Avalon Centerpoint for young single woman? (Baltimore: apartments, leasing, violent crime)

[newbinbaltimore]

Is this apartment (located on 8 N Howard St) a safe place to live? I plan to walk to my workplace which is located in Inner Harbor, about 10 minutes away. I realize that there is a similar thread from three years ago, but I was wondering if anything has changed since then?

Thanks in advance.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Things have changed a bit there in three years for the better but there is still more amenities to be found in mt Vernon or federal hill

[Woodlands]

I am amazed on the number of single women I see now a days along Howard Street in the vicinity of the Avalon.. I think the area has changed for the better and will continue to do so with the redevelopment of the Mechanic Theatre and the *ahem* super block.. whenever that gets underway. I was stunned on how many women I saw using the dog park over on Cathedral Street near First Mariner Arena.. There is a second fairly well used one on North Howard as well. The area is nearing the tipping point.. No, I dont mean racially but number of "civilians" versus "loafers"...once it tips loafers may be pushed down E. Baltimore Street or Lexington Market/Greenwood Street and further north on Howard....Though the real challenge is the number of busy bus stops which mask the true number of loafers in the area... which is why the City needs a real transit center for buses.

[newbinbaltimore]

Thank you for the info! Woodlands, can you tell me a bit more about the dog parks? Is the one over on Cathedral Street near First Mariner Arena called Liberty dog park? And which one is the one on North Howard street? I'm planning to bring my dog along so I'm very interested in knowing more about that.

From what you said, I'm assuming that Charles Street will be a safer street compared to Howard street as a commute route to Inner Harbor. What is that street like once the sun sets? (around 6~8pm?)

Thank you!

[teamkj]

I'm not sure if you've had a chance to see the area or if you're just asking hypothetically, but I'd highly suggest visiting it if you haven't. I looked into Avalon Centerpoint about a year ago, took a tour and everything. The apartments themselves seemed fine; it's a couple connected buildings and the apartments all have different sizes/shapes. The light rail goes up/down Howard Street so apartments close to Howard will get some noise from that. I recall one or two of the apartments I visited looked out onto either a dumpster or a wall, so, make sure you check out stuff like that if it matters to you.

As for safety, it's probably fine, especially at commuting hours (I am also a young woman so I get how it feels to walk alone in the city). There are definitely people chilling and mulling around all hours of the day, but I wouldn't be concerned about violent crime or anything. If I recall, Avalon had a decent security/swipe system so that people can't just come into the building off the street.

Now, dog options. I have a 70lb lab mix. Living there would have been *awful* with him. The Avalon leasing staff showed me to the place where dogs "relieve themselves" near the building and it was something like a 10x10 area of stones. The Cathedral St/other "dog parks" are basically long thin strips of grass... nothing large and not incredibly nice, plus they're just far enough that you may not feel like walking there early in the morning or late at night (especially in combination with feeling safe). Now, if you have an 8lb pup that's happy to do business anywhere and only needs short walks, the options might be good enough.

If I hadn't found anything else, living there would've been fine, but not fun. I ended up finding a craigslist rental in Otterbein (a GREAT neighborhood for dogs). Most of what you'll find in Otterbein/Fed Hill is room shares, so if you're set on having your own 1BR, Avalon Centerpoint may not be a terrible option.

Good luck!