Annapolis is the capital of Maryland, it is situated at the mouth of the U.S. Seven River on the Chesapeake Bay. It is historically known for being America’s sailing capital. This place has buildings from the 18th century still preserved, entirely wrapped around their colonial history. It is the home of the United States Naval Academy. It is located in Anne Arundel County, which is just 25 miles south of Baltimore and 30 miles east of Washington, DC. This makes it a Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.
Around 1783-1784, Annapolis was the capital of the United States of America. Annapolis is also called “Naptown”, aside from being called “America’s Sailing Capital”; it is also called “Crabtown on the Bay”. With about 40,182 residents, according to the 2020 census.
Get ready to discover an elaborate entailment of the amazing things to know before moving to Annapolis, Maryland; below are the things to know before making that decision. Read till the end!
Things To Know Before Moving To Annapolis, Maryland
1. Strong institutions and attractions.
2. Culture and Lifestyle
3. Seafood Cuisines
4. Expensive Standard of Living
5. Busy Roads and Parking Hustle
6. Variety of Weather
Things To Know Before Moving To Annapolis, Maryland
1. Strong Institutions and Attractions
Moving to Annapolis, Maryland, will definitely be a great decision because there are major institutions and beautiful sights to behold in the heart of Annapolis. One of them would be the United States Naval Academy (USNA), which was established in 1845. It is a federal service academy that trains aspiring officers to become the Navy and Marine Corps. Its campus, called the “Yard,” is a major landmark and could easily be a huge fascination for tourists. We also have the Maryland State House, which is a very obvious landmark in Annapolis. It is the oldest state capital that has a continuously in legislative use in the United States. There is St. John’s College as well, which was founded in 1696. It was previously called King William’s School, a tourist attraction because it is a private art college known for its Great Books curriculum.
Some of the most amazing institution that attracts includes the Banneker-Douglas Museum, which honours African-American history, the Annapolis Maritime Museum, and the USNA museum. The city’s waterfront and sailing place, known as The City Dock, or Ego Alley, is pretty famous for its constant parade of yachts and sailboats, and powerboat shows. The entire fact is actually that the whole of the downtown area is a National historic landmark district because it has more still-standing and surviving 18th-century buildings than any other city in the US.
2. Culture and Lifestyle
You should know that the Annapolis, Maryland culture has a blend of small towns which absorb the charm and ambiance of their culture. The entire town is like a cultural city with vibrant scenes from history to the present. The presence of art galleries, live music venues and seafood restaurants is how the town takes pride and showcases its culture. Food like the Maryland Crab cakes has been made popular by the town just because they make their lifestyle popular. With a large amount of their lifestyle oriented toward the water, the people of Annapolis are sailors, fishermen and water tourists.
3. Seafood Cuisines
Before moving to Annapolis, you should know that most of their cuisines are water-based; they offer a range of dining experiences, but this is because of the fact that a large portion of their lifestyle is oriented toward the water, and they are far ahead when it comes to making seafood. Here are a few restaurants you can easily stop by to get a tasty experience of the seafood culture: Cantler’s Riverside Inn, which is actually a favourite among residents. It is located right on the water and is a go-to for fresh crabs. Boatyard Bar & Grill is right in the Eastport neighbourhood, and they make the waves for their seafood, including crab cakes. O’Leary’s Seafood Restaurant is another stop at Eastport that serves fresh seafood with fine wines to go with it. Other restaurants you can visit in Annapolis for a variety of dishes include: Lewnes’ Steakhouse for prime beef, Osteria for Italian cuisine, Chick & Ruth’s Delly for American food and sandwiches, Vin 909 Winecafe for Pizza, Bread and Butter Kitchen for, well, bread & butter and the Choptank for cocktails.
4. Expensive Standard of Living
You probably didn’t see this, but before making that decision, you should know that Annapolis is an expensive place to live. Housing costs are actually above the national average what a house should cost. Mostly somewhere around $550,000, the renting option leaves you paying about $2,000 per month. With a state income tax and the cost of daily things, you should probably budget to spend a little higher if you decide to live in Annapolis. This is from grocery to utilities to housing, well, unless you have zero worries and you actually love living that high-cost standard, this is definitely one of the things you should know before moving to Annapolis, Maryland.
5. Busy Road and Parking Hustle
This is probably not new to some people, but might be a red flag to some, the traffic congestion and parking hustle is real in Annapolis, Maryland. One of the 6 things you should know before moving to Annapolis, Maryland, is the routes that traffic weighs heavily on. They are as follows: the US-50, MD 450 and the Chesapeake Bay. This occurs during transits from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., mostly during summer, weekends and holidays. You should know that downtown Annapolis wasn’t exactly booked for modern vehicles, which is the reason why street parking is limited. Public garages are expensive, and street parking is really only for residents. However, there are monthly passes for public garages and a free circulator shuttle.
6. Varieties of Weather
This is a really important thing to know before moving to Annapolis, the beautiful capital of Maryland experiences all four weather seasons. All the seasons! I’ll tell you 4 things
you should know before moving to Annapolis, Maryland again: one, July and August are usually really hot and very muggy. Two: prioritize having an air conditioner, and you know, just cultivate a little “people” lifestyle so that you can attend local outdoor activities that will give you some fresh air and take your mind off it. Three, Winter is really cold but occasionally it snows. Four: Storm surges and hurricane threats, this is because the city is close to the Chesapeake Bay and also the Atlantic Ocean. The most important thing to know here is that residents are mostly already prepared for all the weather; they know the hurricane threats are usually during the late summer, and they know to organize an outdoor activity during the heat season.
Conclusion
It is important to know all these things while making your decision, as this will help you take a positive approach towards adapting to a change of lifestyle. From the beautiful attractions to the fine food and culture, the most important thing you should know before moving to Annapolis, Maryland, is to prepare a mindset of experience, prepare to immerse yourself in a people-system lifestyle, friendly manners will carry you a long way and eventually earn you a newfound family forever.
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