Inner Harbor vs. Harbor East vs. Canton

[remstone]

Your search is actually pretty simple. There are no 3BR condos anywhere near the water and near your budget. There are a few decent Federal Hill places, several more that are between Federal Hill and the Riverside neighborhood to its south, and a bunch on the east side of Canton between O'Donnell Square and Eastern Avenue. I'd agree with Tallybalt that Federal Hill is the easier commute, more established, probably better stock, and possibly more families. And you're much closer to the Inner Harbor and downtown attractions that could be useful to kids.

Ones that look interesting on first glance:
10 MONTGOMERY St EAST, BALTIMORE, MD 21230 | MLS# BA7958455 | Redfin
27 WEST St EAST, BALTIMORE, MD 21230 | MLS# BA8006460 | Redfin
712 HANOVER St, BALTIMORE, MD 21230 | MLS# BA7914304 | Redfin

[CataMD]

Hi,

Thank you all for the responses. We haven't considered Locust Point at all so far, but it looks like something that we should pay more attention to. Is this an area that will keep developing?

Hi remstone, it is true that there are not many options at the moment, but supposedly things will be coming up. This is probably the closest to what we would consider at the moment:

2702 LIGHTHOUSE Pt EAST #723, BALTIMORE, MD 21224 | MLS# BA7973655 | Redfin

There are also several condos and townhomes that are pending in Canton (so not something that is available for sale, but presumably a good example of what could become available).

The houses you listed are the reason why were not looking at the Federal Hill area. In our price range, the houses are too small and usually have no garage (or have some other issue). Btw, we are considering (out of necessity) 2 bdr condos as well - they tend to be larger that townhomes of the same price.

250 PRESIDENT St #208, BALTIMORE, MD 21202 | MLS# BA8025351 | Redfin is pretty nice, quite large (larger than townhomes above - and all at one level) and well below our budget. There is also another condo (2bdr + den) - very nice and very large - at Silo point.

I apologize for the links - I am having trouble having them embedded.

[remstone]

Ah, so your budget is a fair bit higher once you factor in $700-800/mo in HOA fees.

Scarlett Place is ok - it certainly feels better now that Harbor East has developed with more to come below that at Harbor Point. You have the Inner Harbor as something of a neighborhood, but I think you might feel tired of that over time. Backing up to President St isn't that fun - much worse than Boston St for street feel. Lighthouse Point is a nicer property with a bit more of a neighborhood around it, more families, but less built-in attractions for kids like downtown. You'll probably perceive Lighthouse Point as safer than Scarlett Place, though there's not that much random crime right at the Inner Harbor (more a few blocks into downtown). Walkability is about a wash - heavier on culture and sights around the harbor vs recreation around Canton.

Silo Point is your option in Locust Point. You might find some large 2BRs just above your price range, but without the views. You get safety, exclusivity, and isolation. Amenities have come along but the neighborhood can't grow much more.

[CataMD]

Thank you, remstone. Yes, our budget is bigger if we decide to buy a townhome. You are absolutely right about Inner Harbor attractions possibly getting old. Our problem is that we have never lived in the area, just visited, and - judging from our pervious experience - it is somewhat hard to predict what our patterns will become once we are settled and which neighborhood amenities we will actually utilize (one thing I know is very important is a walking distance grocery store!). So it's quite possible (and I am leaning in that direction at the moment) that Canton and Locust Point are close enough to aquarium, bookstore etc for our purposes as future residents.

In any case, we need to start putting time every weekend into learning as much as possible about the area.

Thank you everyone for your advice, this has been very helpful!

[Summer_G]

I moved to Baltimore from NoVa and was sure I'd spend my weekends at the aquarium. I think I've been 3 times since we moved here 8 years ago.

What I do love is Patterson Park. It's a fabulous park full of amenities for families. There are playgrounds, a pool, an ice skating rink, lots of festivals, a dog park, movies and other programs in the summer, and generally a great atmosphere with lots of neighbors. I garden in the community garden there. Audobon has tons of programs for children in the park. There are concerts in the summer and sledding in the winter (when it snows...).

It is interesting that people think Canton is for singles. It was. The interesting thing about the tanking housing market is that people stuck around. The Patterson Park neighborhood is undergoing a "baby boom" right now and there are young families everywhere you turn. Bistro Rx has a kids menu and coloring books. People are having their second, even third child, and staying put. It's really pretty great.

There's a new shopping center coming to Boston Street in Canton that will have a Harris Teeter, a Target, and lots of other retail and restaurants. It's a little past walking distance to the Inner Harbor, but there will eventually be light rail and I imagine there will be bus service.

If you do end up commuting through the tunnels (I do), they have a commuter plan for EZ Pass that knocks my trips down to 80 cents each way.

Just some things to consider.

[ltong1009]

I'll second what Summer G says. We'll be 5 blocks from the new Target and Harris Teter, and are seriously excited. We have two young kids and are planning on staying around and send them to Hampstead Hill for school. Canton is extremely walkable, with lots of families and playgrounds. [

quote=Summer_G;28924828]I moved to Baltimore from NoVa and was sure I'd spend my weekends at the aquarium. I think I've been 3 times since we moved here 8 years ago.

What I do love is Patterson Park. It's a fabulous park full of amenities for families. There are playgrounds, a pool, an ice skating rink, lots of festivals, a dog park, movies and other programs in the summer, and generally a great atmosphere with lots of neighbors. I garden in the community garden there. Audobon has tons of programs for children in the park. There are concerts in the summer and sledding in the winter (when it snows...).

It is interesting that people think Canton is for singles. It was. The interesting thing about the tanking housing market is that people stuck around. The Patterson Park neighborhood is undergoing a "baby boom" right now and there are young families everywhere you turn. Bistro Rx has a kids menu and coloring books. People are having their second, even third child, and staying put. It's really pretty great.

There's a new shopping center coming to Boston Street in Canton that will have a Harris Teeter, a Target, and lots of other retail and restaurants. It's a little past walking distance to the Inner Harbor, but there will eventually be light rail and I imagine there will be bus service.

If you do end up commuting through the tunnels (I do), they have a commuter plan for EZ Pass that knocks my trips down to 80 cents each way.

Just some things to consider.[/quote]

[CataMD]

Thank you Summer and ltong. We visited Canton this Sunday and, though it was raining, it was beautiful and we definitively put it on our list. I was wondering how do you two get to Inner Harbor (when you do)?

[Summer_G]

I've driven over there. I've driven closer and walked. There's a circulator bus at Harbor East. There's talk of a Circulator Bus going through Canton soon. It's not an expensive cab ride. I've even dropped my husband at the metro to get to a ball game. It's easy to get there when you want to, but it's easier to not live there. :-)

[Summer_G]

If you want to rent when you first move here to get a feel, there's a new building opening up near Patterson Park. It is supposed to be ready this summer, but as I drive by each day, I wonder if that's a bit optimistic. They did say they would have some 3 bedroom units.

101 Ellwood: Lofts & Apartments Overlooking Baltimore's Patterson Park

[deeliz]

Originally Posted by CataMD

Thank you Summer and ltong. We visited Canton this Sunday and, though it was raining, it was beautiful and we definitively put it on our list. I was wondering how do you two get to Inner Harbor (when you do)?

Bike. I live in Federal Hill and can bike to Canton, or anywhere downtown really, in 10-15 minutes depending on the destination. It's not uncommon for my car to sit parked for most of the week when the weather is nice.