safe neighborhoods (Baltimore, Catonsville, Owings Mills: sales, apartments, to rent)

[carolott]

Originally Posted by Bong477

I stand corrected... looking at the map, I see that the concentration of sex offenders doesn't pick up until right outside pigtown's borders (to the NW mainly). The number actually in pigtown is about the same as federal hill, give or take a person (6 or 7). My apologies... just doing research on the areas still, I'm not initimately familiar with the borders. Regardless, pigtown puts you a lot closer to a high concentration of sexual offenders as opposed to the adjacent federal hill & locust point even if they don't actually live there. Whether being that much closer but not quite neighbors puts you at higher risk of being a victim is anyone's guess I suppose.

Still, locust point is relatively free of sex offenders compared to other "nice" areas of the city.

Considering that most of the offenders victimized family members, I wouldn't worry about the people on the registry. It's the ones who haven't been caught yet that you need to worry about.

And living here certainly would not put you any closer to a higher concentration of sex offenders than other places -- that's simply absurd. Especially when you consider the number of shelters and other transient centers in South Baltimore.

[jonjj]

The commiting of a sex offense usually goes way beyond city borders. It is an issue that affects each and all regardless if it is in the city or not. I would not use that to judge a neighborhood because every neighborhood has to deal with that issue.

[baltimore's best]

Originally Posted by jonjj

The commiting of a sex offense usually goes way beyond city borders. It is an issue that affects each and all regardless if it is in the city or not. I would not use that to judge a neighborhood because every neighborhood has to deal with that issue.

Exactly my point in my previous post. Because these people live in a certain neighborhood doesn't necessarily mean that's where there victims are. Not too sure why that was off topic, but doesn't matter.

[spifular2]

I'm looking at taking an AmeriCorps position that would involve working and possibly living in Windsor Hills. I know it's an economically depressed area (hence the volunteer work), but would I be in serious danger there?

[barante]

The answer is no. Windsor Hills is coming back. So is the Garrison Boulevard area, from Gwynn Falls to Liberty.Much works needs to be done, but these are among the Mondawmin area neighborhoods that will be doing well in the new reality of high gas prices.
While you go around Windsor Hills, check out a mini-Montebello mansion on Prince George's. It belongs to a fund manager at T. Rowe Price.

[krakenten]

You put a lot of hope into the gas crisis.

You're not a fool-I read your posts with pleasure, and always learn something from them-and you may be right.

But the dysfunction of the city, and the high cost of taxes and services is going to be a serious drawback.

New technologies, the eventual bursting of the oil bubble(there's still a lot of the stuff, though it's high time to begin weaning ourselves off the oil tit, for a great many reasons)will likely keep the suburbs alive for a very long time.

City life is not for everyone (I rather like it, but I'm an adventurous sort) and being able to retreat to those green acres is a welcome relief from the everyday stress of urban life.

I reckon we'll see.

[barante]

krakenten -- Yes, life as we knew it, has ended, except that we don't know it yet. I've been trying to get an idea about how much it would cost to go to London and back a year from now. Cannot do it for less than about $1,000, when all the taxes and fees are tallied up. And this is just for air. Now, one could get to London, for half that price just a few years ago.
I think that all housing near major employment centers will carry a premium from this point on, particularly if they are accessible to mass transit. Our society will not evolve overnight, of course, but come next winter, when they face heating bills, the owners of all those drafty bragger homes, with two-story living rooms and lobbies, will wish they hadn't bought the place in Booneyville, USA..
A friend of mine volunteers for Meals on Wheels, paying the gas out of his own pocket. He will have to reconsider his commitment.
Things like that add up. In ten years you won't recognize this country.

[krakenten]

Since when was Baltimore a major employment center?

With any luck, in ten years, I'll be dead and in my grave, but if I were to be making any bets, I'd say it won't be all that different.

You love the city, and city life, so you are perhaps inclined to see revival before it's due.

In 1918 horse drawn transportation reached it's peak.

The dung and horse whiz had become intolerable(Jaysus, the stories about the flies my Grandfer used to tell!)

So, the fledgling IC engine rapidly replaced the horsie, but not so much changed, otherwise.

(Suburban living became possible for a lot more people, but not the masses-after WWII the Great Boom made that a reality.)

Rather, I see employment moving to where the workers are, telecommuting becoming the norm, and city populations still shrinking.

Why?

Employment in our time has become too precarious for folks to try to move to a job that may only last a few years.

America is entering a period of hard times, perhaps another Great Depression(bigger the boom, bigger the bust)and that boom was pretty frothy, if you ask me.

The infrastructure is falling to bits, now we have to fix all this stuff, and it wasn't made all that well to begin with.

Capital is going to be in short supply,so don't expect a lot of major projects-frankly, I wonder how much repair is going to get done.

And Baltimore is coming last to the table, I'd say to a sparse plate.

Now, I don't expect cannibalism, but I do forsee empty bellies.

In the middle '70's, Baltimore was poised to get a major mass transit project, a metro system like DC.

Hard times come knockin' at the door, and that went away.

Industry dried up, and the working American city-Baltimore was indeed doing well then, compared to many other urban centers-began to slide into decay.

Baltimore is dysfunctional-and enough people know it that the current revival, based on this being the only place left to develop, may well come to nothing.

Hard to say-and since I'm poor, and always have been, it's not all that important to me, any more.

[krakenten]

Hey, barante, as an old newspaper man, there's one good thing this year!

No silly season!

[barante]

Some metro prices drop to 3-year lows -- baltimoresun.com