Ruxton, West Towson and similar close in Baltimore County locales

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that interesting post. I’ve been here for 20 years but I’m still learning the ropes!

[Anonymous]

Pp who live in Ruxton and now lives in Roland Park. Agree that Ruxton is for those who don’t really care about having a neighborhood, unless one buys in the Wind Streets or directly behind Graul’s. Also not really walkable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Any update on this?

Prior poster here. You won’t be receiving one. I’m not going to use my coworkers memory to prove anything to an anonymous person online. If making something like that up is something you would do or expect from others, then I think that says more than enough.

If you don’t want to believe my oddly specific personal experience, that’s okay. I would encourage you to consider, however, that not everyone fits into the neat box you would like to place those who disagree with you in.

NP here, maybe you didn't hear about it because it wasn't a white person. No less a murder, just less newsworthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Any update on this?

Prior poster here. You won’t be receiving one. I’m not going to use my coworkers memory to prove anything to an anonymous person online. If making something like that up is something you would do or expect from others, then I think that says more than enough.

If you don’t want to believe my oddly specific personal experience, that’s okay. I would encourage you to consider, however, that not everyone fits into the neat box you would like to place those who disagree with you in.

NP here, maybe you didn't hear about it because it wasn't a white person. No less a murder, just less newsworthy.

A double murder outside of the drug trade would receive lots of coverage, regardless of whether the victim was white, black or purple. I am the poster who has lived here for 18 years, I don't recall this happening. And pp refuses to point to any coverage, so I am going to assume that my memory is correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we get back on track and not scare the OP?

I grew up in Roland Park and after living away from Baltimore for 20 years, moved back and ended up buying in Ruxton. I know all the neighborhoods mentioned here extremely well. Let me give my overview:

1. Stoneleigh: this is the neighborhood if you want a Mayberry where all the kids walk to the local elementary school and most will also go on to the local middle and high schools, which are also walkable. You don't mind a smaller, cramped house but with lovely period charm on tree-lined streets and kids riding bicycles and walking over to the juice store on York road while your husband hangs out a the hardware store down the block. Your neighbors are all nicely college educated people who grew up in similar neighborhoods and value a good public education and aren't interested in living further out in a more car oriented suburban environment.

2. West Towson: this neighborhood has a small town feel rather than a planned 1920s streetcar suburb, growing organically from the original downtown Towson core. Housing varies more than in Stoneleigh, ranging from similar housing to larger housing to smaller cottages and even a few rowhouses and lots of all sizes and shapes. Most kids go to good public schools or good Catholic schools. The Towson Y, which is very nice, is the neighborhood hangout and some even walk into downtown Towson for the new Whole Foods and various food places and the library, although it's not as common as you might think. The demographic overlap between Stoneleigh and West Towson is near perfect but West Towson, especially towards the Charles Street side, will have more kids in private MS and HS while Stoneleigh and Wiltondale gravitate towards Towson HS.

3. Ruxton: this neighborhood is for you if you are old money, wannabe old money, send your children to private schools, belong to clubs, and yes, you got it, have money. It's a lovely area of winding streets and an extensive tree canopy and rolling hills and housing stock that is more varied than you might think. Ease of access to downtown Baltimore and Towson shopping is fantastic yet so pastoral. Neighbors are not neighborly as they are private for people value privacy and their own social set over knowing their neighbors. Access to Lake Roland (not Loch Raven) from footpaths in the neighborhood and deer and fox abound. I enjoy living here and I'm realistic that not everyone would feel at home in Ruxton but people often also misunderstand Ruxton because they will confuse people leaving you alone with coldness.

4. Roland Park/North Baltimore: this is for you if you are an urban-oriented upper middle class liberal. Beautiful housing stock, really quite special, strong neighborhood vibes and organizations, walkable to both public and private schools, close to many amenities. But it is on the city side which means higher taxes and having to deal (or come to terms with ignoring) city politics. It's perfectly safe, just as safe as the Towson neighborhoods.

There are other neighborhoods north of the beltway but I have to agree I was never interested in them.

I also really like Pinehurst (small pocket neighborhood sort of between Roland Park/Homeland and Stoneleigh). It has the virtues of the city neighborhoods but on the county side. Houses rarely come on the market but when they do they are snapped up immediately. If there had been something for sale when we were house hunting, we would have taken it over Ruxton.

OP here: thank you for your detailed opinions which I value and are exactly what I was hoping for; and getting this post back on track!

[Anonymous]

I think it’s worth noting that only a very small part of Ruxton has access to Lake Roland walking paths and that is a part where op is unlikely to find anything under $1 million. I

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s worth noting that only a very small part of Ruxton has access to Lake Roland walking paths and that is a part where op is unlikely to find anything under $1 million. I

Anyone can get to the back trail off L'Hirondelle, just past the tennis courts and by the little bridge. Many take their dogs for walks this way and kids cycle into the park. I love how the back part of Lake Roland feels so remote and natural. There's no real parking so it's very much a neighborhood secret.

