Hunters Chase, Bel Air South

Hunter's Run Terrace is part of a townhouse development in Bel Air, Md. The area will be growing in the next few years as Aberdeen Proving Ground expands. The neighborhood itself is within walking distance of the Festival shopping center, which has a good mix of stores, from Chuck E. Cheese's, and Panera Bread to furniture stores and a Taekwando gym. Route 24 is on the other side of the shopping center, and there's more shopping in every direction, with a small mall about 3.5 miles away. The area around the mall is built up with everything from your usual restaurant franchises (Outback, Unos, Fridays) to Best Buy, a book store and all that. There's also a good health club up there and the hospital is on the way. Going south is more shopping, including a good theater about 4 miles away.

Right next to the development is a small office park full of medical professionals, from a pharmacy to a dialysis center, with doctors and dentists, etc. Right down from that is a child care place, a small spa and a few other things. Near Festival there's a women-only health club and more restaurants, shopping and even a pool hall. Downtown Bel Air is small. I believe most of the area was farm or horse country, and the downtown fit the old area, and instead of building up the downtown as they developed the area they added shopping and so on in other places.

The street itself is quiet. There's a good bit of traffic going in and out of the surrounding developments during drive time, but it's not intrusive. There are kids of various ages in the neighborhood, but they don't run in packs or make any trouble I've seen in the year I've lived there. Nothing has gone missing, and the only night-time noise problem we've had is a mockingbird in the tree outside our bedroom window. The people tend to keep to themselves, but everyone is friendly and people get to know each other a bit. Go away from Route 24 and you can be in the country in 2 minutes.

There are some things for kids right in the neighborhood, and there's a park about a mile away on 24, and a walking trail a couple of miles further up. There's a library not far away, and a couple of schools nearby. Our daughter goes to Ring Factory Elementary. My wife volunteers there and really likes it. Emmorton Elementary is next to the library. The High School is right up the road. It's new and still being populated.

Overall, it's a nice bedroom community. There's plenty of shopping, good schools, easy access to I95 to get to Baltimore, the airport, etc. I've been with the Army a long time and lived all over. Bel Air is a nice community to raise the kids. The area is growing, it's nicely placed near a big city, the Bay and Philly and D.C. within 2 hours.