We may be relocating to the Baltimore/DC/Richmond area early next spring. We would like to find a home, on the Chesapeake Bay, with a sailboat slip or mooring, if possible. Our needs are modest. We'll be moving from our 3br, 2,500 sq ft home in San Jose, CA and possibly truck our 36' sloop as well. Our goal is to find something with a reasonable commute to I95. Any recommendations?
Relocating to the Chesapeake Bay sailing venue
- Thread starter Kailani
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Geography controls...
Area you describe is vast, with the rivers and bay it has thousands(?) of miles of waterfront and many, many towns and cities. Are you going to be working in the area? If so, commuting is a very serious issue and will likely control where you live. If you're looking for a weekend place, then the options are broader, although the drive still impacts choices around here. Market here has been hot, in fact the hottest in the nation I believe and prices now reflect it. However, some of the waterfront stuff seems to be slow ... but prices are still going up. IMHO, you need to give more info or narrow your geography to get much meaningful feedback. As for I95, think LA freeway. Most of the bay is max 1 hour from it, but going anywhere on it is overwhelming. Saturday at 5:00PM both north and south were at a virtual standstill south of Washington. Only explanation was volume. It ain't pretty and gets worse every day.
Area you describe is vast, with the rivers and bay it has thousands(?) of miles of waterfront and many, many towns and cities. Are you going to be working in the area? If so, commuting is a very serious issue and will likely control where you live. If you're looking for a weekend place, then the options are broader, although the drive still impacts choices around here. Market here has been hot, in fact the hottest in the nation I believe and prices now reflect it. However, some of the waterfront stuff seems to be slow ... but prices are still going up. IMHO, you need to give more info or narrow your geography to get much meaningful feedback. As for I95, think LA freeway. Most of the bay is max 1 hour from it, but going anywhere on it is overwhelming. Saturday at 5:00PM both north and south were at a virtual standstill south of Washington. Only explanation was volume. It ain't pretty and gets worse every day.
Chesapeake bay
You need to be a bit more specific. It is 200 miles from Baltimore to Richmond with Washington 35 miles from Baltimore. Water front property is quite costly here.30 Miles north of Baltimore slip fees run less than $3000/ year including winter storage. Generally south of the mouth of the Potomac River winter dry storage is not needed. But at the upper end of the bay we can get more that 6 inches of ice during the coldest parts of the season. From Washington to the bay by Potomac river is about 100 miles. From Richmond to the bay is even farther. You should find some large scale maps and study those. You might write to The department of transportation in Maryland and Virginia and request state road maps.
You need to be a bit more specific. It is 200 miles from Baltimore to Richmond with Washington 35 miles from Baltimore. Water front property is quite costly here.30 Miles north of Baltimore slip fees run less than $3000/ year including winter storage. Generally south of the mouth of the Potomac River winter dry storage is not needed. But at the upper end of the bay we can get more that 6 inches of ice during the coldest parts of the season. From Washington to the bay by Potomac river is about 100 miles. From Richmond to the bay is even farther. You should find some large scale maps and study those. You might write to The department of transportation in Maryland and Virginia and request state road maps.
Richmond
If you work in Richmond, then you can probably live on the bay/river with a reasonable (1-1.5 hour) commute. The waterfront property down in the areas near here are high, but have not caught up with many markets around the US. You will probably think it is dirt cheap coming from San Jose. They are going to start to develop Urbanna, VA with a nice new neighborhood area www.rosegill.com (<1 hr to Richmond).I know folks that commute from Deltaville, VA (1:15 to 1:30 to Richmond). Also, wonderful town to live would be Irvington, VA - I would love to live there. Both are on the Rappahannock River and close to the Bay. All are close to Richmond with little traffic for your commute though it may be 70 miles from Richmond. Slip fees will run probably around $2k for a 36 footer around here. Near DC, I would just forget about it. Traffic is absolutely terrible! It would be great to live in Annapolis, but would probably take you forever to get into DC - not sure about how long from there to Baltimore with traffic though. Think big bucks up in this neck of the woods both for your house and your boat. I am not as familiar with that area since I live down in Richmond. Maybe look at the Hampton, Norfolk, Newport News, Yorktown area. There you can live close to work, boat, etc. It is not as quaint as the less populated areas and traffic is once again terrible, but may offer more of what you are looking for. Are you looking for a specific location, or just general area recommendations?
If you work in Richmond, then you can probably live on the bay/river with a reasonable (1-1.5 hour) commute. The waterfront property down in the areas near here are high, but have not caught up with many markets around the US. You will probably think it is dirt cheap coming from San Jose. They are going to start to develop Urbanna, VA with a nice new neighborhood area www.rosegill.com (<1 hr to Richmond).I know folks that commute from Deltaville, VA (1:15 to 1:30 to Richmond). Also, wonderful town to live would be Irvington, VA - I would love to live there. Both are on the Rappahannock River and close to the Bay. All are close to Richmond with little traffic for your commute though it may be 70 miles from Richmond. Slip fees will run probably around $2k for a 36 footer around here. Near DC, I would just forget about it. Traffic is absolutely terrible! It would be great to live in Annapolis, but would probably take you forever to get into DC - not sure about how long from there to Baltimore with traffic though. Think big bucks up in this neck of the woods both for your house and your boat. I am not as familiar with that area since I live down in Richmond. Maybe look at the Hampton, Norfolk, Newport News, Yorktown area. There you can live close to work, boat, etc. It is not as quaint as the less populated areas and traffic is once again terrible, but may offer more of what you are looking for. Are you looking for a specific location, or just general area recommendations?
Plenty of places
There are plenty of places for you to choose from in the Chesepeake Bay area. A lot of the choices will depend on where you work. You will find a community that will fit your needs just about anywhere in the region.
There are plenty of places for you to choose from in the Chesepeake Bay area. A lot of the choices will depend on where you work. You will find a community that will fit your needs just about anywhere in the region.
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