Hidden gem: Village of Olde Mill
Neighborhood: Village of Olde Mill
Location: Millersville (Anne Arundel County)
Average sales price: $231,000 (January through June)
Notable features: This neighborhood of 1970s houses goes against the grain of suburban lookalike streets with nothing but one color and style. Properties range from split foyers to townhouses with bump-out windows, some clad in wood, some in brick and some in siding. Lots of attention to yards here -- see the photo above. The location, just east of Veterans Highway and Route 97, means a 15-mile drive to downtown Baltimore, 18 miles to Annapolis and 34 miles to D.C.
The average home selling in Millersville in the first half of the year changed hands for $440,000, so Olde Mill is a comparative island of affordability. Dominic Cantalupo, associate broker at Champion Realty in Pasadena, suggested it when I was desperately looking for something in pricey Anne Arundel County that's less costly but still gem-worthy.
You won't get huge homes here, but then more people are in the market for modest nowadays. The properties tend to range from 1,000 to 1,500 square feet. C'mon, take the 10-cent tour with me.
A street view on Chalet Drive:
No two alike:
Townhouses:
And did I mention pretty yards?
Nancy Scanlon, who's lived in the neighborhood since her home was built in 1971, thinks the location is great.
"We like being near the airport, and we like being near Annapolis," she said. "My husband, before he retired, worked for the Veterans Administration in Washington. And we're near Baltimore. ... It's just a nice, friendly, convenient-to-everything neighborhood."
The neighborhood association organizes Easter egg hunts and holiday lighting contests. There's a pool with a swim team, too -- the Olde Mill Swim Club, which charges an annual membership fee.
"We've been happy here," Scanlon said, "and we will be here until we move on to the next life."
Have personal experience with the Village of Olde Mill? Do share.
Want to see all the photos I took? Check out the hidden-gem gallery.
Tomorrow: Violetville.
(All photographs by Jamie Smith Hopkins / Baltimore Sun)
Categories: Hidden-gem neighborhoods
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Comments
I have lived in Olde Mill since 1996 and I love it here. We are convenient to all the local major destinations. My wife, Sophia, wanted to move to the eastern shore years ago, now she is thankful we stayed. The Olde Mill school district is the best in the county.If you have school aged children Olde Mill is a Gem.
Posted by: Travis | November 26, 2009 8:39 AM
You should also note that Old Mill High School is among the better schools in the county.
I grew up in the area (my aunt still lives in the neighborhood), and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Posted by: Ian P. Hines | November 29, 2009 2:39 PM
We're 35-year residents of Olde Mill. For the past 30 years I've commuted to DC via MARC train, with the Odenton station (and free parking) only 15 minutes away; BWI Airport is about the same distance. You can't be much more centrally located between Baltimore, Washington, and the state capital. Yet within 5 minutes you can be driving through farmland or forests, or be on the B&A bike trail. And the schools are within walking distance.
Posted by: Bernie Quarrick | December 1, 2009 8:55 AM
We've owned our Olde Mill home for 18 years and love the area. It's convenient to Ft. Meade and public transportation, close enough to all kinds of shopping, restaurants, libraries, and athletic complexes - completely convenient.
Our community pool is well-managed and hosts special events, swimming lessons and more.
We do have BWI-bound airplanes flying over our neighborhood, but that's a minor inconvenience.
Thanks for featuring my neighborhood!
Posted by: Nancy | December 9, 2009 10:11 AM
Old Mill, best school district in the county? Actually, it received an average "6" from the scale being 1-10 on greatschools.org.
Posted by: Rebecca | January 17, 2010 8:36 AM
who could forget the shooting inside the school a couple of years ago? great school? NO!!! the neighborhood has gone down in the last 7 years, we just moved out in Aug.....glad we did..alot of petty theft and what about all the home break ins?
Posted by: Don | February 4, 2010 8:12 PM
My work is transferring us and it looks like we're going to be moving into this area. It seems like there are mixed reviews about the schools in the area. Are there any good private schools around that would be good?
Posted by: Jack Darrington | July 11, 2011 3:07 PM
You can search for private schools in Maryland here: http://www.aimsmddc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=21
That will help you narrow options down by geography. As for quality, you'll probably want to look for test scores and parents' feedback.
Posted by: Jamie Smith Hopkins | July 11, 2011 5:35 PM