A smaller but comfortable MCM house on Indian Head Road was on the market last November and sold for $825k and had two acres backing onto Lake Roland Park. If we were househunting I'd have been all over it. It did need cosmetic upgrades but it was in great shape and a special kind of house. True, your standard family colonial type house is now approaching $1.5M but there's variety in Ruxton and with patience you'll find a pleasant house in the 800-900k bracket. Estate sales are also always coming onto the market in a steady dribble, needing little more than perhaps a kitchen upgrade, one just needs patience.

Another area for OP to keep her eye on is the Lake Avenue stretch between Roland and Falls Road. The city/county border weaves around Lake on both sides but on the county side there's several discreet neighborhood pockets that are little known if you don't live there. Zip 21210.

I'd also recommend she take a look at Poplar Hill, Homeland, Cedarcroft and Guilford. All three are in the city but are gorgeous areas, forming, along with Roland Park, the fabulous North Baltimore. But you do need to make a clear decision re schools. At least she should be aware of these neighborhoods as outside Stoneleigh and Pinehurst there's no real comparison on the county side, even if I completely understand why it's going to be county side no matter what.

I just read all the posts about crime. I do remember the shooting at the Towson mall last year and maybe there was a second one, both involved kids of a certain demographic and happened very late at night. Same stuff has happened in Howard County FYI. The mall is easily avoidable and frankly, no one I know ever goes there except perhaps for the Apple store. Even so I'd have no problem going to the mall for errands if needed. I will say, however, that downtown Towson always feels like a major missed opportunity. It should be a thriving village center given all the neighborhoods surrounding it, like what you find outside Boston or the the NYC suburbs, but for some reason the county planners can never pull it off, even if there is a new Whole Foods and enough eateries and cafes. But it's definitely, unquestionably fine and perfectly safe.

[Anonymous]

Putting in a plug for Mt Washington. Decent public k-8 public, with option to go to RPEMS as well. Strong parent community in the public school. Farmers market, community gardens, thriving Rec soccer, walk to Starbucks, Whole Foods, home made ice cream, light rail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s worth noting that only a very small part of Ruxton has access to Lake Roland walking paths and that is a part where op is unlikely to find anything under $1 million. I

Anyone can get to the back trail off L'Hirondelle, just past the tennis courts and by the little bridge. Many take their dogs for walks this way and kids cycle into the park. I love how the back part of Lake Roland feels so remote and natural. There's no real parking so it's very much a neighborhood secret.

A smaller but comfortable MCM house on Indian Head Road was on the market last November and sold for $825k and had two acres backing onto Lake Roland Park. If we were househunting I'd have been all over it. It did need cosmetic upgrades but it was in great shape and a special kind of house. True, your standard family colonial type house is now approaching $1.5M but there's variety in Ruxton and with patience you'll find a pleasant house in the 800-900k bracket. Estate sales are also always coming onto the market in a steady dribble, needing little more than perhaps a kitchen upgrade, one just needs patience.

Another area for OP to keep her eye on is the Lake Avenue stretch between Roland and Falls Road. The city/county border weaves around Lake on both sides but on the county side there's several discreet neighborhood pockets that are little known if you don't live there. Zip 21210.

I'd also recommend she take a look at Poplar Hill, Homeland, Cedarcroft and Guilford. All three are in the city but are gorgeous areas, forming, along with Roland Park, the fabulous North Baltimore. But you do need to make a clear decision re schools. At least she should be aware of these neighborhoods as outside Stoneleigh and Pinehurst there's no real comparison on the county side, even if I completely understand why it's going to be county side no matter what.

I just read all the posts about crime. I do remember the shooting at the Towson mall last year and maybe there was a second one, both involved kids of a certain demographic and happened very late at night. Same stuff has happened in Howard County FYI. The mall is easily avoidable and frankly, no one I know ever goes there except perhaps for the Apple store. Even so I'd have no problem going to the mall for errands if needed. I will say, however, that downtown Towson always feels like a major missed opportunity. It should be a thriving village center given all the neighborhoods surrounding it, like what you find outside Boston or the the NYC suburbs, but for some reason the county planners can never pull it off, even if there is a new Whole Foods and enough eateries and cafes. But it's definitely, unquestionably fine and perfectly safe.

I lived in Ruxton for a decade and never once felt the need to do that. Just as easy to actually drive to Lake Roland and park in the Light Rail parking lot, it’s super close to Roland Park.

In any case I would recommend avoiding Ruxton if coming from out of town. Ther is zero sense of neighborhood, often no place for kids to ride bikes,e tc .. . and you pay a premium to live there. That’s why we left. Further, there was a time when people moved to Ruxton for Riderwood. But West Towson and Stoneleigh have caught up, if not surpassed, Riderwood.

[Anonymous]

It's so fun to talk about Baltimore real estate!! I hope OP shares some properties they are thinking about so we can give them the skinny on their choice.
In some cases, there is really a block by block difference.

Also, let us know who you are using for an agent, some are better than others in your price range : )

[Anonymous]

OP here. Been looking and made one over list offer in Wiltondale but did not win.

