Tell me about moving from DC to Baltimore with kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, a few blocks can make a difference particularly downtown and in the Roland Park/Guilford area. But, if you want to feel safer head to Ruxton, Timonium or Falls Road area north of Greenspring Station. It is called just being smart wherever you live. Gone are the days of playing outside and not having to worry about our children. No neighborhood is completely safe. One day, I was in Downtown Bethesda and saw young teen girls about 14 years old shopping and having lunch without their parents in sight. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to my child because I was lazy or didn't want to be bothered. In addition last fall, someone was carjacked in Downtown Bethesda while I was there. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

I could tell you a lot of stories about the drunken and drug fueled parties among teenagers. In Ruxton, Cockeysville, Hunt Valley, Phoenix and Monkton. Had a good friend raped when she was only 15.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Sad but drugs are everywhere. No area is free of those dangers. It is an epidemic.

[Anonymous]

hi OP, did you find the house?

[Anonymous]

If you are willing to move to Baltimore why not move to Richmond? More bang for your buck and some great walkable neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are willing to move to Baltimore why not move to Richmond? More bang for your buck and some great walkable neighborhoods.

baltimore has a much better location.

[Anonymous]

NP here.

I used to live in Baltimore and don't dislike it. But I think you'd actually be happier in Frederick. You could get a nice house in downtown Frederick and still have the feel of a city without the stress of one.

Frederick doesn't have much in the way of public transit, but neither does Baltimore. And it's way easier going to things in Frederick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved to Homeland from Glover Park years ago with my family. I went from a $900k 3/2 rowhouse with one of the two baths in the basement to a gorgeous $650k stone 5/4 mini-mansion. Our kids are in private school, but we would have probably done private in DC anyway, and the Baltimore independents are $25k instead of $45k.

We absolutely love it here. We regularly walk to the lakes, the library, the Senator theatre, and the restaurants in and around Belvedere Square. If I could walk to Eddie's, my life would be perfect! Even in a private school environment, there is no trace of the typical D.C. competitive parenting. Our neighbors and the other parents at our kids' school are wonderful, with few exceptions.

On crime: with the exception of the horrible stabbing of the woman walking her dog (which I believe was not random. Why would anyone stab a person out walking her dogs in a residential neighborhood if they were looking for a random person to rob?), the crime in this part of the city is petty property crime with an occasional house break in. Yes, if you leave a bag in plain view in your car and forget to lock the doors, it will probably be stolen. That was also true in every D.C. neighborhood I ever lived in. We have an alarm on our house, and we use it.

On insularity: it is true that, unlike D.C., most people who live in Baltimore grew up in Baltimore. I think it could be very hard to move here as a young person with no kids. But I think it is pretty easy to get to know other parents once you have kids. We have met really fun, nice people in our neighborhood and through our kids' school. Im not going to be elected president of the Junior League or whatever any time soon, but we have a few other families we socialize with often, and I'm perfectly happy with that.

All that said, the PP who warned about the job situation is right. We moved here because my husband has a great job here, and I have a job that is a relatively easy commute by MARC. I would not have moved here if we were both commuting or if my office in DC was any farther from Union Station than it is. And I would never dream of trying to commute regularly to D.C. or MoCo by car.

As others have said, Baltimore is not perfect. The divide between the haves and have-nots is disturbing, but that's true in DC too. The school budget issues are terrible. But I am so much happier raising a family here than I would have been in DC.

Huh? No, just no. I've lived in Baltimore (very close to the section you mention, in fact). I'm not a squeamish, pearl-clutching type, but I would not walk to Belvedere Square or the Senator after dark. Period. If you are talking about walking there in the afternoon, broad daylight, you need to make that clear. Otherwise, you are greatly misleading people.

I love Baltimore. It will always have a place in my heart, but I don't think it's fair to mislead people.

