Moving to Baltimore Coppin Heights Area...Scared as hell!!

[davecj]

To put it into perspective, for the price of a modest 3br, 1 ba townhouse in Fells, you could probably buy an entire block around Coppin.

[Banks40]

I was born and raised in the Coppin Heights area. I raised two strong males in this area. One graduated from the Naval Academy now in his first year at University of Maryland School of Medicine, the other owns his own business as a Ceritfied Master Auto Technician. Now, yes it was not easy with all the peer pressure, but I kept them busy in activities and in the church. I demanded success and it paid off. I am also a graduate of Morgan State University, Coppin State University, and University of Maryland. Keep searching, this area has been through a lot and is now going through a positive revitalization. Think hard about where ever you decide to go and watch their friends, and be mindful where ever you go.

Banks40

[kinkytoes]

I think the OP wants to move to a nice place that would be good for her business and her children. Personally I don't think retail would do very well in most places now, but that's just my unsolicited opinion. OP, esp if you come from another state, you have to be very careful about where you want to live.

Where do people have the desire and money to spend on birkenstocks AND where can your kids get a good education and not have the temptation to join the bloods or the crips? LOL IMO, here:

Howard County - You may want to check on specific areas in the Maryland forum. The area has good public schools, a mix of cultures and good food as well. The income there is good. Probably has decreased a bit because of the economy, but the job market should be relatively good for several years.

Baltimore County - (Caveat: I would not recommend the public high schools in Woodlawn or Randallstown). Northern Baltimore County has nice schools where your kids will be comfortable and safe. Even though the schools are mixed race-wise, your kids will feel comfortable and welcome.

Baltimore City - For retail, I would recommend Harbor East, Hampden's Avenue or the Inner Harbor as possible locations for your business in the city, since the areas has many visitors. Most of the other nice areas in Baltimore, IMO are enclaves and IMO that would be a little harder for a retail business. If you live in Baltimore City your kids can comfortably attend School for the Arts, Baltimore Polytechnic or any of the excellent private schools ONLY. IMO that's ALL for high-schools for guys in Baltimore.

You want your sons to grow up in a nice area that has good schools, and you can find that in a variety of areas in Maryland. All of the suburban areas have apartments with 2-3 bedrooms and amenities for growing boys such as swimming pools and parks nearby.

Wow someone smack me in the head. I can't believe I'm recommending the suburbs... Anyway, I think that's your best bet as far as a good environment for teenaged sons. You really want them to have decent schooling and a non-violent(well not more violent than usual for teenaged boys) and fun upbringing. I think you might also want to watch the mannerisms/speech that they pick up. I would recommend living in the city if you can get the kids into a private/magnet school.

[wigs817]

I agree... Coppin Heights is not an area to live in and chance it with impressionable teenagers unless you can get them into a magnet or private school. Even then, it only takes one or two bad neighborhood seeds to undo all of your hard work thus far to keep them on the straight and narrow.

Another poster mentioned PG county... it is primarily African American and although there are some rough areas, it is the among the highest-income primarily African American counties in the country. High schools there can be rough because of the fringe areas around DC, but if you can get into a nicer area, there are some great schools (Potomac High and Suitland High are two I can think of that are nice off the top of my head). Do your school research, and I'd recommend taking a closer look at the percentage of students receiving free/reduced price lunch while school shopping. Best of luck to you!

[barante]

Let's hear an update from the original poster. After all the economic and social dislocation that have taken place in the past few months, are you still thinking of relocating to Baltimore to start a speculative business?
None of that made any sense to me and I tried to say so as diplomatically as I could. As I understood it, the driving factors were: availability of a cheap house in Coppin Heights; a family support network in D.C.
If you are still thinking about this, think and think again. As to the idea of living in PG County while operating a business in Baltimore: NUTS.