Tell me about Baltimore city MD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, Baltimore can be a very racially and economically segregated city in some ways. As an African American female, I loved living in Fells Point but would have not felt at all at home in Hamden. Before you move, spend some time in the neighborhoods you're considering and get your own feel for them

what areas feel more inclusive?- op

One more bit - the neighborhoods I’ve listed are probably majority white, and attractive to people who are not native Baltimoreans. You might want to talk to people actually FROM Baltimore- because I’m sure they would have different perspectives and much more information than I do.

[Anonymous]

Op here: I’d like down to earth but sophisticated. I lean more towards bohemian but I’m pretty clean cut and pull off a T-shirt in a suit type. I like quirky/funky/bookish/ union square new yorkish. I don’t know any other way to describe myself. I enjoy seeing diversity- all of it so long as it’s embracing. Everyone is my brother/sister but I’m not in your face about it.

Safety is a priority- I don’t want to fear for my black sons life and as a single mom that’s my number one priority along with his education. I also want him to feel just as embraced. He’s pretty well traveled at his age and we are still going( well not as much).

Not being super familiar- these are the neighborhoods I’m curious about:
Federal Hill
Butchers hill/Canton
Highlandtown
Fells Point
Little Italy
Abell looks nice but sleepy

More importantly - sticking with my original post- if you made your way from DC to Baltimore- I’m curious how things are for you/yours, where you ended up settling and any tips you’d like to share and neighborhood you’d consider for the down to earth ‘sophisticate’( I’m rolling my eyes at myself here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here: I’d like down to earth but sophisticated. I lean more towards bohemian but I’m pretty clean cut and pull off a T-shirt in a suit type. I like quirky/funky/bookish/ union square new yorkish. I don’t know any other way to describe myself. I enjoy seeing diversity- all of it so long as it’s embracing. Everyone is my brother/sister but I’m not in your face about it.

Safety is a priority- I don’t want to fear for my black sons life and as a single mom that’s my number one priority along with his education. I also want him to feel just as embraced. He’s pretty well traveled at his age and we are still going( well not as much).

Not being super familiar- these are the neighborhoods I’m curious about:
Federal Hill
Butchers hill/Canton
Highlandtown
Fells Point
Little Italy
Abell looks nice but sleepy

More importantly - sticking with my original post- if you made your way from DC to Baltimore- I’m curious how things are for you/yours, where you ended up settling and any tips you’d like to share and neighborhood you’d consider for the down to earth ‘sophisticate’( I’m rolling my eyes at myself here.

Sorry if I missed it, but did you say how old your son is? And what your budget is like? I know this isn't on your list yet, but maybe consider Bolton Hill: it's more residential/neighborly (but very close to downtown), safe as long as you live East of Eutaw, and GORGEOUS. It's close-ish to Upton/Marble Hill, which isn't in great shape right now, but was a beautiful historic black neighborhood originally known as the "Harlem" of Baltimore, which is pretty neat. It looks like the area is being fixed up though. And you have the option of a decent charter or decent public school in that zone. We were considering the move to Baltimore, but we're more likely to go to Wilmington DE to be near family. This house went on the market, and I wish we were buying in Baltimore instead because WOW. Amazing except for the limited counter space in the kitchen. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1704-Linden-Ave-Baltimore-MD-21217/36486416_zpid/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here: I’d like down to earth but sophisticated. I lean more towards bohemian but I’m pretty clean cut and pull off a T-shirt in a suit type. I like quirky/funky/bookish/ union square new yorkish. I don’t know any other way to describe myself. I enjoy seeing diversity- all of it so long as it’s embracing. Everyone is my brother/sister but I’m not in your face about it.

Safety is a priority- I don’t want to fear for my black sons life and as a single mom that’s my number one priority along with his education. I also want him to feel just as embraced. He’s pretty well traveled at his age and we are still going( well not as much).

