Southern AA girl relocating to Baltimore (Columbia, Ellicott City: transplants, apartments, rentals)

[karolinagrl]

Good afternoon!

I am contemplating a job offer near Baltimore, Woodlawn to be exact. To be frank, I haven't a clue about Baltimore! I don't know anyone in the area. I am curious about where to live, quality of life, and what would be a good salary to live decently (and safely) on.

A little background about me - I am mid 20s, black, middle of the road, and spiritual but not religious. I've lived in the South my whole life. I'd love to learn about areas of town with young adults and plenty of activities like live music, lounges, etc. I also have a car.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by karolinagrl

I am contemplating a job offer near Baltimore, Woodlawn to be exact.

CMA? SS?

I am curious about where to live, quality of life,
and what would be a good salary to live decently (and safely) on.

Woodlawn would be a good place to start with.
It's nice enough, mostly safe enough, not especially expensive and convenient to much.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Plan to SHARE a home or apt with someone at first.
Use work contacts to help sort that out.

Open this google LINK Go down to street view and look around

Houses & Homes for Rent in Woodlawn, MD

[karolinagrl]

Thank you MrRational!

And it's for SSA.

[BangBangShrimp]

Originally Posted by karolinagrl

Good afternoon!

I am contemplating a job offer near Baltimore, Woodlawn to be exact. To be frank, I haven't a clue about Baltimore! I don't know anyone in the area. I am curious about where to live, quality of life, and what would be a good salary to live decently (and safely) on.

A little background about me - I am mid 20s, black, middle of the road, and spiritual but not religious. I've lived in the South my whole life. I'd love to learn about areas of town with young adults and plenty of activities like live music, lounges, etc. I also have a car.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi there, I know several young, black Southerners who work for SSA so I think you'd be in good company. I think most of them were living in apartments in the Owings Mills/Windsor Mill area when they started. The great thing about SSA is that your salary will go up, so just because you're starting at a certain grade doesn't mean you'll be making that same salary for years. There is no nightlife in suburban Baltimore that I'm aware of, so you'd probably have to go downtown for that.

[lanhvtnymd]

SSA in Woodlawn is western Baltimore County. You could live in the City and commute out to Woodlawn. I prefer to live and commute in the suburbs because I have low tolerance for horrible traffic. The less time I have to spend on the road, the better. I'm about 10 years older than you though, so the city may be more your cup of tea. I only know one young AA woman I work with who lives in Baltimore City....everyone else lives in the county, even the single ones. I've been here for the last 3.5 years, and it sucks that I spent all of my early 30s in suburbs of Baltimore. I would think long and hard about it.

Anyway, what I am about to say about Baltimore region is my opinion as a transplant from the south, so a lot of my opinions are informed by my experiences in the south. I'm sure locals will disagree with me. Baltimore and the mid-Atlantic region generally are neither north or south, it's basically it's own thing. Kind of like the Texas of the east coast, but minus boots and the whole secession thing.

As you know, crime is everywhere. Some places have more violent crime. It's usually drug-related, poverty-related. You know the drill.

Like most major cities in the US, you have your interstates that bisect the city (83, 95) and your interstates that circumvent the city (695), your failed interstate projects (83, 795, 70), and your white flight to white flight area interstates (all of the above, but 795 is most obvious).

I wish I could draw you a diagram of the Baltimore region. There are a lot of those judgmental maps out there for major metro areas. Many are simultaneously offensive and funny and somewhat accurate. But imagine Baltimore as a clock, and basically you have northwest (930-1130), southwest (700-930), southeast (300-430), northeast (130-300), north central (1130-130), and downtown core for the Baltimore region (430-700). I started to describe the boundaries of each, but my head started to hurt thinking about it. Maybe another time.

I'm from the south, too. The mid-Atlantic is interesting.

[karolinagrl]

lanhvtnymd - so, I take it you don't like it? I've heard a lot of that from Southern transplants unfortunately.

