Is Baltimore a good city for young, professional African Americans? (Columbia: fit in, best cities)

[Ruler Ra]

Been hearing mixed perspectives on this. What are your thought?

[Ruler Ra]

I guess there isn't because no one is responding.

[GoPhils]

I don't think you're doing it on purpose, but this thread is probably asking for trouble. But anyway, Baltimore is a pretty good city for young professionals in general, so yes. That said, several of the neighborhoods where a lot of the young professionals live are probably predominantly white. But as long as you're not going around trying to rob people, then you'll fit in whether you're black, white or purple.

[KLynch10]

I live in Federal Hill, there seems to be a growing number of Black young professionals down here. Same with places like Canton, Fells and Hampden. There is also many Asian, and a growing number of Middle Eastern Young Professionals. The Closer you get to Hopkins Hospital, the more diverse areas seem to be.

As said, it the nice neighborhoods of Baltimore... it's nothing to do with race... it's all about how you carry yourself. Trust me I've lived through the transition of SoBo, and it was white people forcing lower class white people out.

[Miss Crabcakes]

I would say say. I'm a young, black professional and while I'm not single and hanging out too much these days, when I was, I had a ball.

I do still have a lot of professional, single black friends and they enjoy all types of social activities and very active social lives, have great jobs, apartments or houses and there is always something to do here or in DC.

Check out groups like Meetup or Baltimore Sports and Social Club for meeting people or check out the Citypaper for events. Also I've always hung around a diverse group of people racially and have found it an open-minded city. Young people mix and date pretty easily.

[redd1skng]

Originally Posted by GoPhils

I don't think you're doing it on purpose, but this thread is probably asking for trouble. But anyway, Baltimore is a pretty good city for young professionals in general, so yes. That said, several of the neighborhoods where a lot of the young professionals live are probably predominantly white. But as long as you're not going around trying to rob people, then you'll fit in whether you're black, white or purple.

Giving the OP the benefit of the doubt is probably a good thing. I questioned the motives of this post and was glad to see it falling to the bottom of the page.

[mrboltonman]

Originally Posted by redd1skng

Giving the OP the benefit of the doubt is probably a good thing. I questioned the motives of this post and was glad to see it falling to the bottom of the page.

same here, it just smelled funny

[End-User]

While I don't think this topic is trolling, I don't know what type of response you expect to get. The population of African American young professionals isn't exactly huge, but does that mean this isn't a good city for them? There aren't many business/entertainment options that market to that specific demographic, you'd have to go to DC for that. The career advancement opportunities seem to be the same for any young professional, and your specific field will determine how far you can go in this town. You are mostly out of luck if you want to start your own business, barriers to entry are high and investors aren't numerous.

Outside of your career, there are many places where you can be a cheap first house. You have a nice selection of places to continue your education. Making friends is pretty easy whether or not you are an African American. Most of this stuff will depend on what you want out of a city, but what social scene you want to join might force you to go elsewhere if you want a uniquely African American (not diverse) experience.

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by Ruler Ra

I guess there isn't because no one is responding.

It may be more so because the question is vague and puzzling to some degree..Are you looking at for housing, employment, a career in XYZ field, social life, crime, etc...Thus you are leaving up to either the people that fit that description to give you their responses based on what they THINK you are asking for and those folks who are not of that demographic to tell you what they FEEL based on what their perspective.

For example.. someone may say.."yes" because the City is 65% African American so the assumption is that since AA control the local government that it is absolutely a great place for that young professional demographic...That being said ,the reality may be that Baltimore is still and ole boy and ole girl town..even among AA thus the demographic you mentioned may not get a job or advance unless they are part of that network, from Baltimore, or knows somebody who knows somebody. That compared to say a City of Charlotte.. where most of the municipal employees are not from Charlotte and thus hiring managers are more focused on their skills and what they bring to the table as opposed to their political connections. In fact some Cities like Charlotte specifically go after folks not from there in order to get a broad range of talents and perspectives in their ranks. The private sector employment opportunities in Baltimore likely also vary widely depending on the employer and sector.....

Conversely someone could say "no" because of the high murder rate of AA males. Even though a "professional" is not a criminal or involved in underworld activities.. they may simply be "targeted" or "wrong place at the wrong time" and become a victim.. and their chances may be higher than say a white or asian person in the same city. I have read on this board where some AA women find it hard to find a comparable AA male mate that is "professional" because they are too few, already taken, or enjoying the bachelor's lifestyle.. so they may say Baltimore is horrible for a young professional AA (women in this instance) AND there are not enough places to go out and meet them.. other than say Church.

So I think if you are more specific.. you may get more specific and thoughtful answers as opposed to generalizations.. One key would be to look at Ebony or Essence Magazine.. They often do polls on the best cities for african americans and give you the reasons why.. which is usually based on survey and other demographic data.. I often see Washington, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Houston to name a few on the list.. Baltimore was on there some time ago( a decade or two.. I think back to when Smoake was Mayor) not sure its on there now....But here again everyone's personal list is different and ranking is based on various things...

Just my 2 cents

[BougNeg1]

Not the best...could be worse..but getting better.
Let's face it..it's a "hood" town. But gentrification is happening fast with the influx of various industries particularly high tech, finance, health care and education.
There is a significant black middle class but its mostly way-out in suburban counties like Howard, Frederick, Anne Arundel and Baltimore County.
When I stop thru Baltimore, I notice a few young Black professionals in inner harbor, little italy, fells point, charles village, mount washington or out in Cockeysville, Nottingham (White Marsh) or Ellicott City/Elkridge. Also consider: Randallstown/Pikesville/Owings Mills, Columbia or Glen Burnie/Severn.