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Severna Park, Maryland
Population: 28,507
Located in Anne Arundel County
SEVERNA PARK, located in the central area of Anne Arundel County, shares much of the county's 447 miles of shoreline, furnishing waterfront living to many residential communities. The waters of the Chesapeake Bay, Severn River and Magothy River offer not only a bountiful supply of seafood but also a beautiful setting for sailing, fishing, crabbing and waterfowl hunting. Bounded by the Severn and Magothy Rivers, Severna Park is a proud, well established community where many tree-lined neighborhoods contain a variety of home styles with attractive well-maintained landscaping.
Regional village centers, with thriving local businesses, offer residents close-to-home shopping. One of the attractions to this area is the pleasure of shopping in Severna Park. Antique lovers can browse through charming and elegant shops where a treasure of collectibles abound.
Winding through the area is the scenic B&A Trail, entering Severna Park at Earleigh Heights Road where the Park Ranger Station is located. This building, formerly a renovated grocery store built near 1890, now houses the park information center and public restrooms. As the trail winds through Severna Park it is dotted with flower beds and wildflower plantings maintained by local merchants and families. This trail is associated with the Rails to Trails Conservancy, a national organization that advocates transforming abandoned railroad right of ways into public trails. The old restored Severna Park Railroad Station where the Severna Park Railroad Club meets each week stands as a reminder of the trail's history. Nearby is historic Hatton-Regester Green which, through the dedicated efforts of the Friends of the B&A Trail, has been converted from a grassing lawn to a beautiful collection of gardens with an old-fashioned gazebo designed to hold concerts and exhibitions. The Hatton-Regester Green serves not only as a lovely rest stop along the trail, but as a shining example of cooperation between individuals, community groups, and county agencies, and hundreds of volunteers who worked countless hours to provide the park for the enjoyment of approximately 2 million visitors who ride, walk, jog and roll along the path each year. It is on historic Hatton-Regester Green that the Greater Severna Park Chamber of Commerce building (circa 1920s) is located.
Population/Housing: The population in Severna Park continues to grow. It is primarily a community of single-family homes with ninety four percent of housing single family detached and ninety percent being owner-occupied. The median value of owner-occupied homes was $173,800 in the last census, compared with the county value at $127,900 and the national at just $79,100. Median household income in the last census was $62,730. The occupation of a majority of the population is executive, administrative, managerial and professional specialty. (Source: Alexander Dunbar "Sandy" Speer, Department of Planning and Code Enforcement)
Education: Innumerable learning opportunities for people of all ages and interests are available through the county's public schools, independent and parochial schools, and Anne Arundel Community College. The county's public school curriculum includes programs in computer learning, fine arts, gifted and talented, vocational and special education. National survey rated Anne Arundel County's school system the second best in the state, behind Montgomery County, and in the top 8% nationally. Severna Park High School has achieved the highest SAT combined verbal and math scores in the county. Eighty one percent of Severna Park seniors took the SAT test, compared to 41 percent nationally.
There is great diversity in the area. Quality of education is found not only in public schools, but numerous independent schools in the Greater Severna Park area offer programs ranging from early childhood education through college preparatory courses.
County residents have access to more than 70 colleges and universities in the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas. Career and Technical Education (C.T.E.) is offered at two centers in Anne Arundel County: Center of Applied Technology-North in Severn, and Center of Applied Technology-South in Edgewater, and 12 high schools offer over 35 C.T.E. programs. (Source: Maryland State Department of Education and Higher Education Commission.)
Recreation: Cypress Creek Park, Kinder Park, and Waterford Park plus five other parks offer a variety of facilities and sizes, as well as basketball and tennis courts on the grounds of four schools. Local parks offer everything from lighted tennis courts, basketball, baseball, softball, handball, football, hiking and jogging paths, to picnic facilities and pavilions - and playgrounds.
The B&A Bike Trail extending from Glen Burnie to just north of Annapolis has become a major attraction shared by walkers, runners, bicyclists, and equestrians as well as wildlife such as squirrels, rabbits, owls and many other kinds of birds. Once an abandoned railway that was fast becoming a detriment to the communities it traversed, the B&A Trail has been transformed into an attractive linear park attracting millions of visitors a year. It is held up nationally as an example to other organizations wanting to construct linear parks. Constructed along an old railroad right-of-way, it provides miles of virtually uninterrupted surface. The 13.3 mile linear park follows the route of the Old Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad from its northern origin in Glen Burnie, to Annapolis in the south. Its paved surface measures ten feet wide and sits within 66 foot wide park boundaries. Already designated part of the East Coast Greenway, the B&A Trail serves as part of a large network of biking/hiking paths that will eventually reach from Maine to Florida. Bikers from surrounding states already travel to the B&A Trail for weekend outings, thus supporting, not only the trail, but the businesses that surround it.
A wide range of recreational activities are provided through active volunteer operated and county supported programs for ages ranging from children to senior citizens. There are after school activities at the middle school and some teen programs sponsored by community organizations. Courtesy
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