My initial thought about relocating there was a flat out NO. But after some more thought, I decided to reach out to try to find people who know the area so I could gain some more insight and make an informed decision.

I'm not loving nor liking everything I've found so far lol.

[Infinite_heights77]

Do you men Hoodlawn?

Originally Posted by MrRational

CMA? SS?

Woodlawn would be a good place to start with.
It's nice enough, mostly safe enough, not especially expensive and convenient to much.

Plan to SHARE a home or apt with someone at first.
Use work contacts to help sort that out.

Open this google LINK Go down to street view and look around

Houses & Homes for Rent in Woodlawn, MD

[chariega]

Originally Posted by karolinagrl

Good afternoon!

I am contemplating a job offer near Baltimore, Woodlawn to be exact. To be frank, I haven't a clue about Baltimore! I don't know anyone in the area. I am curious about where to live, quality of life, and what would be a good salary to live decently (and safely) on.

A little background about me - I am mid 20s, black, middle of the road, and spiritual but not religious. I've lived in the South my whole life. I'd love to learn about areas of town with young adults and plenty of activities like live music, lounges, etc. I also have a car.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Don't do it, girl! Don't do it! LOL Just kidding (sorta). I'm from the south, (actually the *country* in southern VA), so these are just MY thoughts

Baltimore is...special. It's a different mentality. It's not as clean, it's not as friendly, and the attitude here is so different than what you may be used to.

You might like living in Columbia or Ellicott City--I know a lot of people from down south who've moved there and liked it. It's not a bad drive from either Woodlawn, Baltimore or DC. Columbia/Ellicott City are cleaner, safer, etc. though more expensive.

If you drive, you'll find a lot of activities in either Baltimore or DC--especially in DC. There are a ton of clubs/lounges, restaurants filled with people in their 20s-30s. Another great thing, is the DC/MD area has plenty of outdoor activities, festivals/concerts, etc. in the spring/summer. The DC crowd is a lot more active for young professionals--can be a little snobby though. Baltimore has a scene, it's not as phony lol, but it's also less active, and doesn't have the brunch, day party, nightclub/lounge scene, so to me, it's a little boring for what I'd consider city life. However, living in Columbia would make it easy to access to either scene.

[Infinite_heights77]

I know Woodlawn/Social Security area pretty well. My father, step-mother and uncles and their friends, worked at SSA for many years. I would say it's the most exciting community to reside in, but there are many nice homes and neighborhoods that one can find appealing.

[Infinite_heights77]

Baltimoreans are some of the most phoniest and provincial people every created! So what DC is snobby and uppity? Those snobs create and innovate, building and constructing new venues and places for progressive activities. Everybody doesn't want to be crackin' steamed crabs, drinking beer and line dancing all the time!.


"..It's not as clean, it's not as friendly, and the attitude here is so different than what you may be used to. ."

*Please enlighten us on this mentality? What do you mean? People say that Baltimoreans are friendly, but you're stating they're not?!

Originally Posted by chariega

Don't do it, girl! Don't do it! LOL Just kidding (sorta). I'm from the south, (actually the *country* in southern VA), so these are just MY thoughts

Baltimore is...special. It's a different mentality. It's not as clean, it's not as friendly, and the attitude here is so different than what you may be used to.

You might like living in Columbia or Ellicott City--I know a lot of people from down south who've moved there and liked it. It's not a bad drive from either Woodlawn, Baltimore or DC. Columbia/Ellicott City are cleaner, safer, etc. though more expensive.

If you drive, you'll find a lot of activities in either Baltimore or DC--especially in DC. There are a ton of clubs/lounges, restaurants filled with people in their 20s-30s. Another great thing, is the DC/MD area has plenty of outdoor activities, festivals/concerts, etc. in the spring/summer. The DC crowd is a lot more active for young professionals--can be a little snobby though. Baltimore has a scene, it's not as phony lol, but it's also less active, and doesn't have the brunch, day party, nightclub/lounge scene, so to me, it's a little boring for what I'd consider city life. However, living in Columbia would make it easy to access to either scene.