Looking for advice on moving to Baltimore. (houses, condos)

[Matt]

Both my wife and I both work for an International hotel group with hotels throughout many cities in the US. We have been given the option to relocate to a new property being built in Baltimore which is due to open in late ’07. Presently we are in Hawaii so while it might seem a strange move for some we are both excited about moving to the east coast. We are originally from Ireland so this move would make it easier for us to get back to Europe and for our families to visit us.
We have been looking at property in Baltimore via the net but obviously cannot relate to any areas there having never been there. We do plan a trip early next year to look around. We have no children, are both in our early 50's and enjoy city life, so an apartment would be first on our list of places to live.
Our new workplace will be in the harbour area so I guess my first search would be in areas close to there that would have apartments to buy and which are safe to live in. We’ve both lived in cities (Dublin, London, Cape Town) and have experienced the good and bad side of city living. We were thinking of an area that is within walking distance or have public transport access to the harbour. Our ‘hectic’ social life usually involves a pub or restaurant, ball game, walk in the park or cycle. Nothing very high brow. We are trying to eliminate any commuting by car as much as possible hence the idea of city living.
So if anyone has the names of a few city areas so we can start a search through property sites, we would greatly appreciate it.

Many Thanks
Matt

[Mike from back east]

If you own a home in HI, it is probably worth quite a bit, which is good, as that should get you into just about anything in Baltimore. If you want to live south of the Inner Harbor area, look down in the Locust Point area, along Fort Avenue. A lot of new condo's going in down there. It's a former seaport and railroad area with a lot of industry, but it is gentrifying very nicely and these new places just might be your cup of tea. This link takes you to an article about that area:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertai...home-headlines

s/Mike

[mccollim]

Dear Matt:

I enjoyed reading your story. You seem like a very active and positive person. I would be glad to recommend some neighborhoods. If I had a hunch, I would guess that your hotel development is either in Federal Hill area or just east of the Harbor downtown. Based on your taste, I could see you living quite dandily around the border of the Butcher's Hill, Patterson Park, Canton, and Fells Point neighborhoods, maybe even Highlandtown, Washington Village, or Federal Hill. These are all close to the Harbor and downtown. Canton and Federal Hill are the main neighborhoods with a lot of culture and activities that are along the water. There is a lot of excitement about living in these places. I personally live further north in Baltimore, where there are detached homes instead of rowhomes. Some of the rowhomes in the neighborhoods around Patterson Park and Federal Hill have had extensive renovations and are quite beautiful inside. Actually, I am excited for you. Baltimore may not be as green as Ireland, but there is a great ball park, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, lots of restaurants, some decent parks, like Federal Hill Park and Patterson Park, and of course, what you desire most, the Harbor. Let me know your plans. Perhaps we can cycle. I would be happy to send along some more information on those neighborhoods.

Sincerely,
Richard McCollim

[Matt]

WoW!! That was quick. Thank you both for your replys. It has certainly given us some areas to look at.

Mike: I looked at that site and it looks like a great area to live. It reminded me of parts of old Dublin, close to the docks.

Richard: Thanks, you certainly gave us enough areas to look at. I can see a long weekend coming up in front of the pc!! What great names for neighbourhoods also - loads of character by the sound of them. I would imagine cycling in Baltimore is much like most other cities - crazy. However I alsways found early on a Sunday morning a great time to see parts of your city that otherwise one would never get to. Early Sunday rides were great in Dublin - pubs open at 12 for a lunch time pint!!

Thanks again
Matt

[regno]

Hi Matt,
Baltimore is a great city.
Otterbein/Harborwalk is in the center of everything:
condos 300K
Houses 400K+

Fed Hill is a few blocks South and a lot of fun, parking is rough.
Otterbein has very easy parking for residents.

Little Italy is cool and right near the center of it all, parking again is an issue.

They are building some cool condos at 414 water street near the powerplant.

Canton is a drive to the Inner Harbor or bike ride.

Fell's Point is a very old world pirate town feel and is about a mile from the Inner Harbor - lots of bars.

The Vue is right down near the water south of Little Italy and some really cool condos above retail.

Ridgley's delight is pretty cool, near the stadiums - a little cheaper than otterbein.

Here is a great site that tells about all the neighborhoods.
http://www.livebaltimore.com/nb/map/so/

Scroll to the very bottom of this page for a list links to sites with Baltimore Activites etc.
http://baltimorerehab.com/

Baltimore is the coolest city, the people are so laid back and friendly!
Hope you enjoy it!

[Matt]

Thanks regno for your response and suggestions. At the moment work does not allow us to visit Baltimore but we are planning a trip early next year with a list of places to see.

Matt