I agree with the Roland Park poster who says that a lot of people seem to have a vested interest in keeping the crime quiet. I had a similar experience in another neighborhood. People said up and down how great it is, that there is only petty crime that you'd find anywhere, etc., but that was not the reality. And it was not at all walkable. I consider walkable to mean I can walk around the neighborhood in the early morning or in the evening (when it's not quite dark) and feel safe. But that is not the case, unless you have a large, intimidating dog. Even then, it's questionable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2012/10/24/police-report-2-abduction-robberies-in-roland-park/

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-08-21/news/bs-md-roland-park-arrest-20130821_1_street-robberies-north-baltimore-second-suspect

You found two incidents, one from 2012 and one from 2013, that each took place when people were out walking or biking at 2:00 in the morning. From that, we are supposed to believe that RP is some crime-ridden hellhole?

Sounds like your reading comprehensions skills are the best. Each article talks about a string of crimes, most of which were against pedestrians and joggers. Only one of the shootings was late at night. Do you even live in Baltimore?

Yes, I live in Baltimore. I even lived here 5 years ago when those articles you cite were published. Have you ever lived anywhere OTHER than Baltimore? You sound like the 80 year olds on my neighborhood listserv who call the police when someone they don't know rings their doorbell because everything is so DANGEROUS.

Yup, I lived in philly, boston, low Angeles and dc.

I am also a prosecutor, so I think I have more access to info about crimes than many of you.

Anyone thinking of living in Roland Park should take a drive going west Cold Spring and evaluate what they think if that neighborhood.

And if you are thinking about Homeland/Guilford, drive down York and Greenmont, and then read on on the crime statistics for mid Govans/Waverly.

We don't live in a bubble.

I used to live in a 'safe neighborhood' in Baltimore and this is great advice. In Baltimore the nice and bad parts of the city are just a few blocks apart. This is unlike the other cities that I've lived in (NYC, Boston and D.C.).

Seriously? That was DC 15 years ago. I lived in Shaw b/f the Whole Foods. 2 blocks in any direction was the complete hood. I wish I'd bought that house.

The difference is that we are talking about the nicest neighborhoods in the city, the bad parts of the city are spreading out, not the reverse., The York/green mount area was actually much better 20 years ago, before they tore down Memorial stadium.

Nobody is saying don't live in thee neighborhoods, only that they are not as safe as one might think walking through on a sunny afternoon. Aesthetically, Thur are lovely.

That was my experience as well. I lived in a neighborhood that was historically one of the better, safer neighborhoods, but it definitely went in the opposite direction. There are a few factors that are contributing to that, which I won't go into here because they should be threads all their own.

I say this as someone who loves certain things about Baltimore and who was an active and engaged resident. I'm not saying I'd discourage people from moving to Baltimore, but I don't think it's what OP is looking for. I actually think something like Frederick would be more suitable.

[Anonymous]

PP who used to live in Baltimore (different neighborhoods at different times) here.

I have friends who still live in Baltimore and won't leave. But even they wouldn't describe it as "walkable" in the way OP mentions.

Public transit in Baltimore is horrible. There are a variety of systems (light rail, subway, metro), but they don't link up, so there really is no equivalent to the D.C. metro.

And even just walking around the neighborhood, most long-time Baltimore residents I know don't walk around when the sun starts to go down or even in the early morning (when the sun is up). They just don't.

OP says she wants a walkable urban feel but without the stress of the city. Baltimore isn't the same kind of stress as D.C., but it is a different kind of stress (and with far less walkability).

I think that is the point people are trying to make. If OP is not bound to any particular location, there are other areas (like Frederick) that may even be cheaper than Baltimore (esp. in taxes) and provide more of what she is looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, a few blocks can make a difference particularly downtown and in the Roland Park/Guilford area. But, if you want to feel safer head to Ruxton, Timonium or Falls Road area north of Greenspring Station. It is called just being smart wherever you live. Gone are the days of playing outside and not having to worry about our children. No neighborhood is completely safe. One day, I was in Downtown Bethesda and saw young teen girls about 14 years old shopping and having lunch without their parents in sight. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to my child because I was lazy or didn't want to be bothered. In addition last fall, someone was carjacked in Downtown Bethesda while I was there. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

\

huh? the girls were 14? how for long do they must have chaperones? women in their 30s and 40s get murdered all the time. not sure the solution is to go out with parents only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP who used to live in Baltimore (different neighborhoods at different times) here.

