Sara Heubeck, 3, grabs a duckpin bowling ball...

“It’s the perfect neighborhood.” “A
great place to raise kids.” “Top-notch schools.”
Sounds like a real estate advertisement, but it’s not.

If you talk to residents of Thornleigh in Baltimore County,
they’re not trying to sell
you anything. Instead, they’re simply singing the praises of what many call
“the
perfect neighborhood for families,” and they are not bashful about their
pride.
“It’s such a great neighborhood for kids,” says Patti Steinberg,
a seven-year
resident of Thornleigh, a homey enclave that straddles the Baltimore Beltway
near
Interstate 83 North. “If we moved, our kids would be devastated; the
neighborhood is their life.”

Steinberg, a mother of two and president of the Thornleigh
Neighborhood
Improvement Association, says that the close-knit nature of the neighborhood
was
a big draw for her and her husband. “People are always outside; that’s
how you
meet people.”

Ellen Schneider, a 15-year resident of Thornleigh, agrees.
“Everyone looks out for
one another. With one phone call to a neighbor, I can find my kids because
everyone keeps an eye on each other,” says the mother of two whose husband

was raised in Thornleigh. “People are always out in their yards; so I
feel that my
kids are always safe. We’re here to stay,” she says.
Besides the safety and camaraderie, Schneider says the recreation opportunities

make the neighborhood great for families. “We have a stream that the kids
enjoy,
a field called ‘Parcel C’ and the Valley Country Club, which is
a private club that is
very ingrained in the community.”

“Most people in the neighborhood belong to the Valley
County Club, which is
great in the summer because the kids can see their friends at the pool,”
Steinberg.
adds. “We also can walk on a path to Seminary Park where the kids can
play
tennis and enjoy the playground. Plus, we have sidewalks, which are tough to
find
in some neighborhoods. ”

Not that busy traffic is an issue in Thornleigh, says Harvey
Brooks, a 14-year
Thornleigh resident who grew up a quarter-mile from where he lives now.
“Thornleigh is not a through-way neighborhood, so we don’t get traffic
from people
cutting through to get somewhere else. It’s a quiet enclave,” says
Brooks, a father
of two daughters.

Above all, Brooks and many neighbors say that the school district
is what makes
Thornleigh so attractive to homebuyers.

“When my wife I moved here, it was specifically so that
our daughters could attend
Riderwood Elementary,” he says.

In 1995, Riderwood became the first nationally recognized Blue
Ribbon School in
Baltimore County, an award sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
The school also boasts high marks in the Maryland School Assessment test and

features classrooms with modern amenities

“Riderwood is a top-notch elementary school. Plus, it’s
convenient so that kids can
either walk or ride their bikes to school,” Schneider says. Thornleigh
residents also
attend Dumbarton Middle School, a 1998 recipient of the National Blue Ribbon

Award for Excellence, and Towson High.

“I get a lot of requests from clients who say, ‘I
want to be in the school district that
includes Riderwood,” says Pat Schuebel, a real estate agent in the
Towson/Lutherville office of Coldwell Banker. “Thornleigh is in high demand,
and
homes sell quickly.”

Schuebel notes that the neighborhood is a mix of semi-detached
and
single-family homes that are either split-level, rancher or Colonial style.
“The
semi-detached homes are centered around Jeffers Court and sell for around
$240,000. Split-level homes are the most common in Thornleigh, and most are

either three- or four-bedroom homes,” says Schuebel. Three recent listings
were
all split-level homes with the three-bedrooms selling for $275,000 and $299,000

and a four-bedroom home selling for $375,000. A five-bedroom last year sold
for
$470,000.

“The five-bedroom Colonials by Riderwood are always in
high demand.
Considering all the amenities, Thornleigh is still affordable for young couples.”
Residents also point to the easy access to I-83 and I-695 and the proximity
to
Baltimore City as incentives, as well as nearby shopping at Towson Town
Center, the Shops at Kenilworth and Graul’s Market. Fun events organized
by the
neighborhood association also are a plus.

“We have family bowling nights, progressive dinners for
adults, neighborhood
picnics, golf outings and fun holiday events like a Halloween Parade, Easter
Bunny
visit and Santa Claus riding on a fire truck,” Steinberg says.

Those who buy in Thornleigh tend to stay, Steinberg says. “A
lot of residents
move within the neighborhood or add onto their homes. No one wants to leave,

and many residents grew up here and return to raise their own kids,” she
says.
“My husband’s parents live right up the street,” says Schneider,
who lived next to
Steinberg and then moved down the street.

Brooks is another Thornleigh resident who moved across the
street.
“In real estate, they say that the three rules are, ‘Location, location,
location,’ which is
true for Thornleigh,” he says. “It’s the ideal neighborhood.”