relocating to Baltimore (St. Charles, Cockeysville, Manchester: apartment, to rent, buying a home)

[Drick]

Hi. I was very excited to receive a job offer in Baltimore. And, after reading so many negative posts about the city, am finding myself more and more anxious and apprehensive. I am moving to Baltimore alone. I am having difficulty finding a place to live that is safe, will accommodate me and my dog, and is affordable. I cannot back out of my move now. I have sold my home in St. Louis, accepted a job in Baltimore and have started the machine-in-motion.

I need to hear some optimistic advice and information. I am a single, professional gay man (41), I am taking an entry level position with a university, I have a very good small dog, I need a place to garage a motorcycle, I want to rent or own, I want to feel safe and welcome to Baltimore. Resources (beyond realty companies and lending agents)? Helpful individuals? Sources for purchasing with tax abatement?

At the moment I am feeling pretty sad about my decision to relocate, and I am counting on you Baltimorians for some support. (and that's not too much from someone who was excited about your city, prior to reading so many negative posts)

[jonjj]

Ok---I have been to St. Louis many times. I like it but I have to tell you up front: if you like St. Louis, you will LOVE Baltimore. So, knock off your worrying because you are taking a step up the ladder, not down.
There are plenty of options for you both in the city and the surrouding areas. You should probably narrow down your search. Ask yourself what your ideal location in an urban area would be and it will help those of us who answer your questions.
Up front, garages are hard to come by around here. That may be an issue for you.

All cities have their issues but they also have a lot of good points.

Visit My Baltimore: Latest Videos (broken link)

Baltimore Grows

These are two sites to help uplift you a bit. Hope my post is a bit uplifting. We Baltimorians love to gripe a lot but it is a fantastic city.

[jonjj]

By the way, being from St. Louis, I think you would fit right in quite comfortably in the Patterson Park area. Two other resources for you are:
:: Patterson Park Community Development Corporation - PPCDC :: > Home (broken link)

Patterson Park Neighborhood Association

[barante]

Don't look back. You will find Baltimore exciting. I second jonjj about Patterson Park. The area just keeps getting better.

[carolott]

Wherever you go, there will be negative people, so move past that and start looking forward to this new adventure.

I own a small coffeeshop in Pigtown -- we have a wonderfully diverse neighborhood, both gay and straight -- couples and singles. We're right across the street from the University of Maryland and close to I-95 and 295. Most homes here do have some kind of parking, but as jonjj said above, garages are hard to come by -- I think that would be true for most of Baltimore City.

I have lived here for 8 years with my young son and we love it here. I can't imagine calling anyplace else "home".

[DavidSKi]

if you want garage, youll have to look outside of the 695 ring in the burbs. there are some apts with garages in the front, but your more than likely needing a house if you want that. I am currently relocating to Bmore too from Jax FL. I have been up there once already to look around the downtown inner harbor area... and I am going up there again for a few days to apartment hunt.

Somethin that the this board will need to know is your range your willing to pay and where your job is located, for us to help you.

also, heres a map that i am currently working with

Google Maps

for my personal use. All Apts listed are in safe zones, and I am working with a retired police officer to create a more acurate blue "bad" zone.

As a rule of thumb the west is the worste (west of the stadiums), but there are pockets of crap in all areas. Also realtor.com has 1000s of row homes available for purchase or rent. (12 foot wide, 3 stories tall, 50+ feet deep townhouses)

As far as your bike is concerend, the city is alive with dirtbikes, cruisers, rockets and fespas, so they goto be keepin them SOMEWHERE. lol I too am a rider and this is a concern, but I have found at least 2 storage locations that have motocyle slots. (6 foot tall by 8 foot deep) that is not their official name, but you can house 2 bikes and a tool bench in there no problem. The 1 quote I got was 50$ a month.

When your looking at houseing in the city limits, you will be able to quickly tell if its bad, because homeowners bar their windows. If you see that, keep looking elseware.

