Job is relocating - which city to choose; Baltimore or Norfolk?

[Anonymous]

My husband is being relocated and we have the option of choosing the office in Norfolk or Baltimore City (inner harbor area). We live in the mid west and have not visited either of these areas yet. I have read through past posts on this forum and I'm aware that most people do not speak highly of either area. We have decided we are making the move and now we're looking for opinions on both cities. We live in a fairly walkable small city so we're no strangers to your typical city problems. We do have young children so schools are something we'd like to take into consideration since our oldest will be starting Kindergarten in 2 years. We'd prefer public schools, can maybe swing parochial, but do not have the budget for fancy private schools. We'd love to continue living in another walkable area. Which city would you suggest and why? 

Also, flooding is not something that has been on our radar because of where we live but reading through other posts has me thinking - if we choose Norfolk, how concerned should we be with sea level rise and flooding? That factor alone has us leaning more towards Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

What is your housing budget and how many minutes each way is your DH willing to commute?

[Anonymous]

Just the fact that you enjoy city living means you should look strongly at Baltimore - the neighborhoods near the Inner Harbor. Baltimore and Norfolk have very different vibes. Norfolk has a large military population so you will have more families that live there. B'More especially the inner harbor area has probably a younger, hipper demographic

You might find these guides helpful https://www.pods.com/blog/2021/06/baltimore-neighborhood-guide/

https://www.zumper.com/blog/the-7-best-baltimore-neighborhoods/

[Anonymous]

Norfolk. Baltimore is the forgotten city. Norfolk is thriving.

[Anonymous]

COL in Norfolk is also lower.

[Anonymous]

Baltimore is much bigger and far more urban than Norfolk is. Baltimore has a real city character. It has everything from gorgeous neighborhoods to deeply deprived areas. The suburbs are the suburbs you find anywhere, with the usual mixture of older suburbs with a bit more character and new suburbs where everything is car dependent.

If you like a city vibe close by I would go for Baltimore and probably look for a house in Towson (just north of the city). Great neighborhoods with great schools and it's an older suburban area so it has some walkability (dependent on where you are in the Towson area). There's a downtown Towson area that's undergoing some enhancements and a new WF is opening up. At the same time you're very close to all the city amenities. If budget is under 450k, you can get a nicely renovated rowhouse in Rodgers Forge, which is insanely family friendly with great schools and a warm community feeling and has a walkable retail area nearby. Above 500k you can find a small SFH. Depends on what you want.

[Anonymous]

You should move to Columbia or Ellicott City in Howard County and have him do the short commute into Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

Baltimore is not a place for first-time big city dwellers. Lots of decay, lots of crime, terrible public schools.

If you want to live in a walkable urban neighborhood, you should check out the Ghent neighborhood in Norfolk. It is like urban neighborhoods all along the East Coast, but safer than Baltimore. You would probably be happy with at least the elementary school for public.

If you want good public schools through high school, then you're better off looking east of Norfolk in Virginia Beach, which has many good schools.

[Anonymous]

I'd probably do Norfolk. I've done Baltimore, but only visited Norfolk. While Baltimore might be cool for Northeast city folk, I wouldn't recommend for someone from a flyover state. It's got a lot of violent crime, sky high murder rate. It's simply dangerous for people who aren't street savvy. I have heard Norfolk is no peach either, but I think it's better.

[Anonymous]

Please disregard the fear mongering. Baltimore is far better.

Norfolk IS BORING AF!

Interesting enough, I google your question and this thread came up

https://www.city-data.com/forum/city-vs-city/1076067-norfolk-va-vs-baltimore.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd probably do Norfolk. I've done Baltimore, but only visited Norfolk. While Baltimore might be cool for Northeast city folk, I wouldn't recommend for someone from a flyover state. It's got a lot of violent crime, sky high murder rate. It's simply dangerous for people who aren't street savvy. I have heard Norfolk is no peach either, but I think it's better.

I’ve lived in Baltimore for 20 years and this is not true. If op were to drive to worst neighborhood and get involved in the drug business which accounts for thr vast majority of murders, but no, that is not how life is for most of us in Baltimore.

Can you make a trip to visit both cities, op?

[Anonymous]

I live in Norfolk. I posted about it recently here.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/996899.page#20718219

Yes, we have flooding. You have to watch where you buy (or rent) and you get used to it eventually. Our public schools are lacking in various ways, but it’s possible to eke out a decent education. The military is a huge presence, obviously, which is not necessarily bad thing, but if you are not military or from here it can take a while to find your people. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

[Anonymous]

Norfolk because I’d rather live in Virginia Beach but both options suck.

[Anonymous]

Op, check out the North Baltimore neighborhoods of Roland Park, Homeland and Mount Washington. Look for homes zoned for Roland Park elementary/middle, or Mount Washington elementary /middle. Both are very good public school options that could take your child to 8th grade. The market is hot in these neighborhoods and well priced houses go in days but you can get a sense of what things cost by looking at pending or completed sales on Redfin. There are many parochial schools in Baltimore City, including in and around the neighborhoods I mentioned above. The commute to the Inner Harbor is about 15 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd probably do Norfolk. I've done Baltimore, but only visited Norfolk. While Baltimore might be cool for Northeast city folk, I wouldn't recommend for someone from a flyover state. It's got a lot of violent crime, sky high murder rate. It's simply dangerous for people who aren't street savvy. I have heard Norfolk is no peach either, but I think it's better.

I’ve lived in Baltimore for 20 years and this is not true. If op were to drive to worst neighborhood and get involved in the drug business which accounts for thr vast majority of murders, but no, that is not how life is for most of us in Baltimore.

Can you make a trip to visit both cities, op?

+1. I swear some of the people around here learned everything they know about Baltimore by watching The Wire. Almost 20 years in the city, still not murdered, still don’t know anyone who has been. The schools do suck, though, so either factor in 30K per year for an excellent private or strongly consider the county.

We have one kid at an amazing private, who’s getting an education that blows my “excellent” MA public school suburban education out of the water. But if you have multiple kids it adds up fast.