I have friends who still live in Baltimore and won't leave. But even they wouldn't describe it as "walkable" in the way OP mentions.

Public transit in Baltimore is horrible. There are a variety of systems (light rail, subway, metro), but they don't link up, so there really is no equivalent to the D.C. metro.

And even just walking around the neighborhood, most long-time Baltimore residents I know don't walk around when the sun starts to go down or even in the early morning (when the sun is up). They just don't.

OP says she wants a walkable urban feel but without the stress of the city. Baltimore isn't the same kind of stress as D.C., but it is a different kind of stress (and with far less walkability).

I think that is the point people are trying to make. If OP is not bound to any particular location, there are other areas (like Frederick) that may even be cheaper than Baltimore (esp. in taxes) and provide more of what she is looking for.

frederick is not a city.

i live in baltimore, in one of the harbor neighborhoods. some parts are very walkable (walk scores in the nineties); the least walkable parts have walk scores in the sixties. all the harbor neighborhoods are safe, most are pretty. water taxi works pretty good.

personally i much prefer the harbor area to roland park, which is beautiful to drive through but houses are a mess inside and it's not that walkable or urban.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to Homeland from Glover Park years ago with my family. I went from a $900k 3/2 rowhouse with one of the two baths in the basement to a gorgeous $650k stone 5/4 mini-mansion. Our kids are in private school, but we would have probably done private in DC anyway, and the Baltimore independents are $25k instead of $45k.

We absolutely love it here. We regularly walk to the lakes, the library, the Senator theatre, and the restaurants in and around Belvedere Square. If I could walk to Eddie's, my life would be perfect! Even in a private school environment, there is no trace of the typical D.C. competitive parenting. Our neighbors and the other parents at our kids' school are wonderful, with few exceptions.

On crime: with the exception of the horrible stabbing of the woman walking her dog (which I believe was not random. Why would anyone stab a person out walking her dogs in a residential neighborhood if they were looking for a random person to rob?), the crime in this part of the city is petty property crime with an occasional house break in. Yes, if you leave a bag in plain view in your car and forget to lock the doors, it will probably be stolen. That was also true in every D.C. neighborhood I ever lived in. We have an alarm on our house, and we use it.

On insularity: it is true that, unlike D.C., most people who live in Baltimore grew up in Baltimore. I think it could be very hard to move here as a young person with no kids. But I think it is pretty easy to get to know other parents once you have kids. We have met really fun, nice people in our neighborhood and through our kids' school. Im not going to be elected president of the Junior League or whatever any time soon, but we have a few other families we socialize with often, and I'm perfectly happy with that.

All that said, the PP who warned about the job situation is right. We moved here because my husband has a great job here, and I have a job that is a relatively easy commute by MARC. I would not have moved here if we were both commuting or if my office in DC was any farther from Union Station than it is. And I would never dream of trying to commute regularly to D.C. or MoCo by car.

As others have said, Baltimore is not perfect. The divide between the haves and have-nots is disturbing, but that's true in DC too. The school budget issues are terrible. But I am so much happier raising a family here than I would have been in DC.

Huh? No, just no. I've lived in Baltimore (very close to the section you mention, in fact). I'm not a squeamish, pearl-clutching type, but I would not walk to Belvedere Square or the Senator after dark. Period. If you are talking about walking there in the afternoon, broad daylight, you need to make that clear. Otherwise, you are greatly misleading people.

I love Baltimore. It will always have a place in my heart, but I don't think it's fair to mislead people.

