As someone who grew up in Greenbelt MD for the first 20 years of his life ,i would have to nominate it.

Please keep in mind im talking about "Old Greenbelt". The original part built in the 1930s. Not the new parts that were built in the 80s for transient professionals.Old Greenbelt is a real community , which is rare in the DC suburbs.

Its very clean and fairly safe and surprisingly affordable. Some of the rowhouses go for as much as$200,000.But there are a lot that go for a lot less.

A quick search on my computer showed several that were in the $125,000-$175,000 range.That makes Greenbelt's rowhouses cheaper than most of the rowhouses in Canton and Federal Hill.

My mother was paying around $650 a month rent for a one bedroom apartment until she died a year ago.Thats extremly cheap by DC suburb's standards.

Most people from Greenbelt would probably be mad at me for writing this.Old Greenbelt is kind of a hidden secret.And i think that most Greenbelters like it that way ,even though they are very friendly people.Most people that move there move to the newer part just because its newer.But the old part of Greenbelt is where the most sense of community is.

But if someone has to move closer to DC and wants to live somewhere which is safe ,friendly and has a strong sense of community then they should check out the old section of Greenbelt .A good place to visit there is Roosevelt Center[generally known as "The Center"].Its the heart of Greenbelt and has a co-op grocery store a co-op day care and a co-op restaurant.

The local elementary school was great when i went there 30 years back and i was pleased to hear that it still has a good reputation. The high school is Eleanor Roosevelt High School which is probably the only PG County high school that ranks up there with a lot of the Montgomery County high schools.

The Public Works Department is also great.Because of the amount of trees in Greenbelt they are a very important department.

I myself moved because back then it was hard to catch buses there[ that has changed.there is now a Metro stop]. And also because like a lot of people that grew up in a small town i wanted to see what else was out there.

I have no regrets about moving to Baltimore. But i would definitely recommend Greenbelt as a great city to live in.

Pete, thanks for the thoughtful nomination!

I'd add Easton in Talbot County to the list. Most people probably know it from the ugly automobile dominant landscape that is US 50 cutting through town, but for anyone who has visited the historic downtown they will know why I think it's a good nomination. Unlike many of the other small eastern shore downtowns, Easton's is very well kept, full of business and makes up a larger portion of town than others. The place reminds me of Annapolis without the water. The City also has a great rails to trails and has benefited from Talbot County's better than average growth controls that have kept the City compact, with the new development on the edge of town continuous and connected to the older parts of town. This is why I think Easton is a real charm to visit or live in.

Rodgers Forge .... Friendly, walkable, close to everything ... excellent schools. Very much a close community.

BERLIN! Of course we are a "Town" not a City. 8 miles and 100 years from Ocean City. Historic District, nice shops, friendly people. And we close Main Street for any reason and have a party. Come on down in Sept. for the Fiddlers Convention

Gotta say Columbia myself!! I am also a fan of Rodgers Forge as well as its walkability is excellent.