Baltimore neighborhoods - where to live/buy? (renting, violent crime)

[Baltimorenewbie]

I am moving to Baltimore in the summer. I am starting to look at neighborhoods to buy a home. I have been focused on Federal Hill since my work is going to be close to that area. However, I've noticed some really nice homes in Washington village and a friend of mine mentioned Canton. What are the differences between these three locations, and are there other places I should be considering?

Which area is a good place for a 30 year old (female) professional?

[sobo16]

Welcome to Baltimore! I think each of these 3 neighborhoods is worth exploring as a potential place to live. Canton and Federal Hill are similar, but Canton is in Southeast Baltimore a little further from downtown. Both neighborhoods have many restaurants, bars, and shops. I'll leave it to other posters to describe Pigtown (Washington Village), but it's more of an "up and coming" neighborhood, a stone's throw from Federal Hill and downtown.

Previous posts have described other neighborhoods well. For example, try:

Young Professional Moving to Baltimore in July

Good luck in your search!

[bawlmer]

Please re-consider moving to the city. There are plenty of places in the surrounding counties which are out of the line of fire. Unless you find the constant battle with petty thugs and the worry of something more serious exhilarating, think seriously about another area. Please don't let the "I love Baltimore" crowd lull you into complacency. I know you will be working in the city, but even with a commute, at least you know your car will be there in the morning.

[sobo16]

Baltimore City is nowhere near perfect, but there is a lot to do here. Some people will have you believe you have to literally dodge bullets when you step outside your home. Just be safe, be aware, and be smart.

I grew up in the suburbs, and it was a snoozefest.

[RidgelyD]

Originally Posted by bawlmer

Please re-consider moving to the city. There are plenty of places in the surrounding counties which are out of the line of fire. Unless you find the constant battle with petty thugs and the worry of something more serious exhilarating, think seriously about another area. Please don't let the "I love Baltimore" crowd lull you into complacency. I know you will be working in the city, but even with a commute, at least you know your car will be there in the morning.

Bawlmer, is it like, your personal quest to make sure that no one ever moves to Baltimore? Do you really think that every person who loves Baltimore is a deluded imbecile with the wool pulled over his eyes? Your rhetoric is so tired and ridiculous that you almost make this board unbearable to visit.

BaltimoreNewbie, please don't listen to this guy. You may end up loving Baltimore, you may end up deciding it's not for you in the long run. Just don't let guys like this scare you off before you even get started. As far as neighborhoods, I echo what Sobo16 said. In my opinion Canton and Fed Hill are pretty much the same (though the residents of those respective neighborhoods might take issue with that), except Canton has a better supermarket.

[bawlmer]

No, it's not, like you know, my personal goal to keep people away from Baltimore. But, I do think it's important to let people know the realities of what they are getting into. For example, a guy asks if 21224 is safe. Another person posts, "looking at the murder map, it looks OK." What!!!??? C'mon be honest with people, looking at the murder map shows there have been 12 murders in that zip code in 2007. What do you mean, looks ok? Then someone else says, "oh those were in the bad areas." How big do you think the friggin zipcode is? If you move to 21224 you are going to be living close to some bad dudes. You may be totally cool with that, but for craps sake don't tell people looks ok on the murder map. My posts try to deal in facts, not, my neighbor told me there's no crime. Maybe that's why things suck in Baltimore, because people have accepted the level of violence and defy logic to make excuses. You don't know how many responses I get that say something like, "Well, yeah the murders are bad, and yeah the crime is bad, and ok the streets are filthy, but that's Baltimore and it's always been that way."

[marcnelsonjr]

Originally Posted by bawlmer

No, it's not, like you know, my personal goal to keep people away from Baltimore. But, I do think it's important to let people know the realities of what they are getting into. For example, a guy asks if 21224 is safe. Another person posts, "looking at the murder map, it looks OK." What!!!??? C'mon be honest with people, looking at the murder map shows there have been 12 murders in that zip code in 2007. What do you mean, looks ok? Then someone else says, "oh those were in the bad areas." How big do you think the friggin zipcode is? If you move to 21224 you are going to be living close to some bad dudes. You may be totally cool with that, but for craps sake don't tell people looks ok on the murder map. My posts try to deal in facts, not, my neighbor told me there's no crime. Maybe that's why things suck in Baltimore, because people have accepted the level of violence and defy logic to make excuses. You don't know how many responses I get that say something like, "Well, yeah the murders are bad, and yeah the crime is bad, and ok the streets are filthy, but that's Baltimore and it's always been that way."

The facts about Baltimore speak for themselves - there's no need to exaggerate them. All I did in the thread you're referring to was post the facts.

How big is the zipcode? It stretches from Patterson Park to out past the Beltway, and from Pulaski Highway down to the water. So it's pretty big. If you want to live in a Baltimore zipcode that doesn't have any murders, well, we can't all afford to live in Roland Park.

But since this guy is looking at a house in Baltimore, I assume he knows that Baltimore isn't Wyoming and that it's a dangerous place. The intersection he named (O'Donnell and Ponca) is on the outer edge of one of the few spots of Baltimore that didn't have any murders last year - i.e. it's relatively safe, compared the rest of a very dangerous place.

You don't have to convince me that Baltimore is not a safe place to live - I'm doing everything in my power to get me and my family out of here. But if someone is convinced that Baltimore is so much fun, or their job is so fulfilling, that they want to put up with all the downsides of living here, the least I can do is point him to one of the less dangerous areas.

[carolott]

The 21230 zip had three murders in 2007: one in Federal Hill, one in Westport, and one in Pigtown.

[carolott]

And here's a question.... for those who hate the city so much and can't wait to leave -- are you going to instruct your realtor to tell every prospective buyer that your house is in a bad neighborhood full of criminals and violent crime? Or if you sell the house yourself, will your ad state that the house is in a terrbile neighborhood in a filthy crime-ridden city?

Or does the "full disclosure" policy only apply to others?

[westsideboy]

Bawlmer, I understand your disappointment. You bought a house in a neighborhood you didn't research well enough at the peak of the market. Now you are disatisified with your neighborhood and in over your head on your mortgage. It seems like you are taking the frustration and disappointment you feel with yourself and projecting it on others.

Does bashing Baltimore make you feel any better, or does it make you feel worse? Does spending an considerable amount of time researching facts and figures to "prove" Baltimore sucks help your situation at all? Does discounting and getting into flame wars about other people's positive experiences valid your own opinions more?

You need to be a little more Zen about this whole thing. Talk to a realtor about selling your place. If prices are only down 10% or so in your neighborhood, you may be able to make some cheap upgrades in your property to boost its value and cover your note. What about renting it out? You could probably cover your mortgage payment and move somewhere where you feel more fulfilled.

At any rate, you need to stop using this board as a way to vent your own disappointment and argue with people. If you want to inform posters about your experience with Baltimore, by all means do so. Trying to invalidate the experiences of other with facts, figures, insults, etc. is only serving your own ego at this point, not the general good of those seeking information about the city.