Not being super familiar- these are the neighborhoods I’m curious about:
Federal Hill
Butchers hill/Canton
Highlandtown
Fells Point
Little Italy
Abell looks nice but sleepy

More importantly - sticking with my original post- if you made your way from DC to Baltimore- I’m curious how things are for you/yours, where you ended up settling and any tips you’d like to share and neighborhood you’d consider for the down to earth ‘sophisticate’( I’m rolling my eyes at myself here.

Sorry if I missed it, but did you say how old your son is? And what your budget is like? I know this isn't on your list yet, but maybe consider Bolton Hill: it's more residential/neighborly (but very close to downtown), safe as long as you live East of Eutaw, and GORGEOUS. It's close-ish to Upton/Marble Hill, which isn't in great shape right now, but was a beautiful historic black neighborhood originally known as the "Harlem" of Baltimore, which is pretty neat. It looks like the area is being fixed up though. And you have the option of a decent neighborhood charter or decent public school in that zone. We were considering the move to Baltimore, but we're more likely to go to Wilmington DE to be near family. This house went on the market, and I wish we were buying in Baltimore instead because WOW. Amazing except for the limited counter space in the kitchen. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1704-Linden-Ave-Baltimore-MD-21217/36486416_zpid/

Edit: I see you posted your son is 5. Sorry I missed that. That home would be too large for you guys I suppose, but it still might be worth checking out the neighborhood. If you go with Fells Point or Canton, go with the part zoned for Hampstead Hill Academy... Pretty diverse, (something like 40% Hispanic, 40% white, 15% black): https://www.greatschools.org/maryland/baltimore/218-Hampstead-Hill-Academy/, and I've heard there's a great community with dedicated teachers there (disclaimer: much of this is based what I've read on Reddit). Canton is supposedly lots of recent grads and a little party-ish. The other issue is parking in the areas near the harbor... If you can manage to find a home with a parking pad, you definitely should get one, because supposedly it can be difficult.

[Anonymous]

Single mom and Baltimore City teacher. The system is a real mess so I’d never send my kids there. But if I had to, Roland Park is the only school I would choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Single mom and Baltimore City teacher. The system is a real mess so I’d never send my kids there. But if I had to, Roland Park is the only school I would choose.

What about the Crossroads School/ Living Classrooms?

[Anonymous]

Taxes are oppressive. And for what?

- terrible schools

- terrible crime

- terrible city govt and police

- terrible transportation

Why bother? The property taxes alone are eye watering. People pay as much in property taxes on a $500k home in Baltimore as people in Bethesda do on a house over $1 million. The taxes in Baltimore are crazzzzzzzy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also property taxes are crazy. We still own and rent our approx 300k rowhouse in fed hill and property taxes are less than they are on our 550k county house on nearly an acre.

This. You can move 5 minutes outside of Baltimore City and live in Baltimore County, and basically cut your tax bill in half. Plus the schools are much better. Why even bother with Baltimore City at that point?

[Anonymous]

What are top 5 neighbourhoods in Baltimore County? I see that the houses are priced low but rent is high, why is that?
Home Values also stay stuck more than the other areas around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, Baltimore can be a very racially and economically segregated city in some ways. As an African American female, I loved living in Fells Point but would have not felt at all at home in Hamden. Before you move, spend some time in the neighborhoods you're considering and get your own feel for them.

Oh that’s sad-
I found a move to Baltimore blog and was considering Federal Hill, Bolton Hill and the area by union park?( not sure I’m getting this right).

I lived in Baltimore for 7 years and found it very depressing. Everyday you will be reminded of much of what is wrong with America--poverty, crime, drug addiction, homelessness, racial and economic segregation, and a failing school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have searched this forum up and down- and don’t really hear from people who moved to Baltimore. I’ve seen a few posts that vary across house porn to crime but I was hoping to start a dedicated thread to Baltimore and the brave souls that planted new roots there.

Where do you live in Baltimore?
Cost of living is lower- what do you trade for that?
Do you work there or commute to DC?
Have children? If so what school

And anything I should consider besides housing stock crime and commute issues?

