Name Your Top Five Favorite Towns/Cities in Maryland (Columbia: appointed, restaurants)

[that412]

Man, it's tough to pick just 5....but gun to my head, I'd probably go with this (arbitrarily listed from west to east):

* Frostburg - Beautiful setting in the mountains, neat Main-Street-on-a-hill, direct access to the GAP trail, presence of a 4-year college helps keep the town lively enough.

* Hagerstown - Frederick seems to get all the love, but I have a big soft spot for Hagerstown. Still feels a bit ramshackle in places, but it has plenty going on - the City Park and art museum are a great amenity for a town of that size, and Sally League baseball is always a plus. And it's just a hop and a skip from a number of historical and recreational attractions.

* Silver Spring - Vibrant and urbane with easy access to DC, without feeling too dripping in wealth (like, say, Bethesda).

* Baltimore - I'm still an urbanophile at heart, and I've really come to appreciate a lot about Baltimore. I could quite happily live in, say, Canton or Mt Vernon or Locust Point.

* Rock Hall - I'm very finnicky about beach towns. On the east coast, at least, they tend to cluster either at the "overcrowded" or the "totally remote" ends of the spectrum, and the places that do find some semblance of middle ground are often expensive and rather country-clubbish in nature. I love Rock Hall because it actually managers to strike quite a fine balance in my book. It's well off the beaten path, but there's just enough of a "there" there to keep it from feeling too desolate. And the local "hub" is Chestertown, which is a lovely place in its own right

[bufflove]

1. Silver Spring
2. Ellicott City
3. Frederick
4. Baltimore
5. Takoma Park

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by G1..

It is your quintessential So. Maryland Town , it was even nicer before the tornado tore it a part.

Oh I know it well, wife's from Waldorf. I'm familiar with Casey Jones bar. Is it still there? I love Southern MD but this would not be my choice. Soiomons Island would top my list.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by that412

* Rock Hall - I'm very finnicky about beach towns. On the east coast, at least, they tend to cluster either at the "overcrowded" or the "totally remote" ends of the spectrum, and the places that do find some semblance of middle ground are often expensive and rather country-clubbish in nature. I love Rock Hall because it actually managers to strike quite a fine balance in my book. It's well off the beaten path, but there's just enough of a "there" there to keep it from feeling too desolate. And the local "hub" is Chestertown, which is a lovely place in its own right

Thanks for this. Rock Hall and Chestertown have always been a places that I've wanted to explore. A Bay Bridge accident gave me a reason to take a quick side trip to Chestertown and it was beautiful. We need to take a weekend trip to Rock Hall and see what it's about.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

Oh I know it well, wife's from Waldorf. I'm familiar with Casey Jones bar. Is it still there? I love Southern MD but this would not be my choice. Soiomons Island would top my list.

Yes , CJ is still by the tracks .LaPlata is what I would call a whole town while Solomons while nice has a big problem that it's crowds(nothing but drunks) from May till Sept .

[DaveinMtAiry]

Yeah I can see that with SI for sure.

[andrew_s]

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Honorable mentions: Boonsboro, Jefferson, Salisbury.

[Jahodor]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

1. Cumberland - Home sweet home.
2. Frederick - not too big, not too small, just right and wonderfully preserved.
3. Annapolis - Beautiful little city, so much character, history, charm, you name it.
4. Westminster - Quintessential Mid-Maryland
5. Frostburg - College town meets old mining town. If the weather was better, the rank would be higher.

I love Cumberland and Frostburg, may move there with my dog in the spring. Starting to look for rentals there that are pet-friendly.

[Jahodor]

1. Berlin
2. Cumberland
3. Rising Sun
4. Frostburg
5. Easton

[seanlax]

Ocean City
Havre de Grace
Annapolis
Berlin
Chestertown