Safe, diverse/international, eclectic neighborhood an oxymoron? Help! (house, art)

[baltimore's best]

Originally Posted by leavenc

I'm excited about relocating to Baltimore! I'm moving from NC to start work at Univ of MD Medical Center in June. I have 4 month old and my family is multiracial (I'm international and my husband american). My husband and I are in our 30s, professionals by day (medicine and information systems) and musicians by night. We love the arts, internationally diverse community, ethnic restaurants, live music, vegetarian/yoga lifestyle etc. I call us Yheppies - young hippie eclectic professionals.
We need a safe neighborhood especially for our young baby! We visited Baltimore and really loved Hampden but were surprised with the lack of diversity there and the racial slurs made by a hampden resident on city data. We need a place we can feel safe and comfy also as a multiracial family. Are Charles Village and Mt Vernon better options?
I want to be close to UMD MC but willing to drive 15 mins to get there. What are my options? We did not like the industrial commercial feel of federal hill/fells point/canton but maybe we missed something during our weekend visit.
I need your candid comments!!! Thanks!

Not an oxymoron at all. That pretty much describes Baltimore. You'll love it here.

[leavenc]

Since I'll be an intern at UMD MC I was advised to live close by - Ridgely's Delight, Barre Circle etc to avoid travel time. What's the traffic like? If I move to charles village/hampden would the drive be within 15 mins? My 80 hr work week doesn't need to be complicated by traffic jams.
Is Barre Circle/Ridgely's delight area safe?

[carolott]

Originally Posted by leavenc

Since I'll be an intern at UMD MC I was advised to live close by - Ridgely's Delight, Barre Circle etc to avoid travel time. What's the traffic like? If I move to charles village/hampden would the drive be within 15 mins? My 80 hr work week doesn't need to be complicated by traffic jams.
Is Barre Circle/Ridgely's delight area safe?

I lived in Barre Circle until March and loved it there. If you're working at UMD MC, there is no traffic -- you'd simply walk across the street. Same if you lived in Ridgely's, although you'd be crossing a different street.

Both neighborhoods are lovely, within easy access to 95/295, restaurants, shopping at the harbor, and downtown.

Most of the people who live in Barre Circle are somehow affiliated with the VA, UMD MC, Johns Hopkins, or some other medical system here in Baltimore. Some are students and interns, some are professionals. I would bet you'd find the same demographic in Ridgely's -- very nice people with an active community association.

I don't know if this is feasible for you, but if by some odd chance you have the opportunity to be in Baltimore on May 9, we're having a community happy hour at a bar in Ridgely's. You'd get a chance to meet neighbors from both communities, and the greater Pigtown community as well. We have these happy hours one Friday a month somewhere in the neighborhood, so there will be others if you can't make this one.

I also wanted to add -- both communities are safe because they're close communities...meaning, people actually talk to and get to know their neighbors. Which is such a refreshing change from other cities! I think you'd fit in really well here. Our family moved here right after our son was born in 2000 -- I am American, my son's father is international. And he's a musician. There's another couple who bought recently in Barre Circle -- I don't think they've moved in yet -- same scenario...she's international (German, I believe) and her husband is American. Super-nice people, and they have a baby on the way, and I think one more child...maybe two, I forget now. Two neighbors on my street just had babies and one couple is still awaiting theirs. Oh wait -- another couple had twins! And none of them are fleeing to the suburbs now that they have kids -- thank God.

Pretty soon we'll have enough for a large active Mom's Group! (My son is seven years old.)

[leavenc]

Thanks carolott! Wow, I'm really impressed with the amount of input offered by B'more residents. This makes me even more excited about relocating - the people I've met so far have been really nice. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for a home in Barre circle to rent. From your descriptions, it seems like the perfect place. Can't wait! Thanks everyone. Keep the comments coming.

[Michael Buckhall]

I am moving to Towson in a few weeks, and have lived in Catonsville, and off Security Blvd, and I am glad to hear all of these positive posts about various neighborhoods around Baltimore. I have signed a short term lease, and am looking for something more permanent if I decide to stay. What seems to be absent from all of these replies though, is at least one frank honest word of warning...which I'm hoping may be absent because there is not really the need for one.
I am a single mixed-race male without children, who grew up in Northern Virginia. I love Baltimore--it reminds me of Richmond actually, but like Richmond it has its problems. I have to say that leaving B-more yesterday I took a few wrong turns trying to get on 95, and everywhere I turned was a ghetto. And not "ghetto" in the MTV sense, but in its traditional meaning, it seemed like a place segregated where people were literally sent to live in poverty and eventually die from it. So degraded and dilapidated, driving around the city of Baltimore with no clear direction in mind, was enough to severely impact a young dread-locked suburban friend of mine who thought he knew what it was like to be poor (because he was a minority who grew up in a townhouse).
I did some research for a job recently, and the census (I think it was 2000, but it might have been 1990 figures), told me that half of the residents of Baltimore had graduated high school, and the other half of those people never made it past the sixth grade.