I agree with the Roland Park poster who says that a lot of people seem to have a vested interest in keeping the crime quiet. I had a similar experience in another neighborhood. People said up and down how great it is, that there is only petty crime that you'd find anywhere, etc., but that was not the reality. And it was not at all walkable. I consider walkable to mean I can walk around the neighborhood in the early morning or in the evening (when it's not quite dark) and feel safe. But that is not the case, unless you have a large, intimidating dog. Even then, it's questionable.

so she is misleading people if she walks to the square at the times people actually go there vs. in the middle of the night? okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to Homeland from Glover Park years ago with my family. I went from a $900k 3/2 rowhouse with one of the two baths in the basement to a gorgeous $650k stone 5/4 mini-mansion. Our kids are in private school, but we would have probably done private in DC anyway, and the Baltimore independents are $25k instead of $45k.

We absolutely love it here. We regularly walk to the lakes, the library, the Senator theatre, and the restaurants in and around Belvedere Square. If I could walk to Eddie's, my life would be perfect! Even in a private school environment, there is no trace of the typical D.C. competitive parenting. Our neighbors and the other parents at our kids' school are wonderful, with few exceptions.

On crime: with the exception of the horrible stabbing of the woman walking her dog (which I believe was not random. Why would anyone stab a person out walking her dogs in a residential neighborhood if they were looking for a random person to rob?), the crime in this part of the city is petty property crime with an occasional house break in. Yes, if you leave a bag in plain view in your car and forget to lock the doors, it will probably be stolen. That was also true in every D.C. neighborhood I ever lived in. We have an alarm on our house, and we use it.

On insularity: it is true that, unlike D.C., most people who live in Baltimore grew up in Baltimore. I think it could be very hard to move here as a young person with no kids. But I think it is pretty easy to get to know other parents once you have kids. We have met really fun, nice people in our neighborhood and through our kids' school. Im not going to be elected president of the Junior League or whatever any time soon, but we have a few other families we socialize with often, and I'm perfectly happy with that.

All that said, the PP who warned about the job situation is right. We moved here because my husband has a great job here, and I have a job that is a relatively easy commute by MARC. I would not have moved here if we were both commuting or if my office in DC was any farther from Union Station than it is. And I would never dream of trying to commute regularly to D.C. or MoCo by car.

As others have said, Baltimore is not perfect. The divide between the haves and have-nots is disturbing, but that's true in DC too. The school budget issues are terrible. But I am so much happier raising a family here than I would have been in DC.

Huh? No, just no. I've lived in Baltimore (very close to the section you mention, in fact). I'm not a squeamish, pearl-clutching type, but I would not walk to Belvedere Square or the Senator after dark. Period. If you are talking about walking there in the afternoon, broad daylight, you need to make that clear. Otherwise, you are greatly misleading people.

I love Baltimore. It will always have a place in my heart, but I don't think it's fair to mislead people.

I agree with the Roland Park poster who says that a lot of people seem to have a vested interest in keeping the crime quiet. I had a similar experience in another neighborhood. People said up and down how great it is, that there is only petty crime that you'd find anywhere, etc., but that was not the reality. And it was not at all walkable. I consider walkable to mean I can walk around the neighborhood in the early morning or in the evening (when it's not quite dark) and feel safe. But that is not the case, unless you have a large, intimidating dog. Even then, it's questionable.

so she is misleading people if she walks to the square at the times people actually go there vs. in the middle of the night? okay.

The sun goes down at 5pm in the winter. So she's not seeing any movies that let out later than that at the Senator or walking there to have dinner and a drink and then walking home.

I lived in Baltimore. And it was frustrating not feeling safe to go on a walk when I got home from work. As I said, I'm not a pearl clutcher. I actually live in PG County now. And my suburban neighborhood is far more walkable in any real sense of the word than my Baltimore neighborhood was.

