Yes, another- Where should I live? (Baltimore, Towson: apartment, high crime, hotel)

[icedC]

To start, I want to say that I have been researching this move for months and am still frustrated, stressed, and confused. Still, a huge thank you goes out to all of the locals who spend so much time helping the folks who are moving to town, like me.

So here is the situation- I am going to be a resident at Hopkins (read: long and crazy hours.) Therefore, it probably would make the most sense to live nearby in the city. However, this is greatly complicated by the fact that my husband works in Wilmington, DE and will continue to do so indefinitely. (He is doing very well with his company.) He may end up looking for a new job at some point, but for the purpose of the move I am planning that he will continue to commute.

We initially began looking in Canton/Patterson Park, since it was close to Hopkins, as well as 95. After further investigation, we don’t think Canton is for us. The quality of life just does not seem to match the relative expense. (For reference, we are moving from Center City Philadelphia, which we both love.) We are willing to spend some money to live in a neighborhood that we enjoy, but Canton just did not seem worth it.

Then we figured we would just look for a place in the suburbs, near 95. So we started to think about White Marsh, which seems fine enough, though clearly very boring and suburban. This is not the best solution ever, as suburban boringness literally makes me depressed. But, it seemed to make more sense than shelling out a ton of cash to live in Baltimore. It would make my husband’s drive more reasonable. But, then I became worried that my drive will be really painful whenever it’s not very early morning. Am I making this out to be a bigger deal than it really would be?

So to continue this indecisiveness, I started looking back toward Mount Vernon, which seems to be more similar to Philadelphia in style. Am I crazy, or is Mount Vernon more reasonably priced than Canton?? Moving there would mean that my hubby would have to drive across the city to get to 95, which does not seem ideal. But it seems to be closer to the type of city life that we enjoy.

In sum, I have no idea what to do! So, experienced Baltimoreans, what would you do in my position?

[gr8doglove]

White Marsh/Perry Hall/Kingsville aren't boring at all! Check out Towson also. Lots going on there.

Baltimore City is a great place to visit but not a great place to live when you consider the high taxes, poor police protection and high crime rate.

Good luck to ya!

[icedC]

gr8doglove- Thanks for your reply! Hmm, so maybe White Marsh won't be as boring as I've anticipated? And I must admit, I am not thrilled at the aspect of my car getting robbed and/or stolen in Baltimore. I would not mind avoiding that (and high city taxes!)

How long do you think my drive would be (during busy hours?)

[jonjj]

Originally Posted by icedC

gr8doglove- Thanks for your reply! Hmm, so maybe White Marsh won't be as boring as I've anticipated? And I must admit, I am not thrilled at the aspect of my car getting robbed and/or stolen in Baltimore. I would not mind avoiding that (and high city taxes!)

How long do you think my drive would be (during busy hours?)

Let's not fool ourselves here. The Philly crime rate, although better than Baltimores, is not by much.
My suggestion comes directly from a coworker who is in exactly the same boat you are in. They keep a small apartment in Wilmington and live in an apartment in Mt Vernon. She works here and husband works in Wilmington. Some days, he commutes by train to Wilmington and picks up his car there to get to work. Other days, he stays there if the work load calls for it. For you, commute by MTA metro to Hopkins. The chances of something happening to your car equals out in both places.

[mrboltonman]

I've checked out White Marsh a couple times and find the area kind of strange. The only thing I like about it is the Ikea Definitely make a trip there before you make a decision.

I really recommend coming down to Baltimore and checking out the city (if you haven't already) because it's is very similar to Philly. A lot of the areas of the 2 cities are similar.

University City - Charles Village
Center City - Mt Vernon
Rittenhouse - Mount Vernon Place
South Street - Light Street (Federal Hill)
Front Street - Fell's Point
Manayunk - Hampden
Little Italy (same name in both cities)

I'm sure there are a lot more areas that are similar but I haven't lived in Philly for awhile and only lived there (University and Center City) for a short period.

I live in Baltimore, Bolton Hill which is next to Mt Vernon, and enjoy the amenities of the city. I've been here for a year now and am glad I decided to move here over other areas (Arbutus, Catonsville, and etc). The city is growing which is amazing in the current economy. The city has a lot going for it including University of Maryland Medical Center, University of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins, Mercy, and Legg Mason. A number of projects are planned so it will be interesting to see how the city looks in a few years

jonjj's suggestion sounds like a practical way to accomplish your current situation.

List of Baltimore neighborhoods
Live in Baltimore - Neighborhood Profiles

Post of recommended neighborhoods courtesy of jonjj
http://www.city-data.com/forum/balti...baltimore.html

[ltong1009]

I'd recommend Butcher's Hill.

[Lumerian Feast]

If you're the kind of person that liked living in Philly and generally finds suburbs boring, you will not like White Marsh.

Yes, Mt. Vernon is cheaper than Canton. Getting to 95 isn't too bad -- just cut out to MLK to get to 95. Should be okay since he'll be going against traffic. (Don't go through downtown as that will be gridlock at rush hour.) But if he's heading north, he will have to pay to get through the tunnel, whereas in Canton you can take Boston St. around to skip the tunnel. But Mt. Vernon's also pretty convenient to Penn Station if he decides to take the train.

It's also pretty easy to get from Mt. Vernon to JHH. Just drive down Monument St. going, and back up Madison St. coming. (Be careful at night.)

Mt. Vernon's a very nice neighborhood. I think it's more active, interesting, convenient and safe than Bolton Hill. Lots of places to eat, very walkable.

[gr8doglove]

Originally Posted by icedC

gr8doglove- Thanks for your reply! Hmm, so maybe White Marsh won't be as boring as I've anticipated? And I must admit, I am not thrilled at the aspect of my car getting robbed and/or stolen in Baltimore. I would not mind avoiding that (and high city taxes!)

How long do you think my drive would be (during busy hours?)

Wow, I really have NO idea how long the commute would be. So much would depend on weather conditions/accident-fender bender on any given day. On a good commute day....45 minutes I'd say.

Check out The Avenue at White Marsh on a Saturday. Enjoy the live concerts that are held on Saturday nights while having dinner at the Red Brick Station (sit outside on a nice evening.) Stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in White Marsh. Great hotel.

[Summer_G]

Why did you stop looking at Patterson Park? Canton and Patterson Park are not the same thing, even if they are nearby. Patterson Park is full of Hopkins Residents.

I would also suggest Butchers Hill. There's a Hopkins shuttle on the corner of Baltimore St. and Patterson Park Ave. It's a bit of a hike from the Patterson Park neighborhood, but we hope to someday extend the route as we are rather equidistant from both campuses.

[rudy_d]

Originally Posted by gr8doglove

White Marsh/Perry Hall/Kingsville aren't boring at all! Check out Towson also. Lots going on there.

Baltimore City is a great place to visit but not a great place to live when you consider the high taxes, poor police protection and high crime rate.

Good luck to ya!

I guess it depends on your idea of boring. To me that means living in a cookie-cutter vinyl house, having to drive to get anywhere to a destination that is normally a chain, which is in an artificial setting (like The Avenue). That sums up White Marsh perfectly. As far as Baltimore suburbs go, Towson is the best of the bunch if you want at least a semi-urban experience.