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Review Pasadena
Coastal, Quirky, and Quiet
3.5
rating
By
Anonymous (
Mar 20, 2025)
I live on the Magothy River in Pasadena where it is quiet. There is beautiful wildlife and the summer is fun with all the boats and several restaurants on the water. The river is great for kayaking and paddleboarding and if I were to leave, I know I would miss that along with the ...Read More
unique Chesapeake Bay/coastal plain views and sunsets. It takes me about 10 - 15 minutes to get to local amenities (we have a Teeter, Sprouts, Giant, Safeway, Aldi, Green Valley, wine shops, multiple drug stores, access to healthcare, hospital, Home Depot, Ulta, Homegoods, Target, and plenty more...the area has everything I need). Baltimore is 30 minutes away, and on a good day, Annapolis is about 20-25 minutes. It takes a little over 2 hours to get to the Delaware beaches and Ocean City.
I like it here, but the winter can get very cold and a little too quiet for me. Some houses near me are used more for summer, so it can also get a little bit lonely--I live alone though. There are plenty of families here.
Overall, I like Pasadena. The locals are fun to talk to and a bit quirky. I miss being able to walk to places/city living, but I do not miss Baltimore City. Pasadena is so much safer and relaxing.
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Blue Collar town, White Collar Prices.
2.5
rating
By
Anonymous (
Apr 06, 2021)
I grew up in Pasadena and lived there on and off in my adult life for more time than I did away and I could say depending on which side of the area you live in your experience will vary. Like a lot of Maryland the drug epidemic is alive here, and well. One person once told me you ...Read More
never know what is going to happen in "crack" haven referring to the Green Haven community area.
Traffic here is awful. Extremely aggressive drivers, most of them are day drinking/ high on whatever substance or just poor entitled drivers. I've encountered more road rage, aggressive speeding, break checking, drivers who refuse to let runners run on the roads with no sidewalks... yeah that type of behavior... in this area more than nearly anywhere else in or around the city. Personally I believe all of Northern Anne Arundel county has an aggressive driver problem. I digress, there is limited public transit in and around the zip code and some MTA services will come into Rivera Beach from Baltimore City, but that's about the extent of transportation, unless you consider the MTA routes on MD RT2 which go from Annapolis and then technically a line or two does pass through the zip code but on its outer edges. The residential road I lived on was highly abused as a cut through road and speeders, loud music at all hours, and just constant noise occured to the effect of 5-10 cars a minute during rush hour along with a never ending amount of drivers at all hours.
Crime and traffic aside the area is naturally beautiful and sits right on the upper coast of the Chesapeake Bay, Magothy River, and Patapsco river with many different inlets/ outlets for boat or sea vessel travel. Crabbing and fishing are plentiful, though the area is heavily policed by DNR. Included within the coast line are plenty of great restaurants and bars, two state parks, and numerous different launch ports and marinas. There is a duel 18 hole public golf course in the 'Compass Pointe' community area, built in 2003 (technically there is another course on Gibson Island but that is not by zip code Pasadena and Severna Park has one too). Downs Park at the furthest end of Pasadena is a beautiful water access park, with plenty of paths, beaches, and playgrounds for children; but, in many of the private communities in the Lake Shore area there are plenty of private parks and water access. If you're a camper there is a KOA, but this wouldn't be for residents I suppose.
As for community there is a lot going on here and if you have a family here. The schools I went to set me up with a great foundation for my future. They educated me and supported me with programs designed to better myself. The communities sports programs are great and I personally went to school with men and women who went into professional sports. The community has a news paper, the "Pasadena Voice" that showcases all aspects of the community and comes to residents free of charge. It should be noted that Pasadena is a large zip code and is really split between two High Schools of which people are similarly different in all ways. And though connected by the same geographical region one side believes they are better and the high school rivalry is alive and well in the area - though light hearted, some people take sports too seriously everywhere and can translate to fueds later in life.
The church system here is inclusive, though I don't believe there are any temples or mosques in my community - I don't recall as I never really looked. I will say I hated my neighbors when I lived there, and they were the type to keep up with the jones and gossip to anyone with a working pair of ears. I felt like my reputation was tarnished and my families was too by the clique of people who I grew up around and hung out as a lot of people never seemed to grow up passed high school. A lot of the people here are well off in the sense of their families or the trades people begin working and a lot of people have big egos that are showcased by materialistic goods.
