I'm moving up to Baltimore, MD in the spring- anyone know a good area to live in?

12/2/2006 4:26:52 PM

Armistead Gardens

12/2/2006 4:36:29 PM

Timonium

[Edited on December 2, 2006 at 4:58 PM. Reason : or Towson]

12/2/2006 4:58:18 PM

i currently live in baltimore, in federal hill. i just moved up about 2.5 years ago, so ive been in your shoes....feel free to pm me and we can talk. theres many many options depending on what type of area you want to live (city, suburbs, north, south, etc) and what your budget is.

[Edited on December 2, 2006 at 5:25 PM. Reason : d]

12/2/2006 5:24:45 PM

Canton, Federal Hill, Fells point... also around Johns Hopkins Charles villiage... but don't go east of hopkins, then there are lots of options in the suburbs that are probably going to be cheaper...

when I moved up here I didn't know anything and none of the people that I knew and talked to worked in baltimore... so none of them knew that there are actually decent parts of baltimore and you can find a place... So I opted to live in Annapolis where I found a PHENOMINAL place on craigslist... Annapolis is freaking sweet, but no single bitches to be had (good thing I have a G/F)..

I'm sure you've been told this already, but be prepared for sticker shock... your going to pay $600-1k for your bedroom... none of the $300 Raleigh mess available... unless you want to live in the projects or commute 2hours.

Baltimore is a lot of fun when you go to the safe areas... cabs are a really good idea late night though b/c you don't want to be walking around and end up in the wrong section...

12/2/2006 8:24:28 PM

^how's that commute


Columbia is really nice from what I hear. I have a few friends that live there. Only been there once though. There are some nice up-and-coming neighborhoods in Bal'.

of course we should ask, what are you looking for?
Peace and quite? big house and yard? Suburban or Urban?

It's really depends on what you are looking for.

[Edited on December 2, 2006 at 9:50 PM. Reason : .]

12/2/2006 9:47:14 PM

i lived in bel air, md and it is about 20 miles north on 95 and it is a perfect distance for commuting to dowtown baltimore. i love bel air it is a nice quiet town.

12/2/2006 10:57:26 PM

oh and by the way Columbia was voted the #4 best place to live in the entire US

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL2419125.html

12/3/2006 12:12:39 AM

Columbia = Cary

12/3/2006 12:29:37 AM

I will actually be working outside of Baltimore in a pretty small town about 20 minutes away but I want to live in Baltimore. I live in Richmond right now- in the middle of downtown, bar next door, can walk to a dozen other bars/restaurants- I guess that's what I am looking for. I already pay a pretty high price for my apartment so sticker shock isn't a problem I just want it to be relatively safe, be able to park within a few blocks- preferably a closed parking garage, that sort of thing.

12/3/2006 11:04:29 AM

Quote :

"^how's that commute "

its actually not NEARLY as bad as I figured. I go the opposite direction of DC traffic every trip except friday evenings...

friday everyone is heading to the eastern shore and it takes over an hour to get home but every other trip is only 35minutes

12/3/2006 11:31:25 AM

Quote :

"i lived in bel air, md"

definitely. bel air isn't the best party scene, but it's a quiet community with some really cool people. my dad grew up there, and my family still lives around bel-air/jarrettsville/aberdeen

12/3/2006 11:35:00 AM

Quote :

"but I want to live in Baltimore"

From what I hear the south east (IIRC) is booming since the revitalization began. Prices are relatively still low and on the rise. Enough so that I know someone who bought a condo on the water and commutes to DC. There are actually many people that commute to DC from there cause they can buy cheaper in Bal'more.

for specific neighborhoods you'll need to talk to someone that lives there.

give it some time--hopefully. Baltimore is moving in the right direction and will be a generally nice place soon( 10 or more years-- but it's got a long way to go).

DC is starting to do some major revitalization in SE near the new baseball stadium. Can't wait for all that to be done. Next stop NE!

12/3/2006 12:14:04 PM

That place is pretty sketch. You've gotta find a nice area or you'll hate it.

12/3/2006 1:19:50 PM

Fayette or Monroe St.

