[OT] Baltimore Maryland

[ErichDragon]

Baltimore is a great place to live. I have visited many other parts of the country and so far I have found none that rival the unique atmospher of the Baltimore area. Most of the previous posts have hit the hightlights of Baltimore already so I won't bore you with those. If I had to sum up the city I would say it is the best mix of the north and south. The pace is a bit slower and the people more friendly than the north, but alot more and diverse attractions than the south. Whoever was from Texas and thought people in MD were rude, try going north of the Mason-Dixon Line. My girlfriend lives in Pittsburgh and I swear every time I cross the border I can feel the rudeness like it's a living thing. The bottom line is there is something for everyone in this area. If you don't like big cities, I live 12 minutes from downtown Baltimore and across the street from my townhouse is a horse farm! Don't like the driving or drivers, you can live comfortably in Baltimore and not have to own a car. The beach is 2 hours away, the mountains 1 1/2. The Chesapeake bay is one of the most unique geographical formations on the planet. If you haven't noticed I love this area and can't imagine living anywhere else.

Good Luck

 

[Dieter]

-Minor rant mode engaged-

Having lived in/near both at one point or another in my life, I'd say avoid living in downtown Baltimore. Outside of the gentrified (i.e. pricey) Inner Harbor/Stadium area, it's a bit of cesspool. And this from a person who still loves the Baltimore Orioles and ever raucous Fells Point bar-hopping. You literally can go from rags to riches in less that 5 blocks...no joke.

Living in Charm City, you also won't be prone to long strolls about the town after dark as you would in other big cities like Washington DC, Boston, Dallas etc. since there really isn't any place to stroll besides the aforementioned gentrified areas. Sure, there are a few places that are nice afterdark, but unless you're 22 and into the party scene, it's not really that much fun.


The burbs of Baltimore are much better and you won't be making awareness checks everytime you leave your domicile. I'd recommend Towson (to the north with a light-rail system going downtown) or the Catonsville area. Though you'll have to deal with the college scene in (UofM Baltimore County). There is the added assurance that you have both local, county, and college police patrolling nearby.

Now the really fun part...commuting.

There's the traffic...the DC-Baltimore corridor is one of the worst and most congested stretches of asphalt in the US. A 20 mile commute can (and usually does) take upwards of an hour plus each way. When you factor in bad weather (people freak at the first sign of snow or rain) and accidents, you'll be tacking on ANOTHER hour to your commute.

And there there's public transportation (or lack thereof). If you remove the light-rail option from the equation, there is literally no other way of getting in/out of Baltimore besides driving. The MARC commuter trains that run north/south from DC to Baltimore are terribly unreliable and the crappy subway line from the NWestern burbs barely takes you anywhere convenient in the city.

So, unless you'll be making some serious dinero, think about living in the burbs and preparing for hellacious downtown commute every morning.

Sorry to burst anyone's bubble but IMO, Baltimore is a nice place to visit every once in a while but there is no way I'd live or work there.

 

[Old One]

He's got some good points...

-Minor rant mode engaged-

Having lived in/near both at one point or another in my life, I'd say avoid living in downtown Baltimore. Outside of the gentrified (i.e. pricey) Inner Harbor/Stadium area, it's a bit of cesspool. And this from a person who still loves the Baltimore Orioles and ever raucous Fells Point bar-hopping. You literally can go from rags to riches in less that 5 blocks...no joke.

Living in Charm City, you also won't be prone to long strolls about the town after dark as you would in other big cities like Washington DC, Boston, Dallas etc. since there really isn't any place to stroll besides the aforementioned gentrified areas. Sure, there are a few places that are nice afterdark, but unless you're 22 and into the party scene, it's not really that much fun.


The burbs of Baltimore are much better and you won't be making awareness checks everytime you leave your domicile. I'd recommend Towson (to the north with a light-rail system going downtown) or the Catonsville area. Though you'll have to deal with the college scene in (UofM Baltimore County). There is the added assurance that you have both local, county, and college police patrolling nearby.

Now the really fun part...commuting.

There's the traffic...the DC-Baltimore corridor is one of the worst and most congested stretches of asphalt in the US. A 20 mile commute can (and usually does) take upwards of an hour plus each way. When you factor in bad weather (people freak at the first sign of snow or rain) and accidents, you'll be tacking on ANOTHER hour to your commute.

And there there's public transportation (or lack thereof). If you remove the light-rail option from the equation, there is literally no other way of getting in/out of Baltimore besides driving. The MARC commuter trains that run north/south from DC to Baltimore are terribly unreliable and the crappy subway line from the NWestern burbs barely takes you anywhere convenient in the city.

So, unless you'll be making some serious dinero, think about living in the burbs and preparing for hellacious downtown commute every morning.

Sorry to burst anyone's bubble but IMO, Baltimore is a nice place to visit every once in a while but there is no way I'd live or work there.

Dieter,

I happen to agree with much of what you say...

There are very few good places to live within the city limits, unless you have lots of money. There are numerous areas devastated by the drug trade and attendant urban blight. Many of the 'burbs are quite nice - I live in Hunt Valley and work in Towson.

Catonsville, Towson, Perry Hall, Parkville, Catonsville, Ellicott City, Owings Mills, et al are all nice places to live, but if you live in the 'burbs and work downtown (or worse, DC) the commute sucks @$$. I have a lot of clients around the DC Beltway that I have to see every 1-2 months...yuck!

If he knew where the job was based, we could probably give him very specific advice.

~ Old One