West Benfield Neighborhood Offers Best Of Millersville And Severna Park

Posted

By Judy Tacyn

If you don’t know about the tiny community of approximately 100 homes tucked away between Veterans Highway to the west, West Benfield Road to the south, Shipley’s Choice Medical Park to the north and the Severn River to the east, Crain West residents are perfectly happy to keep you in the dark.

West of the West Benfield Road bridge closure (on the Veterans Highway side) is an unassuming Dale Road sign. Immediately behind the street sign is an ominous “no outlet” sign. Passersby might think it’s a quiet cul-de-sac, if they notice the road at all. Dale Road holds a secret; there are six more streets hidden behind its signs.

Homes in Crain West are primarily ranchers and split-level homes, with a few traditional structures sprinkled in, but the neighborhood is far from cookie-cutter, due in part to the gentle rolling hills that make each yard perfectly unique. The single family homes were built between 1968 and 1973. Many of the properties feature the gardening skills of residents, as blooms of all kinds are on display in early summer.

The community features a 2-acre recreation area, a garden, a small park and even a quaint library. Children attend Benfield Elementary School.

The community holds several events for residents and their children, including a monthly “court in session” where neighbors gather in various courts of the community. There are bonfire nights in the recreation area, seasonal Easter egg hunts and Halloween parades, outdoor movie nights, and recently, a neighborhood campout.

Kim Box
Resident For 47 Years

Kim Box has lived in Crain West since she was 3 years old. When her parents sold her childhood home, Box and her husband bought it in 2002.

“I chose to purchase the home from my parents because I like the area, the community and our neighbors,” Box said. “It’s a very unique community in that it’s just one way in and one way out. Plus, everyone is friendly. It’s a very quiet community with a small-town feel.”

Box loves the easy access to Severna Park, Millersville and Route 97, and doesn’t hesitate to recommend Crain West to anyone who isn’t familiar with the community. She’s particularly fond of her neighbors.

“My neighbors can be counted on to help out,” Box said. “If you’re trying to get something heavy into your home, a neighbor will always run over to assist. Our neighbors are friendly. Being a small community, you get to meet just about everyone.”

Kim Stern
Resident For Two Years

Kim Stern and her husband both grew up in different parts of Millersville, but her childhood best friend lived and still lives in Crain West, so she was familiar with the area. When a home became available, Stern and her husband moved to Crain West. The best friends now have daughters who are less than two weeks apart in age.

“Traffic in Severna Park can be rough, but we knew we wanted to send our kids to [Severna Park] schools but still have quick access to Route 97,” Stern said. “We love that it’s a one way in, one way out neighborhood and, as mentioned, knowing someone that already lived there, we learned a lot before we made the leap.”

Stern has a child who attends and loves Benfield Elementary.

“We obviously love the schools, and my husband has a really strong connection to the Severn River,” Stern said. “We love how easy it is to access area restaurants, outdoor areas like the Severn Run Natural Area and the Bacon Ridge trail system in Crownsville, and with quick access to Route 97 we can get to downtown Annapolis and Baltimore easily.”

Stern also loves that Crain West is a tight-knit community loaded with young children, 50 or 60 children by her count. She said neighbors go out of their way to make new families feel welcome, rely on each other to cover gaps in child care, and deliver meals to families with new babies.

Susan O’Brien
Resident for 10 Years

Susan O’Brien moved into Crain West in 2009 after living in Chartwell, and Admiral Heights in Annapolis near the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

“As a newly single mom of two elementary-school-aged children, I was looking for something more affordable than our large home in Chartwell,” O’Brien said. “I was thrilled to find a more affordable and smaller home for our new situation that didn’t move the kids from Benfield Elementary. The fact that a single mom moved to a street named Cougar Drive was just icing on the cake, and made for a great change of address card!”

O’Brien’s children loved attending Benfield Elementary, and they are at Severna Park High School now.

“My absolute favorite thing about Severna Park are the trees and connection to the Severn and Magothy rivers,” O’Brien said. “Yes, our schools are outstanding, but our communities are wooded and beautiful.”

O’Brien is also quick to praise her neighbors. “I have amazing neighbors, with original homeowners behind me, young families on each side, Naval Academy family across the way, and Ken Motiran, the most resourceful man you can ever find, just down the cul-de-sac.”

She was part of a group of neighbors that successfully fought the rezoning of a Veteran’s Highway property in 2009. The rezoning would have allowed an office building and parking lot with overhead lighting to be built “literally just a few feet from our neighbor’s back door.”

“I believe our neighborhood is the best value in the Severna Park school system, and not just home value, but quality-of-life value,” O’Brien said. “Being on this end of Benfield offers quick access to the highway, but more importantly, quicker access to our homes at the end of the day, which equals more time with your family.”

READ MORE: 

Generation After Generation, Riverdale Residents Enjoy The Magic Of The Magothy
Stunning Beach Views, Tranquil Streets Accentuate Cape Arthur Appeal
Small-Town Feel Doesn’t Stop Kensington From Enjoying Big-Time Festivities

Neighborhood of the Month

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here