Give us some more feedback on your search and we can help.

[barante]

David -- Your book outline sounds exciting. Can't wait for the movie.

[jonjj]

David--I noticed the blue bubble at Noble Street. That street has made a lot of progress. It was notorious as one of the worst streets in the neighborhood. It is better but not for the faint at heart.

[iceberg7673]

Hi Drick.

I'm a transplant from the St. Louis area, having moved from St. Charles to the Hunt Valley area in early 2006.

If you've been a midwesterner for most of your life, you may find Baltimore to require a good deal of adjustment up front. After reading some of the forum threads here, it's easy to get confused about the area in general, and a lot of that has to do with how block-to-block Baltimore (even the country) is. Picture Webster Groves, Fenton, South Grand, and down by the Tivoli, and press them all together into an ten-block area, and that's pretty much how Baltimore is all over the place. Drive a few blocks, and the landscape changes quickly.

For all of the difficulty I've had adjusting, I will say I lucked greatly in finding an apartment in the Sparks Glencoe area, north of Baltimore along I-83. It's quiet, and well away from the city itself, but still within driving distance of plenty of good shopping and dining and my job. It's pricey, though, and if you're looking to own that may be too far out on an entry-level salary.

If you don't mind living in an apartment-heavy area, the Cockeysville area has plenty to choose from of various quality. Like where I live, it's near 83, and also near York road, which is a lot like Manchester Road back home (i.e. chocked full of shopping, and busy most of the time). There are a number of places to choose from, with a variety of prices, but it has good access to most of the city. The hardest part is finding a good place that accepts a dog that isn't made of paper-thin walls.

When I first moved here, the advice I was given was to stay outside of the beltway (I-695). My girlfriend and I have been considering buying a home and have spent some time looking around recently, and so far that thinking has mostly held up. That's not to say there aren't good pockets of areas as you get closer to the city itself (we're wanting to stay in the country), but you really have to know the areas.

If you want a place with storage and is dog-friendly, you might do well to look at renting a townhouse instead of an apartment. You can try the Cockeysville area for that as well, or look in the areas around Perring Parkway and Joppa Road (a few exits east of 83 on I-695). They're harder to find (and find a decent rate), but they're typically more accomodating. As some of the other posters mentioned, garages are hard to come by here; you have to dig for them. Storage sheds are fairly common with the townhomes and there are townhomes everywhere here.

Cost-wise, housing in general here is pretty outrageous compared to STL, so be prepared to do a lot of looking before you settle. Most of the local groceries stores have a free apartment guide which helped me out a lot, since there's a LOT of apartment property here.

Baltimore has its quirks, and it's taken me a while to get comfortable, but it can happen. There's a lot of good dining, and eventually you'll find good people, it just takes a while. They drive like crap, though. Be especially careful on 695...it's a lot like 40 between 270 and Brentwood back home, with narrower lanes and lots of curves. Gas for your car or bike will be about $0.15 higher here than back home at any given time, but most of the other costs are fairly comparable. I've never really used the metro system here, since it's incredibly slow north of the beltway, but depending on where you work you might find it to be useful. It's not quite as straightforward as the metro in STL, but it's still a lot easier to figure out than, say, the DC system.

It's easy to hate the area right off the bat since everything is very pressed together compared to STL, and most of the guys I work with who were MO natives like myself still long for wider roads and the ability to actually see the horizon, but you may find a number of little things you'll like. Don't despair; living here isn't that bad.

Good luck with your search.

[Be More]

I moved here from the Midwest also. (Omaha) I found Baltimore the adjustment to Baltimore to be extremely easy and had no problem meeting friendly people. I actually find it more friendly than the "friendly capital of the world", Omaha. There are a ton of places to live in the city that are in great areas. Don't get caught living in the suburbs if you are working in the city. Between gas prices and the commute..its not worth it.