When considering an area in which to retire, Annapolis, Maryland may not instantly pop into your planning. It doesn’t have the constant warm to really, really hot weather of the south; it does get snow, and taxes aren’t particularly low. But Annapolis has so much to offer for the active retiree seeking an interesting lifestyle with educational, cultural, recreational and social opportuniites! You ought to consider Annapolis as a retirement community.
To be quite frank, the cost of living in Annapolis is not inexpensive. There are condo and townhome communities right in the city of Annapolis itself, and in surrounding areas, most notably Eastport, across the small bridge. Severn House is one of the oldest but most desirable condo communities, as is Fairwinds on the Severn. Both offer waterviews and good amenities and make for a great retirement community. The cost of your average 2 br, 2 ba condo/townhouse in Annapolis will range from at least $150,000 to well over $1,000,000, depending upon water view, water access (directly located on a body of water), amenities such as golf and tennis, and proximity to shopping and downtown Annapolis itself. Taxes are in the mid range for the state of Maryland, with statewide reassessments haven taken place a few years ago. Annapolis, the town itself, is highly sought after for its shopping, nightlife, historic buildings (it is the state capital of Maryland), and fine dining. Numerous restaurants line Annapolis’ downtown area, ranging from fast food to quality Italian dining to French fusion and, of course, seafood. While I lived in Annapolis as a young woman, the city had a fabulous fresh seafood market which sold fresh crabmeat, fish, homemade candies, cookies, cakes, desserts and ‘novelty’ items such as popcorn accentuated by that perennial favorite Maryland spice, Old Bay. The market has been shut down for at least a dozen years now, but there is talk of reopening it. The market is a prime piece of real estate located right at the heart of the Annapolis Harbor, which boasts a wide ranging of seafaring vessls: work boats, speed boats, magnificent sail boats, standard power boats to the largest yachts that can dock there. Boaters offen tie up at the city dock, which has a nominal docking fee, so as to disembark and travel throughout the city, be if for the day or several days. Shops in downtown Annapolis range from chains such as Talbot’s to funky record stores, ice cream parlors, purveyors of fine linens and imported womens’, mens’ and childrens’ clothing and accessories, jewelers, souvenir stores (junky, by and large!), and those beloved restaurants. The downtown dock area’s shopping district is fairly fluid, with stores closing and new ones opening up. Parking can sometimes be difficult, especially during holidays and events held in conjunction with both the Naval Academy and St. John’s College. There is one fairly large municipal lot downtown, and a larger one located several blocks away on West Street. There are some incredibly funky and fun bars downtown; the city has its own theater group, also located downtown, and one of the prettiest Roman Catholic churches in the area, St. Mary’s, is also located in the downtown area. You can count on spending several days walking the downtown area to discover all of its treasures, hidden and not. There is also a relatively new used and new book store which holds discussion groups, hosts musical entertainment, and is kind of a really cool, eclectic Borders or Barnes and Noble – without high prices! Browsers are encouraged!
As with anything of quality, prices for shopping and dining are not cheap, except for the few lower end restaurants and stores. If you’re on a budget, you might want to consider living outside of Annapolis city proper: perhaps in the Homewood, Admiral Heights areas, or across the Route 50 bridge into the Cape St. Claire, Arnold, Severna Park, Pasadena areas. These communities are more family oriented but do have a few condo/townhouse communities, especially in Arnold, Maryland. Again, you have to factor in crossing the bridge to get into the city itself, which is not that big of a deal, just a bit of an annoyance. It is fairly heavily traveled, especially during peak periods.
Culture and recreation are right at your fingertips in the city of Annapolis. The state capitol building is gorgeous; there are historic home and business tours available. Many seniors have found it very enjoyable to be employed as historic tour guides in their retirement (if you don’t mind the walking!) St. John’s College, one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the country, is located downtown. It offers audited and non-credit courses as well as enrichment courses. Students there do not attend classes in the typical college fashion; rather, they are ‘encouraged’ to read the series of Great Books, and meet in workshops and small groups to discuss together their findings. It is a highly unorthodox college that fits right in with the quirkiness of Annapolis. The Naval Academy is about 3 minutes from the city line. You can spend an entire day or more there touring the grounds and historic sites of the Academy. Midshipmen in their dress whites are a common sight on the streets of Annapolis, especially on weekends. From the strict military standards and devotion to country and patriotism to the laid-back., eclectic nature of an education at St. John’s College, you’ll find a really interesting mix of young men and women who certainly liven upthe area!
Slightly outside of the city limits, you’ll also find great shopping at the very large and renovated Annapolis Mall: Lord & Taylor, Strawbridge’s, Macy’s, fast food, chain retail stores are all there. There are also dozens and dozens of strip shopping centers located right by the Mall itself. As for health care concerns, Annapolis Medical Center is one of the best in the State. Renovated and moved to a new location about five years ago, it is a full-service facility. Physicians of every specialty have offices located in close proximity to the Annapolis Medical Center Hospital as well. Crime in Annapolis is relatively low despite having a rather diverse overall city population.
The big draw of Annapolis is the Chesapeake Bay, the Severn River, and the possibility of fabulous boating opportuniies. If you’re interested in boating – power or sail – Annapolis is the town for you. There are dozens, literally, of marines located in the Eastport section of town. Eastport was once known as the ‘poor’ side of Annapolis, but no longer! Eastport underwent a Renaissance of sorts about fifteen years ago. Spectacular and modest condo developments sprang up like flowers; some of Annapolis’ most diverse ethnic and seafood restaurants are located in Eastport as well. There’s also the Annapolis Yacht Club, located on the border of downtown Annapolis and Eastport, for those monied folks whowant a place not only to dock their yacht but to enjoy 360 degrees views of the Chesapeake Bay. The Club has some very fine amenities as well, and holds some of the most exciting social events in Annapolis.
Annapolis, Maryland is truly a one of a kind town in whch to live. I lived there as a young, single woman many years ago, and had the time of my life! (I also met my future husband there as well!) For the retirees, it is not a laid back, slow, always-warm-climate place to call home. It is a vibrant, exciting town for those looking for something a little bit different in their ‘golden years’; Annapolis itself is really a ‘golden’ treasure of a town.
