Baltimore: under-rated gem - 12/20/2011

Ten years ago I moved from Southern California to Baltimore for its low cost of living (specifically: I could afford to live here on a part-time salary), vibrant neighborhoods, and ever-expanding arts scene. If you're into a monied lifestyle (everything clean and pretty and homogenous and consumer-oriented) than you are better off in DC. Or San Diego. Or Seattle. But if you are a DIY person, if you value REAL diversity (of race AND class), if you like to be part of making something rather than just buying into something, you might just fall in love with Baltimore - I know I did.

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Why - 9/5/2011

Please don't waste your time coming here. They crime rate is so high that you can not sit on your porch without the police staring in your face.

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From a Midwesterner's Perspective - 1/15/2011

I moved to Baltimore four years ago for a job and now I'm trying to get out. There are a lot of things I do like about living in Baltimore but the negatives outweigh everything. Pros There are many friendly people here. I've lived a lot of places honestly believe the people are among the friendliest I've ever seen. Lots of great, inexpensive restaurants. Easy access to other east coast cities. Lots of diversity. Cons Housing is expensive if you want to live in a nice neighborhood. The property taxes are high which makes it even worse. Crime is bad. If you live in a nice neighborhood you won't notice it too much at home. But if you work downtown, like a lot of people do, odds are you will get mugged, especially if you're a woman. Public transportation is really unreliable. The town I moved here from - which had about 200,000 people, had much better public transportation. If you work a job which requires you to be on time every day this makes it very difficult to rely on the public transportation. That leads me to another point: Car insurance. I moved to Baltimore without a car but soon realized I needed to buy one. If you live within city limits expect to pay A LOT for car insurance. Not much to do other than drink at bars and go out to eat but even this is spoiled. The "fun" neighborhoods like Fells Point and Federal Hill are overrun by drunks every weekend and they inflict a lot of property damage on people's cars and homes. The police do little about it because they have better things to do. There are few places to go out and have a nice quiet drink on the weekends. Taxes are high but you get little in return. I'm not one of these people who complains about taxes all the time - I really don't mind paying them. But the roads and schools are terrible in the city, which makes it even more expensive. I've already had one significant issue with my car because of the roads and if I had kids, I'd be forced to send them to private schools (which will run you 12-20K a year here). Bottom line is that Baltimore is not very livable unless you have enough money to buy your way out of all of the problems - and forget starting a family here. This is why many people live here for a few years and move away.

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Small City - Big Personality - 1/12/2011

If you are looking for a city that is small in size, easy to navigate, yet has a ton of things to do, the Baltimore just might be the city for you. Plus, it's in close proximity to other cities and areas of interest. I have enjoyed living here, so check out information on Baltimore if you are thinking of a change!

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Affordable Housing - 1/4/2011

One of the benefits of living in the Baltimore metropolitcan area is access to affordable housing. Prices in the past 3 years have adjusted to reasonable levels, so that a first time buyer can find a great entry first home that fits her/his budget.

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Good for vacation, probably not for living - 12/7/2010

My husband and I visited Baltimore for about one full day while on my honeymoon to DC in May '09. We are from Phoenix and the east coast was a huge and much welcomed change of pace for us! We were so pleased with proximity of all of these interesting and historical locations just a short train ride away from each other. I really enjoyed the time we spent in DC and Baltimore(went to an Orioles game and walked around for a little while.) But, just from what I witnessed during our short time there was the poverty and interesting nooks of good vs. bad housing locations. I have watched many episodes of "The Wire" and went in kinda of knowing what to expect. We walked from Penn Station to Camden Yards and never once felt unsafe. Granted, this was during the day but I didn't feel like anyone was following us or bothering us for loose change. We stumbled upon Faidley's in Lexington Market and they were the most delicious crab cakes I have ever had. All in all it was a good trip but I didn't feel like we got the full effect of what Baltimore has in store. From what I gather with the previous posts, it is deteriorating fast and that is a real shame.

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A mostly rough city with a few good areas. - 9/30/2010

I was disappointed with Baltimore when I moved here. While I heard that the city was rough, I wasn’t expecting this. Most of the city is rough with good “pockets”. You can be on a street with $800k homes, walk two blocks up and it looks like a war zone. The people are friendly enough. And if you’re into the bar and club scene there are a few areas I would hang out, but not many. Some of the areas t the city are Charming (hence the nickname Charm City), but for the most part I wouldn’t want to be caught out at night. I think the housing is overpriced for what you get. If you notice a house on the market that’s pretty cheap with fancy upgrades, RUN! It’s probably in a bad area. The job market is ok, depending on what field you work in. I work in healthcare so I had some options. Overall I think Baltimore is just a city that’s run by corrupt greedy individuals that care nothing about the residents and more about themselves, and boy does it show! Needless to say I won’t be calling Baltimore my permanent home.