I'm not a Baltimore hater. But I think it's misleading to say that area of Baltimore is truly walkable. Maybe at noon. But outside of that, not really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to Homeland from Glover Park years ago with my family. I went from a $900k 3/2 rowhouse with one of the two baths in the basement to a gorgeous $650k stone 5/4 mini-mansion. Our kids are in private school, but we would have probably done private in DC anyway, and the Baltimore independents are $25k instead of $45k.

We absolutely love it here. We regularly walk to the lakes, the library, the Senator theatre, and the restaurants in and around Belvedere Square. If I could walk to Eddie's, my life would be perfect! Even in a private school environment, there is no trace of the typical D.C. competitive parenting. Our neighbors and the other parents at our kids' school are wonderful, with few exceptions.

On crime: with the exception of the horrible stabbing of the woman walking her dog (which I believe was not random. Why would anyone stab a person out walking her dogs in a residential neighborhood if they were looking for a random person to rob?), the crime in this part of the city is petty property crime with an occasional house break in. Yes, if you leave a bag in plain view in your car and forget to lock the doors, it will probably be stolen. That was also true in every D.C. neighborhood I ever lived in. We have an alarm on our house, and we use it.

On insularity: it is true that, unlike D.C., most people who live in Baltimore grew up in Baltimore. I think it could be very hard to move here as a young person with no kids. But I think it is pretty easy to get to know other parents once you have kids. We have met really fun, nice people in our neighborhood and through our kids' school. Im not going to be elected president of the Junior League or whatever any time soon, but we have a few other families we socialize with often, and I'm perfectly happy with that.

All that said, the PP who warned about the job situation is right. We moved here because my husband has a great job here, and I have a job that is a relatively easy commute by MARC. I would not have moved here if we were both commuting or if my office in DC was any farther from Union Station than it is. And I would never dream of trying to commute regularly to D.C. or MoCo by car.

As others have said, Baltimore is not perfect. The divide between the haves and have-nots is disturbing, but that's true in DC too. The school budget issues are terrible. But I am so much happier raising a family here than I would have been in DC.

Huh? No, just no. I've lived in Baltimore (very close to the section you mention, in fact). I'm not a squeamish, pearl-clutching type, but I would not walk to Belvedere Square or the Senator after dark. Period. If you are talking about walking there in the afternoon, broad daylight, you need to make that clear. Otherwise, you are greatly misleading people.

I love Baltimore. It will always have a place in my heart, but I don't think it's fair to mislead people.

I agree with the Roland Park poster who says that a lot of people seem to have a vested interest in keeping the crime quiet. I had a similar experience in another neighborhood. People said up and down how great it is, that there is only petty crime that you'd find anywhere, etc., but that was not the reality. And it was not at all walkable. I consider walkable to mean I can walk around the neighborhood in the early morning or in the evening (when it's not quite dark) and feel safe. But that is not the case, unless you have a large, intimidating dog. Even then, it's questionable.

so she is misleading people if she walks to the square at the times people actually go there vs. in the middle of the night? okay.

The sun goes down at 5pm in the winter. So she's not seeing any movies that let out later than that at the Senator or walking there to have dinner and a drink and then walking home.

I lived in Baltimore. And it was frustrating not feeling safe to go on a walk when I got home from work. As I said, I'm not a pearl clutcher. I actually live in PG County now. And my suburban neighborhood is far more walkable in any real sense of the word than my Baltimore neighborhood was.

I'm not a Baltimore hater. But I think it's misleading to say that area of Baltimore is truly walkable. Maybe at noon. But outside of that, not really.

your distinction between daylight and dark is kind of ridiculous.

otoh, you are right that baltimore is not as walkable as some people imagine.

this is especially true for roland park area that OP inquired about, which is more suburbanish than city like. homeland borders some sketchy parts and its walkability scores are inflated. at the same time, if you live in the right spot in federal hill, canton or harbor east your walk score will be 95.

in my opinion it is baltimore's public transportation that prevents it from being carless city in a way big cities are. i grew up in europe in a densely populated city and lived in manhattan for many years. no matter how walkable your immediate neighborhood, public transportation is essential for city life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to Homeland from Glover Park years ago with my family. I went from a $900k 3/2 rowhouse with one of the two baths in the basement to a gorgeous $650k stone 5/4 mini-mansion. Our kids are in private school, but we would have probably done private in DC anyway, and the Baltimore independents are $25k instead of $45k.