Shopping is average in the grand sense of things. There are big superstore chains within 10 minute drives, more national and local supermarkets than you'd ever need, and a lot of small businesses. One of my favorite American Chinese restaurants is located here, but it is limited in the sense of clothing shops, which require you to travel a few miles outside of the area code for a mall. You won't find battery superchargers for your electric car, though there are a bunch of them driven in the area. If you're looking for car detailing, tinting or whatever service there are plenty of businesses in town with halfway decent prices. If you look at things in general there is everything you could want. Depending on if you're interested in some subjective recommendations.
Night life, is bar life. It is easy, blue collared and unpretentious. Country music knowledge, owning a Jeep Wrangler, or a truck will get you in with a lot of the people. A lot of motorcyclist ride here, and it is a cool area. Take a boat out to any number of the coastal areas and end the night fireside overlooking the waterways of northern Anne Arundel.
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I like it here
4
rating
By
Anonymous (
Feb 21, 2021)
I live on the water. It's quiet, there are amenities close by, beautiful wooded areas, wildlife, and community boat ramps with parks. While there are definitely chains, there are also a number of unique, close restaurants that we have yet the explore. We are right off of 100, whi ...Read More
ch is good for work commutes. We are about 30 minutes from Baltimore City and 25 minutes from Annapolis. I am enjoying it so far and feel much safer than I did in Baltimore City. I like it here.
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Living in Pasadena, MD
2
rating
By
Anonymous (
May 14, 2018)
I have lived in Pasadena, MD for over 10 years and it is a mostly rural/suburban living, located between Annapolis and Baltimore it is far enough from both to escape traffic problems of the big cities. Being relatively rural though, amenities are limited. I found that restaurant ...Read More
choices are about 75% chain, with close to 25% being mom and pop local restaurants. Those restaurants tend to focus on local foods such as seafood and poultry from the eastern shore.
There are a couple movie theaters in Pasadena, including one that features discount "second-run" movies. A Walmart is located in Pasadena as the only big box type store. The rest are small shops and there is one enclosed shopping mall referred to as Marley Station. Pasadena, MD features between five and ten small bars, sometimes featuring live music. There is a batting cage and golf cage. Overall, Pasadena meets the needs of the citizens living in the town, but draws few visitors.
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I like it here
4
rating
By
Anonymous (
Feb 21, 2021)
I live on the water. It's quiet, there are amenities close by, beautiful wooded areas, wildlife, and community boat ramps with parks. While there are definitely chains, there are also a number of unique, close restaurants that we have yet the explore. We are right off of 100, whi ...Read
More
ch is good for work commutes. We are about 30 minutes from Baltimore City and 25 minutes from Annapolis. I am enjoying it so far and feel much safer than I did in Baltimore City. I like it here.
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Living in Pasadena, MD
2
rating
By
Anonymous (
May 14, 2018)
I have lived in Pasadena, MD for over 10 years and it is a mostly rural/suburban living, located between Annapolis and Baltimore it is far enough from both to escape traffic problems of the big cities. Being relatively rural though, amenities are limited. I found that restaurant ...Read
More
choices are about 75% chain, with close to 25% being mom and pop local restaurants. Those restaurants tend to focus on local foods such as seafood and poultry from the eastern shore.
There are a couple movie theaters in Pasadena, including one that features discount "second-run" movies. A Walmart is located in Pasadena as the only big box type store. The rest are small shops and there is one enclosed shopping mall referred to as Marley Station. Pasadena, MD features between five and ten small bars, sometimes featuring live music. There is a batting cage and golf cage. Overall, Pasadena meets the needs of the citizens living in the town, but draws few visitors.
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What the locals say about
Family friendlyPublic transit is accessibleWalkable to grocery storesYards are well-keptLots of parksWalkable to restaurantsFriendly neighbors Safe at night Pet friendly Streets have sidewalksA quiet areaSense of community
0%25%50%75%100%
Compare Pasadena, MD Livability
F
Amenities
Are there many local amenities in
Pasadena?
Well, there are not many amenities close to this location.
Parks
Lake Waterford Park
Kinder Farm Park
Kinder Road Playground
Elvaton Park
Cattail Creek Natural Area
Jenning Road Recreation Area
Cool Pond Park
Havenwood Park
Entertainment
Elvaton Station
Sun Valley Movies
Horizon Cinemas Marley Station Movies
Food & Drink
Magothy Wine & Spirits
Qdoba
Bruster's Ice Cream
Severna Park Taphouse Bar & Grill
Panera Bread
Arby's
Chick-fil-A
Turner's Liquor
A-
Commute
Is public transit available in Pasadena?
Of all people who commute,
1.1% take public transportation in
Pasadena.