From resort to residential
Once a seasonal destination that emptied in the winter months, Linganore is now a year-round community of people who can’t get enough of the water. Lake Linganore is the anchor of this Frederick County neighborhood of about a dozen residential villages and four lakes. People walk through the woods, launch their canoes and kayaks into the water and brave the beach crowds in the summertime. “At one point in time it was second home, vacation type community, but it’s year-round now,” says Drew Hopley, operator at Live Frederick Group with Keller Williams Realty Centre in Frederick. “It’s desirable for people who want that outdoor living feel.”
Life on the lake
Wooded trails, athletic courts and playgrounds are spread evenly across Linganore. The village of Coldstream, for example, has basketball courts, picnic areas, a disc golf course and an outdoor pool. A wooden picnic pavilion and a walking trail sit within the Woodridge community, and the Meadows has a small lake with a boat rack. Lake Linganore itself is the main attraction. Spanning about 250 acres, the lake has been a popular swimming, boating and recreation spot for decades. In the summer, people come to relax at Coldwater Beach and Nightingale Beach, and year-round locals hike near the water at Indian Cave. “People love it there, particularly people who like the outdoors,” says Hopley.
Ritzy lakeside homes
Home construction in Linganore started in the 1960s, and new construction is happening quickly across its villages. In Pinehurst, for example, a 2014 colonial near nature trails and green spaces can cost $630,000. New craftsman lakefront homes near the beach can cost $720,000. Three-story contemporary houses with stone accoutrements can go for $925,000. Streets are enclosed and private, and the area is hilly with many one-lane roadways. Houses generally have about a quarter acre of land, and prices range from $370,000 to $1.2 million.
Winery and restaurants with character
Nearby New Market, which touches the southeastern side of Linganore, has a handful of shops and restaurants. The Derby Restaurant & Bar has washed-out wooden floors, an outdoor patio and live music and serves things like pizza and taco salad. Vintage Restaurant serves cocktails, ahi tuna and wings inside a brick colonial building with black shuttered windows, and Prospect Pantry is a local staple for panini and acai bowls. New Market Plains Vineyards is a winery with varietals like Chardonnay and Syrah. It’s a popular place to relax with a glass or bottle when the weather is nice.
Highly-rated schools
Kids in Linganore can attend Frederick County Public Schools, a highly rated district with an A-minus rating from Niche. Schools serving the Linganore area include Deer Crossing Elementary School, Oakdale Middle School and Oakdale High School. The elementary and middle schools are rated A-minus by Niche, and the high school has an A rating. Kids at the high school can join the VEX Robotics Cub, where they work with other students for several months to create a robot to complete a given task. The idea is to learn about the engineering design process.
Getting to downtown Frederick, Baltimore and D.C.
Linganore sits north of Interstate 70, which runs east to Baltimore. Nearby Interstate 270 links Frederick with Washington D.C., and neighbors can hop on the MARC train in downtown Frederick and ride it into the nation’s capital. Downtown Frederick, with its Creekside promenade, theater and variety of restaurants, sits 15 minutes away, and driving to Baltimore takes about an hour.
