Riviera Beach, MD 632 Apartments for Rent

You can tell Riviera Beach natives from visitors by the way they say the name of the town. Locals pronounce it "re-veer-uh."

Established in the 1920's as "Maryland's Master Waterfront," most of Riviera Beach is on the peninsula created by Stony, Cox, and Rock Creek, as well as the Patapsco River. The other part of town lies across Stony Creek. At 3.2 square miles, nearly 20 percent of which is water, Riviera Beach is the epitome of an idyllic little beach town. A population of roughly 12,000 makes for a close-knit community.

Renting in Riviera Beach

Finding a home for rent in Riviera Beach may take you longer than it would in a big city with lots of available real estate, so give yourself ample search time. You'll mostly be dealing with private-owner landlords, so a good rental history, stable income, and a security deposit often carry more weight than your credit history and income source. Riviera Beach offers a myriad of housing options, including Cape Cod cottages, suburban split-levels, townhouses, and even studio apartments for rent in finished garage, attic, and basement spaces. No matter where you choose to rent, the water is only a few minutes away.

Neighborhoods

Take a look at the following list of what neighborhoods Riviera Beach has to offer you.

East: This part of Riviera Beach is bordered by Stony Creek, Rock Creek, the Patapsco River, and Fort Smallwood Road. It's considered the main part of town and contains a shopping center, playground, and Rock Creek Park. The east has a mixture of ranch, Cape Cod, and split-level rental houses built in the 1940's and 1950's.

Five Buoys: This area is on the south side of town, between Fort Smallwood Road and Rock Creek. Ranches and split-level single family homes from the 1950's through the 1970's dominate this area. Pizza Ravens and Lucky House will fill you up when you're hungry.

Beehive Cove: The border of the Beehive Cove area follows Fort Smallwood Road as it makes a right angle at Riviera Drive and continues south. To the east, you'll find well-maintained but older single-family homes on spacious lots. These houses are similar to those found in Carvel Beach. Southwest is a section of newer development, and you may be able to locate townhouses for rent here. Also, Maryland's famous Beefalo Bob's is in this neighborhood.

Northwest of Stony Creek: Like a town within a town, the area across the Fort Smallwood Road Bridge is divided into smaller neighborhoods. Greenland and Carvel Beaches both feature good-sized split levels and ranches from the 1930's, but Carvel also has newer single-family luxury homes. Clear Water and Orchard Beaches offer smaller ranch homes built in the late 1950's. Stony Beach on the eastern portion of this section of town and Chestnut Hill Cove on the west offer townhouses made in 1990's.

Living in Riviera Beach

Riviera Beach is fairly self-contained, with doctor and dentists offices, grocery stores, a pharmacy, and an auto repair shop. You can walk to nearly anywhere in town, but most residents use a car to get around. Riviera Beach is a convenient spot for commuters, with the next biggest city, Glen Burnie, about 20 minutes to the west and Annapolis 30 minutes to the south. Even Baltimore's Inner Harbor is only a half-hour drive to the northwest, so residents have easy access to all the restaurants, sports, shopping, and nightlife that are unfortunately absent in town.

What Riviera Beach lacks in entertainment it makes up for it with recreation options. Water-related activities abound, including fishing, crabbing (Maryland Blue Crabs, anyone?), and boating. Rock Creek Park offers a picnic area, open fields, and a playground. It's also the location of community events, such as little-league games, neighborhood parties, and seasonal events.