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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1

From the Midwest as well and lived in Columbia for 10+ years and loved it.

Yes, that would be the best option. I wish we moved to Ellicott City, but it was too far of a commute to DC. Love the area. I was at UMBC for a while and love the area. Catonsville too has a nice area where profs live, in old houses, but public schools there would be a no for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1

From the Midwest as well and lived in Columbia for 10+ years and loved it.

Yes, that would be the best option. I wish we moved to Ellicott City, but it was too far of a commute to DC. Love the area. I was at UMBC for a while and love the area. Catonsville too has a nice area where profs live, in old houses, but public schools there would be a no for me.

Agreed, as someone from the DC area and who lived in Chicago for seven years. Baltimore has some real benefits, but would be a lot for someone who has never lived in a true urban environment, especially with young kids. Ellicott City and Columbia have a lot going for them. This location will have you close to the Delaware/Maryland beaches, mountains in the west, and easy trips to DC, Philly, NYC, etc., if you're interested. BWI is also a great airport.

Norfolk is a non-starter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Norfolk is a hick town. I would love the beach, but not anything else about it. I am from a major capital European city. I would go to Baltimore, but you should look at schools first. Perhaps Howard country house, Ellicott city and commute to Baltimore.
That is what I would do.

I can’t even believe I’m defending Norfolk—it has plenty of issues—but a hick town? We have an excellent art museum, the Chrysler, and the Virginia Opera. ODU is not the best of the Virginia universities, but the faculty who live and work here are a well-educated bunch. The Navy element, which can’t be avoided, brings in people who have lived all over the world, and many of them decide to stay here forever. The restaurant scene is wanting in some ways, but has improved dramatically in the past ten years. We have some beautiful old neighborhoods with tree-lined streets and lovely old homes.

Norfolk people generally don’t like Virginia Beach, and vice versa. As a Norfolk resident, I rarely go to the beach here. I prefer to drive a few hours for a nicer beach.

The Chrysler? Are you actually proving me right?

Maybe? Are you saying the Chrysler is a hick museum? I mean it’s not the Louvre, but it’s a pretty decent collection for a city this size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a family who enjoys a great city with lots of charm, history, fun things to do- but also needs good schools, Towson is where you need to be. While not directly in the city, it is about 20 min away. Towson is a nice college town with walkability and good public schools.

Came here to say exactly this. Towson is your sweet spot, OP.

Personally think North Baltimore is a better option for op, if it is within budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1

From the Midwest as well and lived in Columbia for 10+ years and loved it.

Yes, that would be the best option. I wish we moved to Ellicott City, but it was too far of a commute to DC. Love the area. I was at UMBC for a while and love the area. Catonsville too has a nice area where profs live, in old houses, but public schools there would be a no for me.

Agreed, as someone from the DC area and who lived in Chicago for seven years. Baltimore has some real benefits, but would be a lot for someone who has never lived in a true urban environment, especially with young kids. Ellicott City and Columbia have a lot going for them. This location will have you close to the Delaware/Maryland beaches, mountains in the west, and easy trips to DC, Philly, NYC, etc., if you're interested. BWI is also a great airport.

Norfolk is a non-starter.

Howard county is cookie cutter suburbs, not what I would recommend to someone who enjoys living in a small city. For someone who doesn’t like city living and doesn’t mind a longer commute, definitely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Roland Park is really nice. Baltimore offers a range of option from urban to suburban to exurban so take anyone who tells you it’s just one thing with a big grain of salt.

I agree. And I'm also puzzled at this insistence by some people that Howard County is what OP wants (hello? Walkability? Howard County? Uh?). Howard is a lovely county but it is definitely not a walkable place and is also rather isolated from Baltimore. If you move to Howard, you will rarely go into Baltimore. Baltimore County is much more connected to Baltimore City and if you live in Towson you're going to find yourself going into the city much more often than someone who lives in Columbia or Ellicott City. I know - because I lived/worked in both places and know people who live in both.

