Neighborhood profile: Swan Point

For years, retired couples have gravitated to Swan Point, a waterfront community of custom homes at the southern tip of Charles County, nearly a half-hour from the closest supermarket and light-years from the busy pace of the Washington area.

Leisure opportunities are plentiful: a challenging golf course that meanders through marshland, skirting the 350-home development; fishing, boating and kayaking; a pool and tennis courts; and tree-lined streets ideal for cycling and strolling.

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(Laris Karklis/The Washington Post)

But now, you’re likely to see children playing along the many cul-de-sacs. Although Swan Point can be a long way from soccer practice and karate lessons, families are finding that the neighborhood’s amenities have plenty of appeal for youngsters.

Holly and Jason Evans were living in a Waldorf townhouse and discovered Swan Point one Fourth of July. They said they were charmed by the patriotic bicycle parade put on by the community’s youngsters, and the woodsy feel of the neighborhood was evident when one of the many deer walked out in front of the car. The community seemed like a good place to raise a family, and the Evanses, who moved in 2003 when Holly was pregnant, now have three youngsters, ages 8, 6 and 2, at their Swan Point home.

For a parent, Swan Point “is very, very remote,” Holly Evans said, but that has some advantages: Her children can roam outdoors and play in the woods, while other families help monitor everyone. Evans says she knows all of her neighbors, and there are 11 elementary-age children on her street. Because many youth activities are far away, the Evans children are limited to one activity per season.

Evans, 40, a former flight attendant, is a board member of the Swan Point Property Owners Association and is active in the PTA of her children’s elementary school. Jason Evans is a salesman for Benelli USA and commutes to Accokeek when he is not traveling. They considered Arlington and Alexandria, but “we got a whole lot more house moving out here,” Holly Evans said.

Along with families and retirees, Swan Point attracts a person “who wants to be a little far from the rush, and who can be a little far from the rush,” said resident Connie Saltarelli, an agent with Long & Foster.

The land for the development, about 900 acres bounded by the Potomac River and Cuckold Creek, was purchased in 1969, but approval battles, mainly over water and sewer systems, delayed construction. The first houses were built in the 1980s.

The property owners association, made up of residents and representatives of the developers, oversees the covenants that govern the community. Standards are strict; for example, paint color requires approval. Only special siding is permitted; no vinyl or aluminum is allowed, Saltarelli said.

Housing prices vary, depending on whether a house is on an interior street or on the water. Saltarelli said interior homes can cost less than $300,000; on the water, homes can run between $560,000 and $1.1 million. Prices initially plummeted 15 or 20 percent when the recession hit, but now are only about 10 percent below pre-recession levels, she said. Some homeowners “who weren’t able to get the prices they wanted are waiting for the market to turn around,” Saltarelli said.