Baltimore vs. Portland, OR (California, Ocean City: places to live, costs, moving)

[Jbiz]

Originally Posted by MassVt

.. Both cities are just simply downtrodden, and in parts, repulsive.

That's not really true. Philly has a GREAT Center City, Art Museum area, Chestnut Hill, Ritt Square, and amazing, beautiful suburbs.

Baltimore has Canton, Locust Point, Fed Hill, Mt Vernon, Charles Village, Ashburtun, etc..and great, expensive suburbs as well.

There's plenty of money, nightlife and culture in both cities.

Where they differ with Boston is that they both have huge, poor inner-city populations. They both suffered from White Flight, Red-lining and massive disinvestment during the 70s-90s. Also, the crack epidemic and drug culture hit both of them hard, and is still a massive problem today.

But, they are both trying to reinvent themselves.

Tell you the truth, I prefer the energy in both Baltimore and Philly to Boston. Boston, while aesthetically nice, is rather dull, and can be somewhat provencial. And, while it's very diverse on it's perimeters, it has almost none of that diversity visible in the downtown area.
Unlike Baltimore and Philly.

Originally Posted by MassVt

.. Chicago--now that's a great city....

Yes it is. And, I think I'm moving back there soon!

[jonjj]

In Philly, don't forget South Street and that entire area. Great and comparable to anything in Boston.

[NYMTman]

I'm in Baltimore right now. Roland Park. Over the past week, a neighbor has been robbed in his home while another was mugged in front of his house.

[bawlmer]

Thanks for your honest post NYMTman, although I caution you, the posting of actual negative events here will upset the kool-aid drinkers.

[lolavanatta]

funny - i'm 25 and my bf and i are planning to leave baltimore city next year (been here for 3+ years) - we are looking at denver/boulder and asheville, nc. anyway, to answer your questions, baltimore has great weather - very sunny and mild weather (i'm from pittsburgh and couldn't deal with the dreary, cold, rain weather all the time - probably like boston and perhaps portland - although i've heard portland rocks). l

living in the city is great - there's alot of young profs and things to do in federal hill, fells point, canton/brewers hill, mount vernon. everything you want/need is in walking distance of these neighborhoods and you probably won't get city-bored. if you move into one of these neighborhoods, however, you'll be living in a house almost as expensive as your boston home and you probably still won't have a yard b/c they are all brick rowhomes.

the problems with bmore and the reason we are leaving tie into what you are looking for too. my bf and i make a small bit more than your household, but we can't live the lifestyle we want here - with a yard and our dog, with outdoorsy things. We've worn out the hiking/biking/parks - there's really no mountains/lakes or open land/woods for that matter. We snowboard, and the places 1hr-2hrs drive have bad conditions - 3hrs+ drive have good conditions though. There's just not much open land or woods here. It's very packed like I'm sure MA is. And very expensive like Boston (cheaper but not so much). But I've loved living here, just don't think I can live the lifestyle I want in and around Baltimore/DC/VA areas - too expensive for what you get - unless you want to live downtown baltimore for quite a while - that life is fun. I'm ready to be out of the city and in the woods, but close enough to a big city.

ppl are nice in bmore, not as stuck up/politically driven personalities like dc - drive nice cars - normal dress, business casual, cocktail, casual, you'll find it all, but most neighborhoods i mentioned have tavern and seaside restaurants/bars with casual dress - i have only had BAD experiences with Bmore suburbs - there is crime everywhere here and you probably will see it firsthand - i don't walk alone at night.

...feel free to ask me any other questions you might have.

[lolavanatta]

harford county is where you'd want to look if you don't want to live in the city and decide to move here...

[jonjj]

hehehe--speaking of Harford County:http://gangs.umd.edu/wfrmByLocationD...county=Harford

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

I was born and raised about 20 miles north of Boston and spent 6 years in Baltimore before moving to Cleveland and now outside of Denver. I would NEVER consider moving back to Baltimore. I lived in Canton and Federal Hill. Both are very nice areas and are very fun for twenty/thirty-somethings.

Sure, it has its upside: fun downtown areas (federal hill, canton, fells point), crab cakes and well crab cakes. To be fair, I did meet a lot of nice people with whom I am still friends.

Beyond that it is nothing special. One of the highest murder rates in the country. I can't say that I ever felt truly "safe" in Baltimore even though I never had any negative experiences. Unless you count the gunshots that I used to hear from time to time. I've had friends whose homes were broken into on several occassions - in Federal Hill. Those same friends have come home to crackheads doing blow on their doorsteps. One female friend was even chased down the street by a man with no pants on!! No, she does not live in Baltimore any longer!! Another friend robbed at gunpoint in Canton. Let's not forget about the constant police helicopters that grace the sky line. I recall walking my dogs in Riverside Park at 5pm on a winter night and suddenly have the helicopter's spot light fixed on me. Sorry, Fido time to run home and lock the door! IMO, Baltimore was getting worse the last 2 years that I lived there and this was part of the reason I left.

Also, I would not say the housing is reasonable there. Maybe less than the metro-Boston area. A 1500-1800 sq ft row home can run you upwards of $400k; this with a ghetto 3 blocks away. The 'burbs do not offer much in the way of reasonable houses as well - $350K for a townhome in Owings Mills.

Winters can get cold and dreary (similar to MA not quite as cold or long) and summers get hot and humid. I would not consider MD an outdoorsy place. Yes, there is some hiking out west but nothing in comparison to places I've hiked in NH/VT/ME and especially those out here in the West. Traffic can get bad in/around the Baltimore Beltway and trying to get to DC during rush hour is maddening.

I would highly recommend expanding your search. I've never been to Portland but had good friends from MA that lived there for 10 years and only moved back to MA for family reasons. I can't say enough about the metro Denver area. 300+ days of sunshine (58 degrees/no clouds today!!) Plenty of winter and summer outdoor activities and much friendlier people than Baltimore and the metro-Boston area.

I know that all large cities can have their pockets of crime but these are the neighborhoods where others here have alleged are nice places to live. I could never recommend living in/around the Baltimore metro area.

[jonjj]

Best Places to Live: Compare the Best Cities & Small Towns for You!

This was really strange. I saw this link on another thread and took the quiz. When finished, my number one was Baltimore and my number two was (yes, you guessed it) Portland, Oregon. Unbelievable. I thought DC would have been my number two but it was down the list (like 15 or something like that). I guess housing costs may have had something to do with the difference. Anyway, interesting quiz for anyone who wants to try it.

[Tom Lennox 70]

I'd go with neither. Baltimore is very unpleasnt weatherwise, very long, cold, dreary winters. The people are friendlier than Boston though, that's cause anyplace is friendlier than Boston except New York. Within the city, most people in Baltimore are ghetto, a lot of punks and thugs. Outside its typical suburbia, like anywhere else in the country.

I'd say if you want that kind of liberal urban enviornment with lots of young people (not me....I'm young but I'm looking for more of a middle American type place)....maybe try Austin, Texas. I think you'll find what your looking for there. A lot of high-tech stuff and a booming economy plus cheaper than the East or West coasts.