Safety of Metro Train from Owings Mills to Johns Hopkins

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by oldhousegirl

Looking for a laid back area with family friendly vibes...

That's the thread title. You and everyone else. Who doesn't want these?

At this point it would likely be for one year's length of time in the area.

No responsible LL will sign you up for less than one year. Beware of the other deals.
The smarter LL's will look for interest/need to have a longer term tenancy (eg 2-5 yrs doing a Masters and...)

...easy access to BWI and Hopkins.

Hopkins Medical or the main Uni campus?
Neither are hard to get to from nearly anywhere in the area. See the map.

Try to live near whichever of the three destinations you visit most often.
Work in the rest as best you can and can afford.
Good luck.

[james777]

Quote:
Originally Posted by oldhousegirl
Lol is it all propaganda? Owings Mills is NOT up and coming? Seems like the developers of the Metro Centre area are really pushing hard, especially with the new Marriott and several other new commercial builds - including a hotel ramping up.

Originally Posted by oldhousegirl

Hey everyone! How is this route during standard commute times safety wise? Guessing it's heavily traveled. The Owings Mills area looks to be up and coming with new developments alongside the Metro Rail line. How is that area in general regarding safety? Noticed there is a library and lots of other shopping amenities. Is it considered a bar type party area like Fells Point?

Looking for a laid back area with family friendly vibes, easy access to BWI and Hopkins. In Baltimore, the various harbor areas look nice but almost every apartment review mentions car break ins, and some form of pest problem including the unnamed that is furry and the first letter is "m" lol. Can't have that!!!!!! At this point it would likely be for one year's length of time in the area.

Thanks

Owings Mills was up and coming in the 1980s; before that it was farmland. They built a mall with a Macy's and other anchors, office parks, and a new town. There was an increase in crime, the mall went dead, and was torn down. What you see is the redevelopment of Owings Mills. Of course they are pushing; they don't want it to be a failure like the first time. Maybe our ethically challenged politicians will do a better job this time.

Owings Mills is not a party area like Fells Point. The party areas are Federal Hill/South Baltimore, Fells Point and Canton. The local universities (Johns Hopkins and Towson) have a few bars nearby, which might be considered small party areas.

As for the safety of Owings Mills, you can check the crime statistics with the local police, or ask a few of the residents how they like it there. Before you move anyplace, you might want to do a couple of dry runs from the area to your work to see it the commute is suitable for you. Also, you need to plan for delays on the mass transit as both the subway and the light rail seem to have a lot of problems functioning in a timely manner. A couple of weeks ago, the entire subway from Owings Mills to Hopkins was down and they were using shuttle busses instead.

[bus man]

I lived in Pikesville in the mid to late 1990s and commuted on the subway from Old Court to downtown every day. During rush hours, the trains were heavily patronized and I never had any problems with undesirable activity. And darn, you could set your watch by that thing. I could count the number of delays on a single hand during all those years.

But, that was then, and this is now. It’s been years since I’ve ridden the subway. From what I’ve heard, it’s very unpleasant when the school kids are traveling. Apparently, ridership took a huge dip during COVID and has not recovered, so the feeling of security i felt when riding on a train full of professionals may no longer apply. Before you commit to moving to Owings Mills, I would take a ride during the times you would be commuting and see how it feels to you. Word to the wise, don’t ride on the rear car; it seems that troublemakers prefer to use that one.

Some posters are confusing “then” and “now” in Owings Mills. There used to be an enclosed mall there, but it went belly up and is gone now. The development right beside the station is fairly new. It does look nice. I have no experience with how it would be to live there so I can’t comment on that. My own personal sense of Owings Mills is that it started out with great promise in the 1980s but has not lived up to expectations. Whether this new development will turn things around, I can’t say.

[Woodlands]

Yeah the new area on the old mall is basically full of service retail and a movie theatre. It is pretty well utilized and I sure much appreciated by the residents there that felt that area was neglected in favor of other portions of Baltimore County. The high density areas with apartments and ground floor retail is ok especially if you live upstairs. A couple of chain restaurants are good to grab a beer or a quick bite after work. There is a cool Nigerian Restaurant there that is very unique. .. So it has just enough there to serve your basic. 'I want to go out but not go far' but definitely not the place for a single person looking for weekend nights on the town. A young or middle aged couple yeah.. but not really for singles looking for action.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Its been many years since I lived in the area but based on what I know from before I would not suggest it. It goes through some extremely dangerous and crime ridden neighborhoods, Ive taken the train just once before and it did not feel safe at all. If you are white this would be compounded. I've also taken the light rail once and it also didn't feel safe in fact locals called it the "loot rail". Areas like Owings Mills have actualy gone downhill after the Metro was built up that way. Its not like DC where regular commuters use the Metro, its disproportionately used mainly by people who can't afford a car, in the inner city areas. In fact Owings Mills, Catonsville, Randallstown have all gone downhill.

I would suggest living in White Marsh, White Marsh, Middle River, Carroll County, or Harford County. I'm back home in Louisiana now and any suggestion of extending public transportation out of New Orleans or Baton Rouge city limits is shot down immediately both for fiscal reasons and safety concerns, unlike up there we don't do things just to be politically correct.