Cities that Bmore is BETTER than

[bellafinzi]

Baltimore is definitely overlooked....overshadowed by nearby larger cities. Seems almost like my town...most of the city itself looks and feels depressing, but has nice suburbs and an overlooked waterfront.

I've never been to Baltimore, but chances are I'd like it more than I liked Pittsburgh.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by rudy_d

I hate to beat on your already downtrodden city, but I came across this sad piece today (Average home price $18,513 - Unemployment rate 21% : Tribble Ad Agency : The Advertising Agency of Record). Despite its problems, Baltimore looks like paradise in comparison to the Motor City.

Some excerpts:

...The average price of a home is now $18,513 and unemployment has reached 21%, and it’s expected to get worse.

...For example, the crime rate has fallen…. because of lack of targets within the city. Meaning there is nothing left to steal. In fact, even the criminals don’t want to leave jail.

There's something about a city that numbers, and articles like that one, just can't describe. Which explains why some people love Baltimore, and why I like Detroit. That's just the way it is. Even though I like Detroit (my hometown), I have always thought that Minneapolis-St. Paul is my favorite cities in the U.S. I now live in Maryland though. The poster that said that Baltimore is "the other Cleveland" seems to have hit the nail right on the head. At least as far as I am concerned. YMMV.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by Aqualung

I have the feeling that people putting ANY Florida city on their list haven't actually lived in Florida. It's nice to visit, but living there is hell.

-The traffic is horrible EVERYWHERE, especially in the winter because of the snowbirds. It's not like most major cities where it gets better outside of downtown. You would also think the roads would be in better condition because the state doesn't have nearly as many potholes to deal with, but no...instead they just spend nothing on maintenance.

-Be prepared to sweat every single day of your life because it's hot even in February. Florida's population didn't skyrocket until A/C became commonplace. People talk about how great the weather is, but they sit in A/C all day, every day. So what's the point?

-There is no "community" because so many people are transients.

-You'll love the culture if you're fond of chain restaurants, strip malls, and big box stores like Home Depot.


Minneapolis is a great city. The only complaint I ever hear is about the winter weather. I've lived here for a couple years and I'm unfortunately moving to Baltimore soon (my fiance is starting UM medical school). I'm hoping Baltimore works out well, but my expectations aren't too high.

Minneapolis always ranks high up the "most livable cities" list but recently its also on the list of places people do not want to live in. I personally cannot be anywhere that is snowbound for 6 montsh and goes to -20 degrees most of the winter.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by DC2Tampa

I like Baltimore but that's only because I'm a native Marylander. Baltimore basically encompasses everything about Maryland, both good and bad. That's why I liked my 6-7 years living there. Baltimorians and Marylanders are EXTREMELY proud people for those that don't know.

But it amazes me what people from outside of the area see in Baltimore that makes them want to move, let alone visit there. Yeah there's the Inner Harbor, Camden Yards, Fells Point and Fed Hill, Canton, Charles Village and Towson are nice areas but really, outside of those very small and isolated areas, what is the draw? I've never understood.

Native Baltimorians LOVE their city and will always rate their city as one of the best. From the outside looking in, Baltimore is basically "the other Cleveland". If you had the opportunity to move to ANY city, would Baltimore really be your most desireable place to live above most of the major metropolitan areas in the US? And if so, where would you rank similar cities like Cleveland or Pittsburgh?(probably near the bottom)

Like I said I lived there, my gf is a Baltimore native(Mercy HS grad) and I like Baltimore but only because it was basically the only major city in the state(not including the District or it's MD suburbs). Baltimorians might consider Howard and MoCo people snobbish or shallow but a lot of Baltimorians are just plain delusional when it comes to Charm City.

LOL @ someone from Minneapolis talking about big box stores(your town is home to freaking BEST BUY and the largest shopping mall in America) and lack of infastructure maintenance(didn't one of your bridges of your main artery between St.Paul and Minneapolis COLLAPSE recently?).

