Safe or not so safe? (Baltimore: real estate, apartment, crimes)

[shades of gray]

Would someone who lives in Baltimore tell me if 25th and St. Paul street is a decent location to live in Baltimore? I am relocating for a job and am trying to search for a place via the internet as I live on the other side of the country. An apartment came up for me on the street listed above, and I was just wondering if some of you out there might know if this would be a safe spot to live.

[jonjj]

I almost bought a home in that area but the deal fell through. It is an up-and-coming area for investment referred to as the Station-North area. There is a Safeway grocery store at 25th and Charles-one block over. The area is perfectly safe to walk during the day and lots of new folks are moving there. However, I would be a bit more careful at night and use common sense. I bet in five years, the area will be great. But right now I would describe it as a transitional neighborhood. There are a lot of plus factors: Charles Theater, the train station, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station..._Arts_District

[barante]

This is an up-and-coming area.

[westsideboy]

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If you check this website you will see one of the largest concentrations of murders is in the area bordered on the north by 25th St. South by Rt. 1 West by St. Paul and East by Greenmont. You would be right on the border of this area.

http://www.burgersub.org/murders2k7.htm

[rudy_d]

It's part of Charles Village, not Station North. 25th St. has been sort of a boundary in the neighborhood (nicer to the north near JHU), but that has been changing recently as there's been a lot of revitalization to the south. St. Paul is generally nice along the entire stretch from Charles Village to downtown, while streets to the east and west have some pretty desolate blocks.

To answer your question, I think it's a pretty safe neighborhood, overall, but are occasional car break-ins and street crimes. I walk through it frequently and have never had a problem. There has been a shocking number of murders in the past year in the nearby neighborhood to the southeast, but I think they're entirely drug related and hopefully a freak event.

[rudy_d]

Here are a couple of neighborhood links:

http://www.oldgoucher.org/resources.html

http://www.charlesvillage.org

[bawlmer]

Be carefull when anyone says the area you are considering is "up and coming." Especially if it's a real estate person. That's code for one foot out of the wild west.

[barante]

I have lived in up-and-coming neighborhoods that never up and came. But Station North, with its low starting point, will get there.

[dickens]

I work in the area and it is sort of menacing. Unless, you are a super liberal who can say, "Yes, I was robbed and beaten at gunpoint, but at least I wasn't raped." with sincerity and smile this area is not for you.

[bawlmer]

Yeah we were directed to a part of SE Balt just north of Pat. Park when we were looking. Told it was a great investment, on the "verge of a renaissance." Kinda near where the two most recent female police officers were shot. Thank God they recovered, but they might argue about the renaissance.