, great live music scene. But not really laid back. Sometimes people appear snobbish and uppity. The real estate prices are not that cheap either. I personally liked Annapolis, there was always something to do and we like sailing.

But based on your post I would think that something more towards the beach like Lewes in Delaware or Rehobeth Beach might fit you better.

[mariaz]

I was going to say Lewes and Rehobeth too. I think you may find something very close to what you are looking for in that area.

[mama2claire]

I'd definitely consider Lewes/Rehoboth. Gotta love that tax free living too!