I used to be from Montgomery County and wanted out of Maryland because I thougth that was what Maryland was about. The most shallow, rude, materialistic and liberal people anywhere. I live in Baltimore City now and do not like it but I like the Baltimore region as a whole. I like some neighborhoods in the city like the harbor, Fells Point, Ridgely's, Canton, and Mt. Vernon but its nice to visit not to live in. I prefer rural or suburban living to urban living. The climate is on the cold side but I'm glad I live in an apartment where utilities are included in the rent so I always jack up the heat very warm and take long hot showers.

I always get a shock when I tell people from around here what my favorite Baltimore region locales are - Dundalk, Essex, and Arbutus. I like the small town character, friendliness, and mentality of these places.

[BMOREBOY]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

I used to be from Montgomery County and wanted out of Maryland because I thougth that was what Maryland was about. The most shallow, rude, materialistic and liberal people anywhere. I live in Baltimore City now and do not like it but I like the Baltimore region as a whole. I like some neighborhoods in the city like the harbor, Fells Point, Ridgely's, Canton, and Mt. Vernon but its nice to visit not to live in. I prefer rural or suburban living to urban living. The climate is on the cold side but I'm glad I live in an apartment where utilities are included in the rent so I always jack up the heat very warm and take long hot showers.

I always get a shock when I tell people from around here what my favorite Baltimore region locales are - Dundalk, Essex, and Arbutus. I like the small town character, friendliness, and mentality of these places.

Well I'm a urban man to the end...lol

[rudy_d]

Originally Posted by dkf747

I was thinking about this today as I was driving through Baltimore. From what I have seen Baltimore is just about the last place I would want to live. I will take Detroit over Baltimore any day. (I'm biased though since I am from Detroit). Baltimore just plain looked awful. I've been there many times, buttoday I took extra looks as I drove from 395 to Pratt to Gay St. to Harford all the way up to somewhere near Parkside dr. I didn't look for the nice areas. That's my honest opinion. I wish it weren't so.

Maybe I'm suffering from schadenfreud, but I came across this article about Detroit in the Chicago Tribune today that I found absolutely astounding: Detroit's outlook falls along with home prices -- chicagotribune.com.

-The median price of a home sold in Detroit in December was $7,500, according to Realcomp, a listing service.

-On a positive note, Detroit’s homicide rate dropped 14 percent last year. That prompted mayoral candidate Stanley Christmas to tell the Detroit News recently, “I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but there just isn’t anyone left to kill” . . .

I'm not taking pleasure in other people's suffering, but it does make Baltimore seem like a relatively nice place to me despite its many problems. It could be a whole lot worse.

[Hey_Hey]

I'm actually looking at moving to baltimore in the next 2-3 months. I would be a resident at Johns Hopkins and my wife is a nurse. My wife and I were pretty concerned about living in Baltimore because of the stories of crime we had heard from others. When we got there and drove around and walked around, we came away very pleasantly surprised. We both decided we could live there for 4 years and thoroughly enjoy almost everything.

Living in Toledo now, we often see the urban rot (it has passed decay) in Detroit and it's smaller brother, Toledo. Cleveland is very much the same. While there are neighborhoods that could definitely use some help in Baltimore, there is a sense that we got that things are improving most everywhere. The downtown area/inner harbor, fell's point, canton, and federal hill are all great urban neighborhoods.

We also liked the close proximity to DC, Philly, and NYC, which will be great for a quick one or two day getaway when the chance arises.

[mrboltonman]

The burbs aren't 100% safe either. I'm sure some areas in the burbs are worse than areas in the city. Overall the city I'm sure has a higher crime rate because of the density of people and the areas that are crime ridden.

You have to look at each area of the city to know if it will fit you. Baltimore City does have a lot of work to do but what keeps the city functioning is getting decent people to move here and contribute.

[DJ Pioneer]

Originally Posted by mrboltonman

The burbs aren't 100% safe either. I'm sure some areas in the burbs are worse than areas in the city. Overall the city I'm sure has a higher crime rate because of the density of people and the areas that are crime ridden.

You have to look at each area of the city to know if it will fit you. Baltimore City does have a lot of work to do but what keeps the city functioning is getting decent people to move here and contribute.

Well for one, it seems like car break-ins are out of control. Even check out the Crime Baltimore website. Nearly everyone I work with has had their car broken into at one time or another (and not only for electronic devices - sometimes random). It's a shame really. I never keep anything in my car.