Good neighborhood for big dogs? (Baltimore, Towson: for rent, townhouses, buy)

[kharing]

Originally Posted by blessyourheart

Also, what exactly is "the Avenue"? Roland Avenue? A particular stretch?

Pardon my extreme ignorance.

The Avenue is the name of 36th in Hampden. Full of cool shops, restaurants and bars. Very "hipster" chic.....the rental I posted is two blocks away. If you want to live near any walkable areas, you'll have to forget about the huge yard. Rowhouses are predominant in any of the neighborhoods with the features you desire. Roland Avenue runs around Hampden into Roland Park. Roland Park is a cool neighborhood and has large outdoor yards, single family homes, but may be quite expensive.

[jonjj]

Dogs and Patterson Park are a perfect fit. Seems like everyone has one, or two, or three.

[remstone]

First it's worth saying that for large parts of the city it's not possible to be car-free. Being near a metro stop also doesn't mean that beneficial development has popped up nearby, just that you might have an easy commute to the downtown job or Johns Hopkins Hospital. So you can probably expect to be driving to a fair amount of social and shopping activities, even if you have a neighborhood that meets some needs. For neighborhoods that have any kind of yard space you definitely won't be car-free.

As a start I'd send you to Redfin and do an advanced search with a minimum lot size of 4500sf and a list price under $250k (for a rough comparison of a $1500 rent level) to see where you might look. Then check Craigslist for those areas. Obviously the vast area around downtown is out. Nothing is near a particularly fun area, so lower expectations a bit. For transitional areas you might get lucky with some big-yard rentals in Waverly, Ednor Gardens (more on the Lakeside half), or even further is Original Northwood - and you'll look towards Hopkins campus for activity. Greenmount Ave has some mixed businesses, Saint Paul is nicer and more collegiate, and that continues up University Parkway and 39th St with a few more restaurants. In Woodberry there isn't tons except one awesome restaurant, but you could walk to the light rail instead of doing the bus, and Hampden isn't far. This looks interesting:
Freshly Renovated 3 bedroom house

You could consider further up York Road (on the sketchier east side) around Woodbourne-McCabe roughly, and look north toward Belvedere Square for activity. Lake Walker would be the same idea but further up York, with a nicer neighborhood and higher prices. Mount Washington has a nice village at the heart of it but other than some weird apartments I think you're priced out. An area I like that's kinda nearby but not especially is Glen, which offers good-sized yards and reasonable prices, with not much to do. Even the metro isn't that close but you could consider driving to the parking lots behind Reisterstown Plaza metro.

Two other big areas show up. There's the broad Liberty Road corridor to the west and I can't speak much to it other than to say there isn't much to do, and Ashburton is the traditional home of the well-to-do black middle and political class. That leaves a massive swath of northeast Baltimore. The "interesting" spots are along Harford Road where you get some good restaurants at least - Lauraville and Hamilton (even further up). This is maybe your best suggestion but it is a bit far out and won't feel urban.

I wish I could recommend my own neighborhood of Reservoir Hill - you're just at the edge with being able to find some properties with yards as big as 25x40 but it's probably the rare one where you're the first floor tenant of a 3-4 unit. You're closer to downtown but not much is immediately close, though you could consider a walk to metro or light rail to be do-able.

[blessyourheart]

Very comprehensive. I appreciate it. I'll check into all of the areas you mentioned. Thanks!

[blessyourheart]

I guess the next question then is, if I'm going to be in a non-urban area anyway, what is the benefit of living in Baltimore City (where the taxes are higher, right? Or is that only for homeowners?) as opposed to the county or farther out somewhere? I don't have kids and don't plan to, but is there a benefit to living near Ellicott City or Columbia or something? Or is the traffic just too horrible to consider?

[goldenage1]

The benefit of living in the City is the chance to be around other young singles, and to have access to entertainment and nightlife. The property taxes in Baltimore City are higher, but the sales and income taxes are substantially the same.

It will probably be easier to find a rental with a dog-friendly yard in the suburbs, and the surroundings will be cleaner and quieter. Otherwise, it's just personal preference. If you were going to look at suburbs, I'd suggest just north or northwest of the city where you have access to the light rail or Metro (eg, Towson, Cockeysville or Owings Mills.)

Many people do commute by car from Columbia and Ellicott City. Traffic is heavy but not impossible. The advantage to living there is primarily the better schools, which affects people with kids. If you are used to a lively urban life, you may find Columbia boring.

[mrboltonman]

I have 2 German Shepherds and live in Bolton Hill. I have a backyard that is big enough to throw a frisbee/ball/etc. The dogs seem ok. They do get a walk 1-2 times a day and go to daycare (Good Doggie Day Care) once a week. It will be difficult to find a property with a yard that will work, allows pets, and that is priced ok in the city but it's doable.

If you are going to be in a non-urban area of the city then the benefit will probably be a little times saving driving to work compared to the suburbs. Most parts in Ellicott City and Columbia are really nice so crime is low.

[blessyourheart]

Ok, what about Charles Village and that area around JHU? This listing looks promising (although I would need to get a roommate for most of the year - I can swing that rent but it would be tight). BEAUTIFUL 3-4 BEDROOM TOWNHOUSE IN CHARLES VILLAGE

[remstone]

Hey, you may have hit the jackpot. That area is still transitional but do-able. And that block has deep lots without deep buildings. Check cityview.baltimorecity.gov , zoom in and compare to other addresses. I think that might be your sweet spot because moving north and west the places become too expensive or units too small, and south/east the area becomes too sketch.

[blessyourheart]

I see a few more just north of that, too (west of JHU). Still pretty sketchy?