About Ward 7

Ward 7- Just a Fine Place to Live!

We’re a good people living here in Ward 7. And we’ve seen our share of changes over the years as cow pastures and a local airport have turned into condominiums and single-family homes.

The north side of Ward 7 along Back Creek is today sated with marinas, yacht brokers and realtors, boat builders, marine service and repair shops, yacht charter companies, sail-makers and riggers, nautical technologists, environmental scientists, etc. It’s all right here, and it’s a growing affair. Over the past ten years, as more and more companies have relocated or established themselves on the south banks of Back Creek, Ward 7 has become a bustling center for maritime commerce.

During the past five years several senior living developments have been built. BayWoods of Annapolis, Annapolis Gardens, and Bay Forest Senior Apartments provide residences for nearly 650 senior citizens. All three communities offer fabulous amenities and services, including dine-in facilities, recreation and on-site health care centers as well as levels of assisted living to suit the individual needs of their residents.

The rest of us—the overwhelming majority of us—well, we are a proud, congenial population of men, women and children—singles and families. We live in condominiums, townhouses or single-family homes. We enjoy our pleasant quality of life with its close proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and easy commute to Washington, DC, or Baltimore. (Yes, nearly 40 percent of Ward 7 residents make that commute to the nation’s capital or Baltimore on a daily basis, braving the worsening traffic in both directions.)

The challenges of large annexations along Forest Drive alarm us and tend to threaten our relaxed way of life, so we Ward 7ers are vigilantly watching developers’ plans and always looking to improve traffic patterns and public transportation without drastic changes to either nature or taxes. We are proud supporters and champions of smart growth and development and affordable housing, yet we would prefer somehow to have no future development at all—just to purchase that private land outright, and turn it into public parks or put it in trust for future generations to enjoy.

You’ll find us usually at home, walking our dogs, or sometimes talking with neighbors and friends at Grump’s Café. On occasion you’ll see us launching our boats on Back Creek for a day on the Bay, or perhaps you’ll run into us if we feel the urge to visit you, as we make that short 10-minute trek to the City Dock, Main Street or West Street for a bit of conversation, food and entertainment.

sam

photos of Ward 7

--Ralph Waldo Emersont