"The Greater Crofton Area" is generally considered to include Crofton, Gambrills, and Odenton - three distinctly different communities located in the D.C.-Baltimore-Annapolis Triangle. (And, I might add, there are distinctly different neighborhoods within each community.)  Some of the confusion probably comes from the nonsensical zipcode boundaries created by the U.S. Post Office for Crofton. 

Just picture a donut:  Gambrills is like the donut itself, and Crofton is the hole in the center.  Odenton is north and west of Crofton and Gambrills, but I couldn't tell you where one stops and the other starts.  

Adding to the confuson:

• Crofton Centre (retail shopping) is located in Gambrills.
• Crofton Farms and other Crofton-named subdivisions are located in Gambrills.
• Crofton Automotive, Crofton Skate-Zone and other Crofton-named businesses and professional offices are located in Gambrills.
• The Greater Crofton Council is an umbrella organization for community associations in all three zipcodes (PLUS Davidsonville). 
• Many community organizations include residents of all three zipcodes.
• School boundaries in each of these zipcodes were affected by the recent opening of Nantucket Elementary School, formerly known as the "Gambrills Area Elementary School" - but located in Crofton.  

Besides sharing a convenient location in the D.C.-Baltimore-Annapolis Triangle, Crofton, Gambrills and Odenton share many local resources such as shopping, dining and professional services.  They use the same public transportation (MARC Station in Odenton, BWI Airport) and highways for commuting.  And residents are looking for that "hometown feeling" in spite of living in a huge metropolitan area.  Most newcomers nterested in any one of these communities will also look at homes in the others - and they can't go wrong, no matter which zipcode they choose for buying a home. 

I, for one, do think of The Greater Crofton Area as a single entity, with different three communities that make this a great place to live and work! 

Some of the differences in these zipcodes are reflected in the real estate market.  Take a look at these tables comparing the number of units sold in September, 2005-2008, and the average days on market for the same period:

Want more real estate info on these communities?  I can provide you tables showing the average and median sold prices during the same timeframe, and details about current and recently sold home lilstings.  Just ask me.  Or maybe you want to check out homes for sale in these communities.

Crofton Homes for Sale               Gambrills Homes for Sale               Odenton Homes for Sale