Me: AA mom, 38, 5yr old son, self -employed and currently living in Shaw and previously lived in ft belvoir

Try Roland Park Elementary. Decent school. Lots of great homes.

[Anonymous]

With a kid, I would only live in Towson due to the schools situation. But when I retire, I'd love to live in Federal Hill or Canton in a condo or townhouse by the water. So nice. Love walking by the water. And not too much crime (although definitely more than most areas in DC).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Single mom and Baltimore City teacher. The system is a real mess so I’d never send my kids there. But if I had to, Roland Park is the only school I would choose.

What about the Crossroads School/ Living Classrooms?

Never heard of it.

[Anonymous]

I have lived in Baltimore, have since moved away. Here are neighborhoods I would recommend exploring and some related resources:

1. https://livebaltimore.com/ - They are a non-profit that manages homebuying incentives for the city; offers workshops and tours of neighborhoods and guides individuals through the various neighborhood options. There is a lot of info about schools on their website, and Kim Wiggins is the point person/expert on this (a map of school zones are here: https://livebaltimore.com/resident-resources/schools/).

2. Neighborhoods I would explore include Reservoir Hill (adjacent to Bolton Hill, similarly beautiful large/historic homes. Not as walkable as other neighborhoods, but extremely neighborly. There's lots of families with young children. Check out Dovecote Cafe which is a really beautiful, black-owned cafe in this neighborhoood: http://dovecotecafe.com/). Another one worth looking into is Pigtown. Very affordable; there's a wonderful new bookstore there called Charm City Books and as well as a number of other anchor businesses that have continued to thrive. https://www.charmcitybooks.com/. Lastly, along the NE Corridor: Lauraville/Hamilton and further north towards Cedonia. This area is also quite diverse, with many Black middle class families. There are a few walkable, charming streets of the neighborhoods; the houses are gorgeous (large, single family with yards and greenery). There's a number of school options here too - including a montessori, I believe. Koko's pub is known for crabcakes; Red Canoe for children's books; Zeke's Coffee is headquartered here.

3. Among the neighborhoods you mention, here are my thoughts: Federal Hill, Canton and Butchers Hill all have a lot of nice, walkable retail, but also a "preppy" vibe. Highlandtown is great -- it is a predominantly Hispanic community these days, with a strong art scene supported by the local CDC (community development corporation) - they also have a fun basement bar "tour" each year. Patterson Park is adjacent and is a huge asset, and the library is wonderful. Abell has wonderful architecture and tightknit, with an annual neighborhood festival; an active neighborhood association, and adjacent to lots of amenities including the 32nd St Farmers Market and lots of small businesses nearby (my favorites are Peabody Brewery, a co-op; Book Thing for free(!) books; Local Color Flowers; Normal Records; Bird in Hand for books/cafe). The only possible negative is that the "zoned" school has a weaker reputation, but I also think this is improving. It's generally a safe neighborhood as it's adjacent to the Hopkins Homewood campus. I don't personally love Little Italy - it has lost much of its authenticity, but that's of course my opinion. Fells Point is both walkable to a lot of amenities (and the waterfront) and quite diverse. The re-development of Perkins Homes will have an impact on this area - this is a huge project. But people here complain about parking and the houses are more compact than other neighborhoods.

Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Single mom and Baltimore City teacher. The system is a real mess so I’d never send my kids there. But if I had to, Roland Park is the only school I would choose.

What about the Crossroads School/ Living Classrooms?

Never heard of it.

Its’s an excellent public charter school run by the Living Classrooms Foundation in Inner Harbor East - I think on Lancaster Street. I had heard that they expanded their well- regarded middle school program to include an elementary school, although I don’t know if it’s at the same site. Many of the MS students went on to private schools and the competitive high schools. This might be an out of date impression though. I’d have no hesitation re: sending a kid to Crossroads if it’s still as good as I remember it being.