12/3/2006 2:52:41 PM

bttt

12/3/2006 4:55:19 PM

Quote :

" will actually be working outside of Baltimore in a pretty small town about 20 minutes away but I want to live in Baltimore. I live in Richmond right now- in the middle of downtown, bar next door, can walk to a dozen other bars/restaurants- I guess that's what I am looking for. I already pay a pretty high price for my apartment so sticker shock isn't a problem I just want it to be relatively safe, be able to park within a few blocks- preferably a closed parking garage, that sort of thing. "

If you are looking for something similar to that, I would say Federal Hill / Canton / Fells Point. Over the last 5 years, Canton and Federal Hill have become popular places to live and go out. Both have great restaurants and bars / night spots. Fells Point is a little more established, but also a popular place to go out at night. All three areas are pretty safe, and within a 5-10 minute cab ride of each other. If you live down there. I don't know what you pay right now, but I know that renting / owning is going to cost you a pretty decent amount of money in these areas. Another pro is that you should be going the opposite way of traffic in the mornings and afternoons.

Let me know if you need any other info, I grew up in MD (Towson / Cockeysville) area which is about 20 minutes north of the inner harbor.

12/3/2006 5:18:26 PM

I'm in Columbia.. Not too much to do here - you can count the number of actual bars on your hand.

12/3/2006 5:33:33 PM

^do you commute to bal or dc?
and how is it?

[Edited on December 3, 2006 at 5:35 PM. Reason : .]

12/3/2006 5:35:26 PM

D.C. any place other than Baltimore. you're going to get either knifed or robbed.

12/3/2006 6:33:19 PM

^ thats what I thought before I moved up here... but the parts of baltimore we keep talking about aren't bad at all... but I'm deffinitly happy in Annapolis...

when I found out was going to be working near baltimore I was like crap, and flashed to the mental picture of a dirty dangerous city in my head... then somebody said "well why don't you live in annapolis so you can have your boat..." and the mental picture of a pretty historic town with sailboats all over the place popped into my head and I was like... ohhh yeah that might work

I WILL be moving out of the DC area when I finish my masters degree, I want to purchase a house and theres no way I'm paying $400k just to have a patch of grass (3br,2bath on a tiny lot is $400k)

12/3/2006 7:22:34 PM

^^ with any big city (500K +) you are going to run into areas that have problems. There are definitely crime problems in some areas of the city, but the areas that are higher income / cost more to live in, you will find a pretty low violent crime rate (which includes all of the areas that we have mentioned).

12/3/2006 7:45:12 PM

depends I guess, but I think Barksdale is dead so the crime may have went down, but I heard that guy Marlow is a motherfucker. just be careful, Baltimore is crime central. how about Capitol Hgts, MD or like Laurel or some place really suburban. i'd hate for you to get knifed.

12/3/2006 9:08:38 PM

Quote :

"how about Capitol Hgts, MD or like Laurel "

lol.

do you know anything about this area or are you just talking out your ass?

are you black? not trying to be mean but they don't like whitey in capitol heights.


[Edited on December 3, 2006 at 10:12 PM. Reason : I just can't believe you would recommend anyone to PG county.]]

12/3/2006 10:08:05 PM

^amsterdamn, B

12/3/2006 10:27:08 PM

or laurel

12/3/2006 10:36:55 PM

^^ ic, b.

12/3/2006 10:40:38 PM

chalis. there's Tysons Corner, Landover (which is next to Capital Heights and a nice area), anything, but Baltimore. YOU'RE GOING TO DIE VIOLENTLY THERE. there I said it, YOU HAPPY NOW !!!











.... you're totally going to die in Baltimore at the hands of anther person.

12/3/2006 11:20:14 PM

lol

no way in hell would I commute to Bal'more from DC, when I could live in bel air, columbia, annapolis etc..

and Landover still like 95% black and fuck living near Fedex field during f'ball season.

now around Tyson's corner is nice but during rush hour it can take an hour to go 10 miles so a commute to bal would be hell. Although you would be going opposite of most people but still pretty bad.

Quote :

"anything, but Baltimore. PG county "

fixed it for ya.

[Edited on December 3, 2006 at 11:51 PM. Reason : .]

12/3/2006 11:48:00 PM

amsterdam has been watching too much wire


that said, i've heard columbia is really nice and suburban, i.e. it's been described to me as the cary of maryland.

if that's your thing go for it, but i'll stick to SE DC

[Edited on December 3, 2006 at 11:55 PM. Reason : .]

12/3/2006 11:51:46 PM

^ thats true, in fact, i still slip up and call it cary quite a bit. damn planned communities.

