In his 13 years as pastor of the Epworth United Methodist Chapel, the Rev. Horace L. Wallace has seen what pride of homeownership means to the people who live in Woodmoor.
"I've been to a lot of house blessings," Wallace said, describing a brief religious service that starts off a family's new life in a new home.
Woodmoor lies right next to the city's western boundary and borders the southern side of Liberty Road. It's made up of mostly Cape Cods, ranchers and split levels, but it also has some large garden apartment complexes such as Town and Country Apartments and even a high-rise building called the Balmoral.
The common denominator for all these properties is the high level of care they're given by their owners.
Woodmoor's affordable prices, which range from $82,000 to $110,000, and easy access to the Beltway have made the community a popular choice for double-income families, especially those who work at the Social Security Administration in Woodlawn.
"People like it because it's a county location, which means less car insurance and less taxes," said Verlena Miller, an agent at the Pikesville office of Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.
Although Woodmoor is a car-oriented community, the buses along Liberty Road connect with the Metro station on Rogers Avenue, Miller added.
According to Janette Little, who works at the O'Con- or, Piper & Flynn ERA Owings Mills office, houses in Woodmoor are generally less expensive than those to the northwest in Randallstown. "The houses in Randallstown are usually larger and have more land," Little said in explaining the price difference.
A landmark familiar to travelers along Liberty Road is the Woodmoor Shopping Center.
The center had fallen into disrepair, but three years ago it got a much-needed face lift by the owner, the estate of Harry Weinberg, which owns a great deal of Baltimore real estate. New signage and a red standing-seam metal roof now adorn the center that houses, among others, a Super Pride supermarket, a Rite Aid pharmacy and the Salon D'Artiste, a beauty salon.
Yet, for some store owners, there are still some problems to be solved.
Edward Dudley, the owner of African-American Fashions, feels that the loitering by teen-agers needs to be stopped.
The renovation, he says, "has made it a nicer place to hang out."
Dudley noted that the police have been very cooperative in helping the store owners and the shopping center's management solve this problem.
