Charles Village's Bad Side? (Baltimore: crimes, credit, motels)

[JJKitty87]

What would the northern border of charles village(or at least the safe part of it) be?

[Lumerian Feast]

Originally Posted by JJKitty87

What would the northern border of charles village(or at least the safe part of it) be?

North of Charles Village are Guilford and Tuscany/Canterbury, and kind of the edge of Roland Park (not technically, but people will call it that). All of which are quite nice, but also quite expensive. Basically the neighborhoods that top University Parkway, and surround that part of Charles Street that leads through rather upscale neighborhoods into the County.

But that's north & northwest; if you drive northeast or out E. 33rd St., you get into Waverly (colorful but iffy).

[rudy_d]

I think the technical northern border is the south side of University Parkway. Then, like LF said, you're getting into some really nice neighborhoods with pricey real estate (Oakenshawe is kind of a transition between the rowhomes and Charles Village and the mansions of Guilford).

[belanndbeau]

Originally Posted by htillberg

Hamroll: I am intrigued by your comment about the 2500 block of Guilford. Any ideas what sets it apart as an oasis? Behind the odd-numbered side of the block is a huge abandoned industrial site that makes me wonder what is back there and if its presence causes any nuisance... Does anyone know what was there and if there is any plans for it? Does it attract or block out issues?

Just out of curiosity...any opinion about the 2300 and 2400 blocks of Guilford?

I know this post was a while ago, but I just thought I'd try to ask anyway.

The 2500 block is owner owned and occupied for the most part by professional people. Most of them are college educated and quite a few are lawyers or have master or doctorate degrees. The owners have been here for a long time so it is stable. People enjoy their front gardens and porches. The CSX runs through the top of the street along 26th so it is not fully developed leaving some extra parking and because of the train, the alley on odd side is not a through alley so it is protected from alley traffic. There are no houses in back of the odd side making it extra quiet and less congested. The owners are active in the community and keep in communication through an email list regularly. The 2400 block is coming up.

[nurider2002]

My take on Charles Village, having lived there in the past and from friends who are still residing there; you have individual homeowners living next door to slum lords who don't maintain their property. Walk up the 28 hundred block of Calvert--you see very well maintained homes adjoining dilapited properties housing numerous apartments. Not to say all apartment buildings are not maintained but too many are. I have friends on both Calvert and St. Paul in "upper Charles Village" who have been plagued by bedbugs, coming through the walls from adjoining properties. Garbage is a huge problem. Buildings with multiple apartment units can only put out so much garbage for pick up or they get fined. Thus people throw garbage everywhere. Unless you clean it up yourself on a regular basis, you have major rat infestations. The random crime others spoke of is a reality but, that pretty much exists anywhere in the city so, I think that's just part of city life. But, until Charles Village gets rid of the slum lords, the neighborhood will continue to deteriorate.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

There are a number of slumlords in CV that definitely need getting rid of, but I do not think the neighborhood is deteriorating at all ... it's improving.

[ToneGrail]

North of 25th St, stay west of Greenmount. East of it is "Better" Waverly, which sucks.

South of 25th St, stay west of St Paul. Otherwise, you will be in YGF (Young Gorilla Family) gang turf. They rule the roost in that area aka Barclay.

[Woodlands]

The City is doing some major infill development in Barclay... Hope it helps because it needs it. CV boundaries seem literal because you cross over one street into Barclay and things change dramatically. I saw young college students hanging on their porches one evening a half a block from a dark street where drug dealers may have shot out the street light so that they could peddle their wares in darkness. These two groups were so close that they could have a conversations.. but worlds apart...

I hope that the Waverly commercial area improves.. the market and its proximity to Hopkins and some of the surrounding neighborhoods makes its a good candidate.

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by ToneGrail

North of 25th St, stay west of Greenmount. East of it is "Better" Waverly, which sucks.

South of 25th St, stay west of St Paul. Otherwise, you will be in YGF (Young Gorilla Family) gang turf. They rule the roost in that area aka Barclay.

Thought they were all in jail...(yeah right) wishful thinking. I remember last summer watching the news.. a Police Chopper flew over one of Druid Hill Park's athletic field after a tip came in that a large flag football game was taking place and there was not permit/application on file. It was over 200 people... The crowd scattered and some of the stragglers were picked up by BPD. Thats when they found out that YGF was "man up" or recruiting so that they could wage war with the Bloods, Crips, MS 13 and et al. Their correct name is Young Black Guerilla Family....though I doubt they discrimate as long as you are into drugs, murder, and mayhem....

[MSF1986]

I really like Charles Village but it can be a fringy place, sort of like Mount Vernon. It's generally a pretty cool area but Waverly is right to the east of it, which creates some problems. Staying north of 25th street in general would be wise too. I live in Tuscany-Canterbury and my favorite local bar is in Charles Village (the original CVP) so I venture over there a lot but I usually don't walk past that area on St. Paul and if I do it's not far.