How bad is the Hanlon Longwood area? (Baltimore, Laurel: fit in, apartment complex)

[Dbatiste]

Baltimore Crime Map - Baltimore Police Department Official Web Site - City of Baltimore...

According to the police map Hanlon Longwood has had 2 car thefts and 1 assault. Considering this is Baltimore should I assume this is a mistake? That's really not a lot of crime.

Am I missing something here?

[medfieldbum]

If you are living in New York City, and mostly posting about issues there, why do you care about this area in Baltimore? This Baltimoron needs to know!

[Dbatiste]

Originally Posted by medfieldbum

If you are living in New York City, and mostly posting about issues there, why do you care about this area in Baltimore? This Baltimoron needs to know!

Hello Baltimoron,

Actually, I kinda occupy both places...more so NYC. But that's neither here nor there.

To be honest with you I expected to see a lot more assaults, robberies etc. I've seen a few post that mentioned great neighborhoods in Baltimore and was curious why this area wasn't recommended?

[barante]

Hanlon Park has gone through a rough patch. I don't know about crime (except that there is a nasty-looking apartment complex off Carlisle) but a number of big frame houses went vacant and boarded up on Vickers and Artaban several year ago. The reason, as I recall, was that the speculator was busted for drugs and his empire collapsed. Most, if not all, of those houses have been since reoccupied.
Longwood, between Gwynns Falls Parkway and Hilton, was among the elite streets when African Americans began moving to the predominantly Jewish neighborhood in the 1950s. Some of those early pioneers still live there. More recently (early 2000s) new showpiece houses were built on a stretch overlooking Lake Ashburton, a reservoir. Judging by the cars parked outside, they are occupied by families with some real money.
If I seem to be hedging here, it's because Longwood, south of Gwynns Falls Parkway, gets gradually worse the closer you get to North Avenue. Lots of drugs, lots of transients. If you ask where X lives, the answer is X "sleeps" at such and such address, meaning that X has no fixed domicile, as is often the case in the ghetto. This is a gauge of instability.
Hanlon Park/Ashburton has long intrigued me because it has location, location, location. Things could turn around if (a) young African-American professionals begin moving there in greater numbers because particularly in Ashburton many residents are in their 80s; (b) the area begins attracting white buyers, which it has not, except for some interracial couples.
I have no idea about Ashburton prices, but until about five years ago they were excellent. I presume even better deals were available in Hanlon Park, which lacks the cashet. The caveat here is that these are mostly 1950s vintage houses which may or may not have been updated. For that reason, looking only at prices does not tell the whole story.

[Dbatiste]

Thanks Barante.

I just couldn't figure out why Reservior Hill had so many incidents on the police blotter and Hanlon Longwood had 3.

Why the huge investment in Reservoir Hill with so much crime? Wouldn't it be easier to invest in Hanlon Longwood? Maybe it's because Reservoir Hilli is near Bolton Hill, the light rail and Penn Station? I was driving and didn't count the blocks, but it seemed like Penn Station was about 10 blocks to Reservior Hill.

[barante]

I think you correctly identified the proximity to Bolton Hill which got awfully pricey (by Baltimore standards) during the most recent speculative wave. Reservoir Hill was seen as a cheaper alternative, particularly by the Washington crowd which does not realize that a neigbhorhood turns around in Baltimore slowly, if at all. Increasing their comfort level was the fact that Resevoir Hill, while a predominantly African American neighborhood, was attracting other whites. That did not happen in Hanlon Park/Ashburton.
Let's face it, Eutaw Place is one incredible architectural gem, despite demolitions that destroyed some of its harmony after World War II. Not only is it convenient to MARC/Amtrak but it may be accessed without having to drive through the ghetto.
I recently visited a prominent couple in their 80s in Ashburton. Their house was like a fortress, with heavy bars covering the windows. Yet my sense is that Reservoir Hill until relatively recently probably had a more serious crime problem. Why? The old Willie Sutton story. He robbed banks because that's the money was. Ditto for perceived value of contents inside houses.

[Woodlands]

I echo want Barante has said.. I love the homes in Ashburton and Hanlon. What troubles me about Ashburton is.. as the older residents pass on, who will move and take on the large homes and work to maintain a stable community? I believe many young African American couples and the white buyers you mention have a wide range of options and Ashburton may not get on their radar. Many of the homes may be returned into apartments/rooming homes and fall into disrepair.

I think if there was an organization/non profit (which there may already on doing this ) that focus just on Ashburton and Hanlon (maybe Windsor Hills as well) purchased and rehabbed homes like the non profit in Upper Park Height's jewish neighborhoods.. that could be a start. Otherwise these potential residents will continue to move to areas like Hunting Ridge, Ten Hills, Laurelville/Hamilton, Beverly Hills, Waltherson, and even Overlea where there are "similiar" homes..not to mention other affordable opportunities in the City or County. Also, if that organization partnered with the City and the Ashburton Neighborhood Association to sponsor events/activities/festivals at Lake Hanlon..and promote that amenity as an attraction, that would help as well.

[Dbatiste]

Oh, I see.

Thanks for the info. I'm making another trip in a few days and things like this are good to know.