Hello, Neighbor: Hampton

LIVE
Tree-lined streets, ample suburban properties, and a mix of largely Colonial and ranch-style homes today have filled much of the former 25,000-acre Hampton historical site once owned by Maryland’s Ridgely family.

Hampton’s eponymous 235-year-old Georgian mansion (built by enslaved people) and 63 surrounding acres have endured as a National Park Service-preserved National Historic Site since 1946, a reminder of the community’s century-old roots in racial subjugation.

The community built around it, once the Ridgely property was subdivided for development after 1929, is known today as a mid-20th-century suburb prizing safety quietude, and spaciousness.

SHOP
While an entirely residential community, Hampton is only a 10-minute drive to shopping mecca Towson Town Center, plus gourmet grocery stores in downtown Towson such as Fresh Market and Whole Foods.

Roughly equidistant is the York Road Corridor, which has bountiful grocery options (Safeway, Aldi, ShopRite, Giant, and more) and almost any chain you can think of.

DINE
Take advantage of uniquely picturesque waterside dining options along Loch Raven Reservoir, like the cozy McFaul’s IronHorse Tavern and upscale Indian cuisine at Peerce’s. Beyond the many convenient chains on York Road in Timonium and Cockeysville are decades-old local favorites (Michael’s Cafe, The Peppermill) and seafood staples (Pappas, Ocean Pride, Bluestone Restaurant).

Downtown Towson also has plenty to choose from, including more chains as well as a strip of bars and favored local mainstays like Cunningham’s Cafe and Bread and Circuses Bistro.

PLAY
Hampton backs right up to Loch Raven Reservoir, a haven for fishing, boating, paddling, hiking, and biking, all against a reservoir backdrop with more than 50 miles of trails and a wealth of scenic views. Just to the east is Cromwell Valley Park with its Willow Grove Nature Education Center, orchards, trails for wandering through streams and ridges, and more to explore.

ARTS/CULTURE
The center of the community itself is its own cultural lesson, with Hampton Mansion’s historic architecture and dark history as a working plantation. For other options, look to Towson University’s Center for the Arts for live sporting events and concerts at Towson’s 5,200-seat TU Arena, as well as Goucher College for arts exhibitions, writer talks, orchestral performances, and ballet.

NEIGHBOR SPOTLIGHT

George Jones, 63, is the president of the Hampton Improvement Association who has been a resident of Hampton since 1998.

“Before moving to Hampton, we were in Anneslie and we lived in a much smaller Cape Cod. We had just had our second child, and we were looking to get a bigger place. This house, it’s a Colonial and it’s brick, it was on a nice lot with old-growth trees—there are a ton in this neighborhood. The elementary and middle schools are good. Even though you’re right off the Beltway, it’s not in your face. For people who work downtown like I do, it’s an easy jump to get on the highway and go.

“Hampton is just a nice place to live, to bring up your family—it’s a quiet, safe neighborhood, it’s bucolic. We take walks every weekend and it’s nice to walk down the streets with no traffic and big trees and see the deer. You do have a feel for being out in nature that you don’t get in some more crowded communities.”

NEIGHBORHOOD STATS
Population: 5,180 Occupancy Rate: 96 percent Owner/Renter Split: 99 percent/1 percent Median Home Value: $592,700 Median Household Income: $171,969 Walk Score: 18 Transit Score: 24

—Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Walkscore.com