OP, it's worth coming to Baltimore for a visit and to speak with a realtor and to get a lay of the land. I don't know if we're allowed to recommend realtors but mine was great and let me just say if you google kate realtor Baltimore she's the first name to come up. She covers pretty much the entire metro area and is great for understanding what people want. Whoever you choose, have the realtor show you around the following areas:

1. Canton/Federal Hill: very walkable, very urban areas right by the water. Plenty of families with young children (but they disappear the older the children get to be replaced by the next generation).

2. Roland Park/North Baltimore - any area zoned for Roland Park EMS. Predominately SFH in lovely neighborhoods with character.

Then after you've had a heart attack at the taxes, have the realtor take you to:

3. Towson (zips 21212, 21204, 21286) feeding into the Towson High pyramid. Neighborhoods include Ruxton (high end), West Towson, Rodgers Forge, Stoneleigh, Annesleigh, etc. I've a feeling you will really like this area, it's insanely family friendly and close to amenities, close to the city but without the high taxes and very safe and top schools, including some great Catholic options if you want to go that route someday.

4. Ellicott City (charming historic old village that is NOT walkable to anything residential outside its immediate vicinity) and explore the endless cul-de-sacs of the hinterlands. Great schools, great county government but resolutely suburban.

5. Severna Park, ideally with water privilege access. It's very suburban and nothing is walkable but if you have water privileges it can be a great lifestyle and you're not far from Annapolis, which is gorgeous and historic.

Note: if you're going to look at Ellicott City or Columbia, you might as well look at the northern Baltimore county areas like Hunt Valley, Phoenix, Cockeysville.

Good luck!

This is all good advice but after living here for two decades, here’s what we found —you pay more in taxes in the city but housing prices are a bit lower. As a result, assuming you are planning on taking out a mortgage, your monthly housing payment including taxes and insurance winds up pretty similar for comparable houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Baltimore. Norfolk is far from everything.

This would be my biggest issue--that whole area just seems to far removed from anything and hard to get to, though there is a lot to do in and around Hampton Roads. It's also much further from a large airport if you are planning to go back to the Midwest often.

I'm from Baltimore (grew up in the Roland Park/Hampden area) and never had an issue with crime there but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. You just have to be careful. I think you would like Towson or maybe Roland Park (but you'd likely have to go private by high school in RP).

Are you planning to work OP? I would take that into consideration. I would imagine that you will have a lot more options in Baltimore but it really depends on what you do for a living.

[Anonymous]

Those recommending Baltimore to a Midwesterner from a "small city" are almost criminal. OP, do some more homework. Baltimore would be a shock to you- it's a city of despair: high crime, vacant buildings, and dysfunctional city gov. With small kids, it is absolutely a non-starter. Suburban southern Maryland counties have their own problems, too, when it comes to education. I know of what I speak having traveled there often and having family who have worked in the city at Hopkins for decades. Do not go there- you'll regret it.

Norfolk is safer and cleaner- you can drive to NC, DC, etc if you need a change of scenery. Virginia is a wonderful state to call home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1

From the Midwest as well and lived in Columbia for 10+ years and loved it.

Yes, that would be the best option. I wish we moved to Ellicott City, but it was too far of a commute to DC. Love the area. I was at UMBC for a while and love the area. Catonsville too has a nice area where profs live, in old houses, but public schools there would be a no for me.

Agreed, as someone from the DC area and who lived in Chicago for seven years. Baltimore has some real benefits, but would be a lot for someone who has never lived in a true urban environment, especially with young kids. Ellicott City and Columbia have a lot going for them. This location will have you close to the Delaware/Maryland beaches, mountains in the west, and easy trips to DC, Philly, NYC, etc., if you're interested. BWI is also a great airport.

Norfolk is a non-starter.

Howard county is cookie cutter suburbs, not what I would recommend to someone who enjoys living in a small city. For someone who doesn’t like city living and doesn’t mind a longer commute, definitely.

Ellicott City is very charming. Columbia is planned and yeah, not a charming small New England town or something, but it has plenty of benefits.