I do like Stoneleigh and Wiltondale and wonder about west of York. Are Armagh and Pinehurst similar? Well kept homes, children and family centered, or is it more a mix singles, empty nesters and seniors? Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Been looking and made one over list offer in Wiltondale but did not win.

I do like Stoneleigh and Wiltondale and wonder about west of York. Are Armagh and Pinehurst similar? Well kept homes, children and family centered, or is it more a mix singles, empty nesters and seniors? Thanks

Armagh Village is one of the great neighborhoods in Baltimore County, virtually nobody knows it exists

Open House there today, house will probably be sold by Monday. Listing price seems suspiciously low, maybe house isn’t in great shape although it looks fine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Follow the FB page for Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group. He posts a lot about the crime in the Towson area. The increase has been crazy. It’s like Baltimore City north these days.

Hey, thanks for recommending this resource - didn’t see a single thing about Towson crime in the 20+ posts that page made since yesterday but did get to read speculation about what Hunter Biden did with all his money, along with a celebration of South Carolina executing someone by firing squad and dozens of racist comments about Wes Moore

Armed robbery tonight in Towson across from the mall. There was pretty much zero violent crime in Towson 10 years ago. Now that the weather is getting warmer, there will be this to look forward to:

https://www.tiktok.com/@betterdaisaheadinc/video/7358439207750176042

Do you think that when it gets cold again that there will be more gunfire at Royal Farms?

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=995043542667902&id=100064867952724

That happens every day in Baltimore City. The uptick in crime in Towson started a few years ago. Keep voting for those Democrats. Towson is now Baltimore City north.

BTW there were 5 homicides in Baltimore in April, the lowest total of any month ever since they started keeping records

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Been looking and made one over list offer in Wiltondale but did not win.

I do like Stoneleigh and Wiltondale and wonder about west of York. Are Armagh and Pinehurst similar? Well kept homes, children and family centered, or is it more a mix singles, empty nesters and seniors? Thanks

Armagh Village is one of the great neighborhoods in Baltimore County, virtually nobody knows it exists

Open House there today, house will probably be sold by Monday. Listing price seems suspiciously low, maybe house isn’t in great shape although it looks fine

Anecdote here. A childhood friend moving back to Baltimore was househunting and a house came up in Stoneleigh and she liked it but she confessed to me that she couldn't bring herself to live east of York Road. I gave her a long look and even she was embarrassed by it, but there is some truth to the east/west York Road divide in the eyes of what we'd have once called "old money Baltimore." West side had the expensive neighborhoods, country clubs, private schools, and the western demarcation line was Falls Road. It is very silly, as Stoneleigh is certainly "nicer" than some areas west of York Road.

Armagh Village is a little pocket neighborhood and sweet, living up to its village name. Houses tend to be a bit smaller than Stoneleigh though some have large extensions now. Pinehurst is a neighborhood that hews much more closely to the private school world, closer to Homeland and Ruxton and the main feeder road is Charles Street, also straddling Bellona. About a third of Pinehurst is within the city, so keep it in mind. This listing is in Pinehurst: https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/101-Thicket-Rd-21212/home/11211901

Despite what the (overpriced, methinks) listing may indicate, this house straddles both sides of the county/city border, meaning you get to pick which school system you want to use. If county, it feeds into West Towson elementary (excellent) and same middle/high school as Stoneleigh. Lots of kids. Although there's plenty of private school families, the West Towson elementary bus swings through Pinehurst and collects its share of kids. Real problem with Pinehurst is inventory is always limited. Lovely housing stock, however.

Have you driven around these areas? Every neighborhood and pocket areas absolutely has its personality.

By the way, there's also this listing: https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/6009-Lake-Manor-Dr-21210/home/9632975

Worth contemplating. It's a small neighborhood adjacent to Lake Roland Park. On the county side. Wonderful area to live although it's more Ruxton than Stoneleigh but it's worth viewing and getting a sense of the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Follow the FB page for Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group. He posts a lot about the crime in the Towson area. The increase has been crazy. It’s like Baltimore City north these days.

Hey, thanks for recommending this resource - didn’t see a single thing about Towson crime in the 20+ posts that page made since yesterday but did get to read speculation about what Hunter Biden did with all his money, along with a celebration of South Carolina executing someone by firing squad and dozens of racist comments about Wes Moore

Armed robbery tonight in Towson across from the mall. There was pretty much zero violent crime in Towson 10 years ago. Now that the weather is getting warmer, there will be this to look forward to:

https://www.tiktok.com/@betterdaisaheadinc/video/7358439207750176042

Do you think that when it gets cold again that there will be more gunfire at Royal Farms?

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=995043542667902&id=100064867952724

That happens every day in Baltimore City. The uptick in crime in Towson started a few years ago. Keep voting for those Democrats. Towson is now Baltimore City north.

BTW there were 5 homicides in Baltimore in April, the lowest total of any month ever since they started keeping records

The crime is moving into the county.