Rural, family-friendly life draws buyers

Rural charm and miles of shoreline have persuaded more than 85,000 people to call Calvert County home, a number that is growing steadily. Calvert, Maryland’s smallest county, offers a relaxed lifestyle.

The county’s low-key beaches add to its appeal in summer, when residents and tourists flock to the shore for fun and relaxation on the water. The county is sandwiched between the Chesapeake Bay on the east and the Patuxent River on the west.

“It’s been the fastest-growing county in the state,” said Linda Fadely, a Realtor with Century 21 in Dunkirk, who says buyers enjoy the rural but increasingly upscale county.

New suburbs and housing communities began to develop in the 1990s, shortly after the completion of Maryland Route 4 in 1987. This 38-mile highway connecting Calvert to the Capital Beltway made the county an easier choice for more people in terms of transportation between home and business.

The county’s Department of Economic Development says tourism, defense contracting and information technology play a large part in the economy, but commercial fishing, crabbing, timber and some boat building are part of Calvert County’s history and continue to this day.

Companies supporting operations at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in neighboring St. Mary’s County will find the town centers of Solomons and Lusby ideal business locations, according to the Calvert County Chamber of Commerce.

A sampling of new homes in Calvert County runs the gamut from cozy condominiums to waterfront cottages to sprawling Colonials on acres of land. Retirees find low-maintenance housing options in neighborhoods with desirable amenities.

Sprawling estate homes can be seen off Route 4. Washington-area residents looking for waterfront escapes can find them in Calvert County.

Fishermen and boaters especially appreciate the luxury of having boat slips, piers and beaches included with many of the waterfront homes.

Mike Benton, a Realtor with Home Towne Real Estate in Owings, says the county is very concerned about the environment and strives to strike a balance between preservation and economic growth.

Calvert County’s land-preservation program aims to preserve about 90 percent of the county’s forests.

“A lot of growth is happening in the southern end and northern end of the county,” Ms. Fadely says. Growth in the middle part of the county is somewhat slower. Ms. Fadely attributes that to the fact that many northern Calvert residents commute to the District for work, while a large number of southern county residents are employed at Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

Like all of the Washington Metropolitan area, Calvert has experienced unprecedented increases in home prices. The average home sold for $403,297 in Calvert County in 2006, up more than 50 percent since December 2003, according to the county’s Department of Economic Development.

American Builder Services Inc. (www.abscustomhomes .com), headquartered in Anne Arundel County, is constructing roads for a new neighborhood, Federal Oaks Estates, featuring 43 homesites from 1 acre to 6 acres. The homes in this secluded Sunderland community are expected to be priced from the mid-$800,000s.

Condominiums taking advantage of waterfront views at Solomons Island, a serene waterfront fishing village, include Oyster Bay. The residences come with features such as built-ins, open kitchens and private balconies, and they are priced from the mid-$400,000s. The floor plans offer a loft option.

Creekside at Richfield Station in Chesapeake Beach also offers two-level condominiums. Two floor plans are available and start at $270,000 and $310,000. They come with three bedrooms, 2½ baths, a garage, 9-foot ceilings throughout, and 42-inch kitchen cabinets.

Residents can enjoy the outdoors on the 10-foot-by-4-foot deck that is included with each home. The community has tennis courts, basketball courts, tot lots and open spaces.

Marrick Properties Inc. (www.marrickinc.com) has eight communities under construction in the county, one of which offers four- to six-bedroom homes in northern Calvert County, priced from the $500,000s.

Situated on 1-acre lots, homes at Lyon’s Creek Overlook/Dunleigh are close to the center of Dunkirk with its shops and services. Spacious, open rooms are the builder’s hallmark.

Arbor Greene is another Marrick community, located near the restaurants and shops of Chesapeake Beach. This neighborhood has 3-acre homesites.

Curtis Builders (www. curtisnet.com) in Port Republic has home options to fit a variety of lifestyles, ranging from 2,800-square-foot four-bedroom homes to 4,000-square-foot five-bedroom homes. The Calvert model has a library with a double door opening, and the larger Woodmont model features an option for a main-level fifth bedroom in lieu of the formal library and includes three full bathrooms on the second floor. Prices start in the high $500,000s.

Kaine Homes (www.kaine homes.com) is building on 47 1-acre lots in an extensively landscaped community with a two-mile community nature trail.

These single-family homes in Covenant Creek start in the mid-$700,000s, and several models come standard with a three-car garage or sunroom. The most expensive floor plan is the Washington model with a base price of $960,990. It comes with a main-level computer room, a study and morning room. The second level includes a window-filled master suite.

St. Mary’s County, just across the bridge from Solomons, has several communities under development as well.

K. Hovnanian Homes (www.khov.com) is building 37 town homes with wooded views priced from the mid-$300,000s in Lexington. Stanley Martin Homebuilding LLC (www.stanleymartin.com) has several floor plans in the Wildewood community in California, Md., that range from $254,990 to $459,990.

Wildewood will offer approximately 1,600 homes of all sizes and styles, strategically placed within the scenic wooded landscape.

Mr. Benton says he has been working with a number of out-of-state buyers moving to Calvert County. He says he tells them, “We are a unique bedroom community that doesn’t have the huge shopping malls, and you can’t walk to a 7-Eleven. It’s going to be a culture shock if you’re moving from the city.”

However, he says the close-knit neighborhoods and family-friendly lifestyle make the county desirable.

Ms. Fadely says it’s hard to see everything that Calvert has to offer if you’re just driving through without turning off into the different communities. “We’ve got a good quality of life and a lot of natural history.”

She recalls all the help offered to her when she suffered losses from Hurricane Isabel.

“There is a real sense of community here, not just in the Dunkirk, Solomons and Huntington area, but all throughout the county,” Ms. Fadely says, adding that the communities are small enough so that residents regularly see and get to know their neighbors.

Calvert also has plenty of history. It is known for its remarkable cliffs on the Chesapeake Bay side, famous for the fossils and sharks’ teeth that have been found in them. The Solomons fishing village has preserved many historic sites and is home to the Calvert Marine Museum and the historic Drum Point Lighthouse. The museum also maintains Cove Point Lighthouse, Maryland’s oldest continuously working lighthouse, which is still operated by the United States Coast Guard.

New commercial developments in the works include the Patuxent Business Park, a 650,000-square-foot, 92-acre area that will accommodate a variety of uses.

In support of the growing tourist industry, approximately 200 additional hotel rooms opened last year with the new Hilton Garden Inn in Solomons and the Marriott SpringHill Suites in Prince Frederick.

Chesapeake Beach and North Beach are summer getaways that continue to be discovered anew. Just minutes from each other, the quaint beach villages offer waterfront restaurants and boardwalks.

The Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum offers a collection of historic photos and artifacts displaying resort life and transportation from the early 1900s, when summer crowds traveled by rail to the beach.