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Arts and Culture - 5/29/2010

Baltimore has a great symphony and MD Institute College of Art, close proximity to New York, DC, Philadelphia art centers and is relatively cheap to live in compared to those other cities. There are many cultural events if you are so inclined to participate in them.

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bmore - 12/30/2009

All i know is Baltimore. We live 15 minutes north in Perry Hall. Very diverse and very affordable compared to Howard, Anne Arundel and Montgomery Counties. B is full of great live music, new food and small communities. The problem is you cant venture beyond MLK BLVD is you value your life. Yes, people talk about crime, but B takes it to the highest violent level. Its sad, but the city government is so racist that they turn a blind eye to the huge Gang problem that is tearing the city up. The police have their hands tied. It you want to live in the city, go to Fells, Canton or Federal hill. Other than that, go north outside the beltway. Ocean and mountains are both 2.5 hours away. The bay provides awesome boating and water sports. Be safe when you visit.

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Only gets worse - 10/24/2009

NOTE - The Baltimore METRO area is not so bad - but once you cross that city/county line ....Anyone who is considering moving into Baltimore City should really do their homework. This city has a really bad crime problem, and the votors seem to be bent on urban suicide with electing the least-qualified to public office. The Inner harbor has declined a bit but is still reasonably nice, but once you head east, west or north a few blocks, it is bad. Johns Hopkins has built the new BioTech Parks and provides housing - this is attracting medical researchers to move here - I don't care if they provide armed security guards 24/7, this is not a people-friendly city. We used to rehad properties in the Highlandtown/Patterson Park area and had so many tools stolen and vehicles broken into that we just gave up. "A word to the wise is sufficient".

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Baltimore County - 7/26/2009

Nice area, good schools, less crime compared to city, cheaper insurance and higher valued homes.

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Life in Baltimore - 6/25/2009

I have lived a lot of places and find the Baltimore area to be diverse, but dirty, way overpriced, and the crime rate is really high. Hot and humid in the summer, cold, grey and rainy in the winter. City has lots of culture and history, would be nice for a vacation.

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How is the single life in baltimore - 5/15/2009

Im a single father thinking about moving to Baltimore. I was wondering how is the single life and housing in the area?

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crime - 2/9/2009

I am 27 years old and I have been living in Baltimore all my life and it is alot of crime here and it always has been this way I believe. Right now there is alot of gang violence going on and alot of everything else. I love the goods things about Baltimore like all the history but I have 2 children and I want to move them somewhere a little better. Hopefully I will be able to move this summer, can't wait to leave...

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Crime Rate Overrated! - 8/24/2008

Crime rate is overated because the numbers only apply to Black man on Black man crime. Average criminal not targeting White citizens.

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Read the reviews below me... - 8/21/2008

I cosign all the other reviews. They've said everything I was going to say. Like every city, Baltimore has it's good side and an ugly side. Unfortunately, the bad heavily outweighs the good. I've lived in Baltimore for the past 25 years and am getting the heck outta dodge.

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Crime areas - 8/21/2008

I have lived in Baltimore for a few years now, and the crime in some areas is bad. It reminds me of New York in the 80's. Some neighbourhoods are great, and some are simply scary day or night. If you are moving here and you want to live in the city do some hands on research. Drive to a neighbourhood several times and at different times of the day and night, to see how it holds up. If people are hanging out at 2 in the morning, keep driving nothing to see here. Look at the quality of the houses, are they clean and well kept. It's not that hard to get a nice place to live just keep your eyes open before you choose a place to live.

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Baltimore: The armpit of the earth! - 8/19/2008

I've lived here for 8 years now and my husband and I cannot wait to get out of here. If you love crime and drug ridden public schools then Baltimore is for you. This is the worst place I've ever lived. Look beyond the Inner Harbor and the stadiums and you'll find run down neighborhoods, trash in the streets, etc. Most of Baltimore is a ghetto-like atmosphere. Houses are very expensive as are most houses on the I-95 corridor, between NYC and Northern Virginia. You can get a good deal on housing if you buy a shoebox sized rowhome, which are a dime per dozen.

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crime - 8/7/2008

Ive lived in maryland all my life Im 25 and I have to say the crime alone is very bad its not a place to raise a family,I will be moving this year.

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Baltimore - 7/8/2008

Pretty plain and unexciting place to live

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