I once walked around the city looking for the Holocaust Memorial, and 5 different people that I asked, did not understand the word Holocaust..."Hallawhat?". (Which at the memorial its memorialized quote is "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it"). When I visited a partner of mine's new theater space downtown, I was caught in a 20 minute conversation with an addict, who spent her time desperately trying to make a human connection, and get a cigarette, while unknowingly peppering the conversation with off-hand comments about the crimes against humanity she's living through (Mama still live in the house, but the city tole her they gonna move her, I be, I be, I donno where I goin") as she lives in one of the many row houses that the city has been condemning, as they slowly shut off public services to those areas, and "gentrify".

It may be a bit of a rant, and I am a long-winded fellow, but I guess I want to be clear in stating that Baltimore is a "city in transition" and while it is getting better, and there are a lot of positive influences working, it has always seemed to me that Baltimore has "pockets of good" (as opposed to cities/counties that have isolated rough areas).
Have you seen "The Wire" on HBO? The most insane thing I have ever seen is the shooting of that series, which takes place in random Baltimore ghettos--you can literally stand and watch the filming of a tv show about people dealing crack, and then look to your left, and see some people dealing crack.

Baltimore's main redeeming quality is its people, who will engage strangers (thus eliminating them), be kind at the drop of a hat, and always seem to have interesting thing to say, a recommendation for a good place to go, and often have something artistic or intellectual that is their passion (I like to say that in Baltimore, even your pizza guy is an artist, and he's a good artist). I may need to amend my topic sentence to say that Baltimore's main redeeming quality is its people, the ones who I don't think are going to mug me.

So I guess I am less interested in giving any advice, but really hope some other...Baltimorites? Baltimorians?...will help me quell my fear that I am moving into a place where I am going to get shot if I live there for too long...

And FYI Newcomers, 21209, is where I am moving, to a large apartment complex that has a huge pool and gym. I rent a top floor apartment, which has 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a 30 foot ceiling with skylights, a balcony. There are absolutely no worries of crime, and there are policeman living in the neighborhood (just in case). I am going to be paying $1100 a month + bills. To me, it is a phenomenal deal, as well it close to several places to hike and bike, and the whole place has a decidedly wonderful democratic feel--businesses are greener, the available food is more organic, people are generally more liberal.

I hope people haven't tuned out on my rant, and will give me some comments on the way I need to approach living here, as well as help the original posters, who are I feel (sorry to talk about you while you're in the room) some of the many great individuals flocking to Baltimore, which, hopefully, is experiencing a Renaissance.

[Streetchie]

Levenc, In my opinion, I think you'll find Barre Circle, Pigtown and Ridgleys Delight far from "Safe, diverse/international, eclectic neighborhood"s. I lived in the area for years and became completely frustatrated with the robberies, muggings and home invasions that occur all too often. I'm not saying "don't move to Baltimore", I'm saying move there with eyes wide open. The city needs more upstanding citizens willing and able to take a stand to make Baltimore a better place. But know that one way or another, you will be affected by crime. Be careful and choose your location wisely.

[barante]

Levenc, unless you grossly misstated your priorities in the original messge, you really want to take a look at Coldspring. Safe, international, communal, lots of walkways, tot lots galore.

[leavenc]

This is so tough!!! I didn't realize I'd have to choose between proximity to the hospital and my ideal neighborhood as described. We'll be in town hunting for a place from the 12th to 14th. I'm not leaving baltimore till I find what I want. I hope it will be worthwhile. I'll definitely look into coldspring, charle's village, barre circle etc! There has to be a happy medium somewhere. Thanks for your help. You all rock!

[carolott]

Originally Posted by leavenc

This is so tough!!! I didn't realize I'd have to choose between proximity to the hospital and my ideal neighborhood as described. We'll be in town hunting for a place from the 12th to 14th. I'm not leaving baltimore till I find what I want. I hope it will be worthwhile. I'll definitely look into coldspring, charle's village, barre circle etc! There has to be a happy medium somewhere. Thanks for your help. You all rock!

There is definitely a happy medium -- and trust me, you'll find it.

[myselfdotcom]

Originally Posted by leavenc

I'm excited about relocating to Baltimore! I'm moving from NC to start work at Univ of MD Medical Center in June. I have 4 month old and my family is multiracial (I'm international and my husband american). My husband and I are in our 30s, professionals by day (medicine and information systems) and musicians by night. We love the arts, internationally diverse community, ethnic restaurants, live music, vegetarian/yoga lifestyle etc. I call us Yheppies - young hippie eclectic professionals.
We need a safe neighborhood especially for our young baby! We visited Baltimore and really loved Hampden but were surprised with the lack of diversity there and the racial slurs made by a hampden resident on city data. We need a place we can feel safe and comfy also as a multiracial family. Are Charles Village and Mt Vernon better options?
I want to be close to UMD MC but willing to drive 15 mins to get there. What are my options? We did not like the industrial commercial feel of federal hill/fells point/canton but maybe we missed something during our weekend visit.
I need your candid comments!!! Thanks!

How funny....we are multinational family..and we moved from Raleigh, NC about 1.5 years ago