...its already been pointed out that canton, fed hill and fells point are probably the three most popular areas to live for us yuppies. downtown is really starting to pick up and theyre building several new high rise apt buildings. ridgelys delite, otterbein, mount vernon, and locust point are also straight. washingon village (pigtown) is on the rise, but when i was looking for houses in summer of 05, it was still a little too rough for our liking. baltimore is known for its diverse neighborhoods, so its best to see them and see which one fits you best.

it also depends on what kind of place you want to live. if you want a condo, then most of those are around the harbor. (inner harbor, canton, fells point, downtown , (a few in fed hill)). but most other places are going to be row houses...some are converted to apartments, but a lot of them are just 2-3 bedrooms for rent. you won't find much covered parking with row homes..the best you can hope for is a parking pad in the back. most high rises either have their own parking, or they are located close to a parking garage where you can rent a space.

depending on where you work will probably be a good discriminator as far as where in the city you want to live. if you live on the opposite side of the harbor from where you work, you may end up having to commute through the tunnel and pay a toll twice a day. a lot of people do it, but it adds up eventually.

12/4/2006 8:48:36 AM

i love mt. vernon.

12/4/2006 10:12:27 AM

yeah, its a cool place. i dont know how renting is, but its one of the more expensive places to buy a house in the city.

[Edited on December 4, 2006 at 10:14 AM. Reason : d]

12/4/2006 10:14:19 AM

don't get shot in Baltimore

12/5/2006 1:09:07 AM

Columbia = cary

12/5/2006 1:41:24 AM

its not so much worrying about getting shot as it is worrying about your car getting its window busted out and your shit stolen every other weekend.

and the rats. baltimore has some of the largest rats on earth.

[Edited on December 5, 2006 at 9:37 AM. Reason : hamsterdance = too much The Wire]

12/5/2006 9:37:35 AM

yeah, outside of the bad parts of baltimore, theres just a lot of petty theft. you literally can't leave anything of value visible in your car....no matter how nice of an area you live. i read the police blogs about people breaking into cars for a dollar or two of change.

12/5/2006 9:50:21 AM

honestly though it's one of the most underrated cities in America. It's got its issues (what city doesnt) but it's what i consider to be a "best kept secret" city

12/5/2006 9:52:56 AM

It seems like everyone I talk to either says it's the best city ever or that I will get shot!

I won't be moving up there for a few months so hopefully I will have time to really scope out the area. Thanks for everyone's help so far!

12/5/2006 5:53:10 PM

i went there once with my girlfriend, and i thought for sure i was being followed. but then again i'm on medication.

12/5/2006 5:54:58 PM

Quote :

"It seems like everyone I talk to either says it's the best city ever or that I will get shot! "

..the people that say you will get shot don't know what they are talking about.

i wont claim baltimore as the best city ever, but i do really like living up here. its a fun city with a lot of personality.

[Edited on December 6, 2006 at 8:25 AM. Reason : a]

12/6/2006 8:25:04 AM

Quote :

"It seems like everyone I talk to either says it's the best city ever or that I will get shot! "

50/50 chance I guess. There also is the chance you may get knifed also, which I suppose is better than getting shot. Move to Georgetown or any place suburban. Don't say I didn't warn you, B.

While you're in NC at least get a concealed weapons permit and a pistol before moving there.

12/6/2006 9:37:47 AM

id move to downtown baltimore in a heartbeat if my job would allow me to.

have a little common sense and you'll be aight

12/6/2006 9:49:38 AM

ESPNZONE

12/6/2006 9:59:06 AM

only tourists go there.. jeez.

12/6/2006 10:15:04 AM

Quote :

"There also is the chance you may get knifed also, which I suppose is better than getting shot."

12/6/2006 10:28:57 AM

how is georgetown suburban?

it's nice, but a dude got his throat slit there over the summer as well as bunch of stick-ups.

12/6/2006 10:30:01 AM

hmmmmm. well, there is no place to go. maryland just sucks ass. i still have the feeling this kid is going to get knifed or shot. its just in his deck of cards to happen.

12/6/2006 2:03:26 PM

i could live off of maryland blue crab

12/6/2006 2:38:07 PM

i wish i knew what it tasted like. its hard to find maryland blue crab around here anymore since the bay was over-crabbed and polluted. most of the crabs around here are from lousiana and texas now.

12/6/2006 2:39:47 PM