Arnold

Cape St. Claire’s name conjures up images of a Caribbean paradise — and the waterfront community near Annapolis, Maryland isn’t far off. Located in Anne Arundel County on the Broadneck peninsula, this area offers residents community beaches, three marinas, several piers and, perhaps most importantly, direct access to the Chesapeake Bay. Established in the early 1940s as a private summer retreat for wealthy Baltimoreans, this suburb is now open to all. “Even though it has about 2,000 homes in it, it has a very small-town feel where everybody knows your name,” says Sarah Garza, the owner of The PCS Home Team and a real estate agent who has sold homes in the area for 11 years. Members of the community go beyond simply knowing each other, creating plenty of ways that people can get involved. “This neighborhood has a really strong sense of community,” says Malcolm Lawson, a Realtor with REAL Broker, LLC. “They’ve got a ton of clubs—a gardening club, a swim club, a yacht club, and more.”<br><br>It should come as no surprise that locals enjoy boating and spending time out on the water and in the sun. “It has some of the best water access amenities for only $10 a year in HOA fees,” Garza says. Residents without private docks keep their boats at one of the area’s marinas, and the neighborhood has a small private beach and playground just off River Bay Road where they can dig their feet into the sand and go swimming on a hot day. Cape St. Claire Swim Club, a local pool, is another popular spot for locals to gather when the weather gets hot. The Cape St. Claire Recreation Area offers basketball courts alongside soccer and softball fields. One of Cape St. Claire’s local organizations, The Goshen Farm Preservation Society, dedicates its efforts to preserving its historic 22 acres, where locals can explore on a small trail. Broadneck Park offers a playground, walking trails, a dog park and a wide range of athletic fields just outside the neighborhood. For a larger beach and views of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, residents drive 4 miles to the 786-acre Sandy Point State Park. <br><br>Cape St. Claire’s streets lack sidewalks, but they’re quiet and tree-lined, keeping daily walks or runs pleasantly shaded. The community’s homes are often simple ranch-style, split-level and colonial-style houses. The median price of a single-family home in Cape St. Claire is $568,250, but a two-bedroom home can go for as little as $350,000. Waterfront estates with private docks tend to take on a beachier, more grandiose appearance and can easily climb above $2.75 million. Thanks to this wide price range, the community “has an eclectic bunch of people,” Garza says, adding that homes sell quickly. <br><br>Community events are part of life in Cape St. Claire, from Easter egg hunts and a Fourth of July parade to trick-or-treating events. The biggest event in town, though, is the Strawberry Festival, which has been a tradition for over 60 years. With free admission, the festival offers live music, food and craft vendors, games, contests like “The Berriest Baby” contest, a parade, pony rides and so much more. The Goshen Farm is an educational center that also hosts frequent events like small concerts, wine tastings and an environmental festival that features face painting, arts and crafts, games and music. <br><br>Cape St. Claire Plaza offers larger retailers like Ace Hardware and Subway alongside smaller mom-and-pop shops like Graul’s Market, where residents have picked up fresh produce and family recipes since 1920. Residents often start their days with coffee and breakfast at Blue Rooster Cafe or sit down for margaritas and fajitas at Broadneck Grill & Cantina. For a little extra excitement, residents simply drive 8 miles to Downtown Annapolis, where they can shop at its many boutiques, visit a museum and enjoy a waterfront restaurant or bar. <br><br>Anne Arundel County Public Schools has a B on Niche and 18 nationally recognized blue ribbon schools. Students can attend Cape St. Claire Elementary School and Magothy River Middle School, both of which have B-plus ratings, before moving on to Broadneck High School. The high school has an A on Niche and puts an emphasis on environmental literacy through leveraging the proximity of the Chesapeake Bay and providing mentorship on capstone projects, guest speakers, field experiences and more. <br><br>College Parkway makes up much of Cape St. Claire’s southern border and it takes just a few minutes to get onto Route 50 or Route 179 from the neighborhood. There are no bus stops in Cape St. Claire, making it highly car-dependent. Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center is just over 7 miles away and downtown Annapolis is only 8 miles from home.

Pendennis Mount, just across the Severn River from the United States Naval Academy, is filled with greenery and the smell of the ocean. Largely made up of white oak trees and a state park, along with a naval training area, residents can feel disconnected from the Annapolis area. “There can be waterfront homes with impressive views, houses tucked into the hills of the Mount, and a small beach,” says Brian Jacobs, Realtor with Coldwell Banker. As the tip of the Broadneck Peninsula, Pendennis Mount has a few subdivisions and multi-million-dollar homes hidden behind greenery and the occasional long, winding driveway. Sandy Point State Park is to the eastern edge of the neighborhood and covers almost 800 acres. Here, residents can fish or crab in the Chesapeake Bay, whether that be in the day or under the cover of night. The park also has a few shorter trails to hike, including the Corcoran Tract, a four-mile trail in a natural environment area. While deer hunting is permitted within the Corcoran Environmental Study Area and the Severn Run Natural Environment Area, it is limited to archery deer hunting only. Greenbury Point is run by the U.S. Navy, and while the trails into the park are open daily, there are times that the area is closed due to U.S. Navy training events and if the firearm ranges are in use. Homes within Pendennis have a median price of $642,500, with some homes within Homeowners Associations where monthly costs can range from $9 to $83. There is a voluntary HOA fee of $300 a year for Pendennis Mount, helping to cover recreation upkeep of the neighborhood. Split-levels and Colonial Revival homes further inland can begin around $400,000 and reach about $700,000. However, most properties are set further back from the road, hidden behind a cover of trees, with large windows and sometimes with wrap-around porches to better take in the views. Homes on the water tend to cost more than $1 million, with private docks and slips into the Severn River or the Chesapeake Bay. Pendennis Mount is just across from Annapolis and its year-round events, from the Pride Parade and Festival in June to Commemoration Week for the Naval Academy in May and boat shows in October. At Sandy Point Park, from November to January 1st, residents can drive through and listen to holiday music at the Lights on the Bay holiday light show. The park itself may close at 4 p.m., but drivers can take the two-mile loop to see animated and stationary light displays. While Pendennis Mount is mostly residential and forested, residents can stop by the Whitehall Shopping Center for craft supplies and model cars from Star Hobby and cupcakes, including gluten-free ones, from Blue Crab Cupcake. Along the Blue Star Memorial Highway, residents can grab quick groceries from High’s, a convenience store, before eating at Red Hot & Blue Annapolis, a barbeque spot. Residents can also head north into Cape St. Clair for groceries from Graul’s Market. Cantler’s Riverside Inn has a dock for boaters needing a meal, offering fresh seafood dishes. For those in the military, there is the Navy Exchange Main and the Navy Annapolis Commissary before Greenbury Point. Children in this neighborhood can begin school at Windsor Farms Elementary for kindergarten through fifth grade before moving to Severn River Middle for sixth through eighth grade. Windsor Farms receives a B-plus from Niche, while Severn River receives an A-minus. Students can then attend Broadneck High School, which receives an A from Niche, and take one of 22 Advanced Placement classes. The Blue Star Memorial Highway at times acts as the northern border of the neighborhood, connecting residents to Washington D.C. to the west and crossing the Chesapeake Bay to the east. The Maryland Department of Transportation has one bus line on Governor Ritchie Highway, the 70, that comes through every 45 minutes.