I still think HoCo is a better fit for someone coming from a small Midwestern town than living in Baltimore City, again, especially with young kids. Plenty of people aren't comfortable navigating urban settings with young children, and Baltimore has a lot of the downsides of that. North of the city (e.g., Towson) could work, too, but that's no more inspiring than Columbia).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those recommending Baltimore to a Midwesterner from a "small city" are almost criminal. OP, do some more homework. Baltimore would be a shock to you- it's a city of despair: high crime, vacant buildings, and dysfunctional city gov. With small kids, it is absolutely a non-starter. Suburban southern Maryland counties have their own problems, too, when it comes to education. I know of what I speak having traveled there often and having family who have worked in the city at Hopkins for decades. Do not go there- you'll regret it.

Norfolk is safer and cleaner- you can drive to NC, DC, etc if you need a change of scenery. Virginia is a wonderful state to call home.

Right, that is why people are fighting over to pay over $2 million for some homes in North Baltimore or on the Harbor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those recommending Baltimore to a Midwesterner from a "small city" are almost criminal. OP, do some more homework. Baltimore would be a shock to you- it's a city of despair: high crime, vacant buildings, and dysfunctional city gov. With small kids, it is absolutely a non-starter. Suburban southern Maryland counties have their own problems, too, when it comes to education. I know of what I speak having traveled there often and having family who have worked in the city at Hopkins for decades. Do not go there- you'll regret it.

Norfolk is safer and cleaner- you can drive to NC, DC, etc if you need a change of scenery. Virginia is a wonderful state to call home.

Some people really can't let go of Baltimore, can they? In the first place, the Baltimore suburbs are suburbs. They're just fine. They run the gamut from horse country to crowded apartments with immigrant families and everything in between. OP has plenty of options all around Baltimore including parts of the city itself without running into any of this dysfunctional despair you seem to believe exists all across the entire metro area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those recommending Baltimore to a Midwesterner from a "small city" are almost criminal. OP, do some more homework. Baltimore would be a shock to you- it's a city of despair: high crime, vacant buildings, and dysfunctional city gov. With small kids, it is absolutely a non-starter. Suburban southern Maryland counties have their own problems, too, when it comes to education. I know of what I speak having traveled there often and having family who have worked in the city at Hopkins for decades. Do not go there- you'll regret it.

Norfolk is safer and cleaner- you can drive to NC, DC, etc if you need a change of scenery. Virginia is a wonderful state to call home.

Whereas I think it's criminal to suggest the entire commuting region around Baltimore is filled with high crime and vacant buildings. If you want to have an intelligent discussion comparing schools in Roland Park or Towson to Norfolk feel free, but this isn't it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those recommending Baltimore to a Midwesterner from a "small city" are almost criminal. OP, do some more homework. Baltimore would be a shock to you- it's a city of despair: high crime, vacant buildings, and dysfunctional city gov. With small kids, it is absolutely a non-starter. Suburban southern Maryland counties have their own problems, too, when it comes to education. I know of what I speak having traveled there often and having family who have worked in the city at Hopkins for decades. Do not go there- you'll regret it.

Norfolk is safer and cleaner- you can drive to NC, DC, etc if you need a change of scenery. Virginia is a wonderful state to call home.

Right, that is why people are fighting over to pay over $2 million for some homes in North Baltimore or on the Harbor.

DP, but that's irrelevant to the OP. Plenty of people are comfortable living in Baltimore. Someone whose idea of urban is a small Midwestern city may well not be, unless that small Midwestern city is Gary, IN.

[Anonymous]

The public schools in the Virginia Beach area are very good and then you get access to the much better range of state universities in Virginia. I would just live there and visit areas like downtown Norfolk and the boardwalk at Virginia Beach when I wanted a walkable excursion.

And I say this as someone born right outside of Baltimore - the city has just become a very depressing place. It's terribly run, with high crime and ridiculously bad schools, and its problems seep into the surrounding areas.

[Anonymous]

Baltimore suburbs are great. Plus, the suburb-like neighborhoods in Baltimore are really lovely.

We live in DC, but really enjoy Baltimore.