We absolutely love it here. We regularly walk to the lakes, the library, the Senator theatre, and the restaurants in and around Belvedere Square. If I could walk to Eddie's, my life would be perfect! Even in a private school environment, there is no trace of the typical D.C. competitive parenting. Our neighbors and the other parents at our kids' school are wonderful, with few exceptions.

On crime: with the exception of the horrible stabbing of the woman walking her dog (which I believe was not random. Why would anyone stab a person out walking her dogs in a residential neighborhood if they were looking for a random person to rob?), the crime in this part of the city is petty property crime with an occasional house break in. Yes, if you leave a bag in plain view in your car and forget to lock the doors, it will probably be stolen. That was also true in every D.C. neighborhood I ever lived in. We have an alarm on our house, and we use it.

On insularity: it is true that, unlike D.C., most people who live in Baltimore grew up in Baltimore. I think it could be very hard to move here as a young person with no kids. But I think it is pretty easy to get to know other parents once you have kids. We have met really fun, nice people in our neighborhood and through our kids' school. Im not going to be elected president of the Junior League or whatever any time soon, but we have a few other families we socialize with often, and I'm perfectly happy with that.

All that said, the PP who warned about the job situation is right. We moved here because my husband has a great job here, and I have a job that is a relatively easy commute by MARC. I would not have moved here if we were both commuting or if my office in DC was any farther from Union Station than it is. And I would never dream of trying to commute regularly to D.C. or MoCo by car.

As others have said, Baltimore is not perfect. The divide between the haves and have-nots is disturbing, but that's true in DC too. The school budget issues are terrible. But I am so much happier raising a family here than I would have been in DC.

Huh? No, just no. I've lived in Baltimore (very close to the section you mention, in fact). I'm not a squeamish, pearl-clutching type, but I would not walk to Belvedere Square or the Senator after dark. Period. If you are talking about walking there in the afternoon, broad daylight, you need to make that clear. Otherwise, you are greatly misleading people.

I love Baltimore. It will always have a place in my heart, but I don't think it's fair to mislead people.

I agree with the Roland Park poster who says that a lot of people seem to have a vested interest in keeping the crime quiet. I had a similar experience in another neighborhood. People said up and down how great it is, that there is only petty crime that you'd find anywhere, etc., but that was not the reality. And it was not at all walkable. I consider walkable to mean I can walk around the neighborhood in the early morning or in the evening (when it's not quite dark) and feel safe. But that is not the case, unless you have a large, intimidating dog. Even then, it's questionable.

so she is misleading people if she walks to the square at the times people actually go there vs. in the middle of the night? okay.

The sun goes down at 5pm in the winter. So she's not seeing any movies that let out later than that at the Senator or walking there to have dinner and a drink and then walking home.

I lived in Baltimore. And it was frustrating not feeling safe to go on a walk when I got home from work. As I said, I'm not a pearl clutcher. I actually live in PG County now. And my suburban neighborhood is far more walkable in any real sense of the word than my Baltimore neighborhood was.

I'm not a Baltimore hater. But I think it's misleading to say that area of Baltimore is truly walkable. Maybe at noon. But outside of that, not really.

on the days the sun sets at five it's too cold to walk anyways. my kids' school is less than 10 minute walk from my home. it's very safe. yet during the winter i drive them. it's too cold and often windy and/or rainy. i am not sure there are many people anywhere (regardless of safety) who enjoy long walks during winter days.