Hopkins hospital area (Baltimore: rental, high crime, townhomes)

[herenia]

I'm getting a job at John Hopkins hospital, the main one on wolfe st and i did look at a house around the area yesterday. The house is about 3 or so blocks from the hospital, really nice 2 bedroom and i liked it. It's everything i want. I looked at the house around 10 and th area was quiet and i came back after work to check the place out. I'm not so sure about the area.
About me: i'm single, female, recent grad who currently lives in downtown philly. While philadelphia is a high crime city, they tend to keep it out of the center city/downtown area so i don't really experience it. I've had stuff happen downtown below market street but not up where i live. My area here is quite safe and there are times i've left my house without locking the door. I've had my roomate leave me sleeping with the door unlocked and no one has ever broken in. USPS and UPS leave small mail packages between the trap door and my main door and i come home and find it. I walk around at 12 midnite without problems. The point i'm trying to prove is that this area is quite safe although expensive and since i'm not a big person who can do self defense, i need a place where my house wouldn't be broken into or where i wouldn't be attacked while walking to my house. I don't need a place with gangs either.

I don't know much about baltimore. Yesterday was my 2nd visit to baltimore and i usually leave the city around 6pm when i come there so i don't know much about the place. I was told the area around hopkins is bad but this is coming from other nurses in baltimore who don't work at hopkins.
All i want to know is what do you guys think of the area? is it safe? can a single female live there without any hassles? While i don't keep a car in philly, i plan on bringing one to baltimore and since hopkins charges parking per month, i figured i'd leave it in their garage if i have to pay for parking on a monthly basis.
Please, i'm very young, in my early twenties, and i really liked the house i saw, it even had some wierd lock system where you key in numbers and stuff but i just need some information about the area to make an informed decision. If anyone knows anything about the area around collington and jefferson right around hopkins, please let me know. Btw, the zip code is 21231.
thanks

[barante]

You have to decide your own tolerance level. That area is sketchy at the present time but in the throes of rapid improvement, as you can see from all the rehabbing going on. In another two years it will be totally different, now that the new energy situation makes people want to live close to their jobs.
I was at a Patterson Park concert last night. Hundreds of young professionals. I talked to a friend who lives on Butchers Hill. We agreed that the current no-man's land between the park and JHH will gentrify at a record speed. Whether that's fast enough for you, only you can determine.

[neodorian]

I work at the School of Public Health and I would not recommend living around there. East Baltimore still has not recovered from the downturn in the 80's and it's a rough area still, although improving. Further out toward Patterson Park and Butchers Hill is a bit better. I personally just rent a nice place in Charles Village and take the free shuttle to the Wolfe Street building every day.

[jonjj]

Yes, the rule of thumb at this time in southeast Baltimore is to try to stay south of Fayette Street. There are a lot of improvements occuring around Hopkins but not for the faint at heart. Look into Butchers Hill, Patterson Park, or Washington Hill.

[BlackDoc]

I work at Hopkins and I personally would not feel comfortable living right around the hospital. Particularly in the winter when days are shorter, hospital employees are mugged at knifepoint occasionally, sometimes as early as 5 or 6 pm walking to their cars a few blocks off campus. The hospital issues security alerts via email, and I would estimate one a week or so over the winter. A colleague of mine lives a little further south on Regester, and while he feels safe, he never leaves UPS packages on the step. His wife, however, has noticed shady characters hanging out in the alley behind their fancy townhome. No actual crimes committed against them. There certainly are JHH employees/students living in the nice apts and townhomes in the Butcher's Hill area. I would advise checking it out for yourself.

[herenia]

thanks for the responses so far. That mugging thing scares me because i never carry cash, only cards. My bf got mugged in south philly two years ago and i've made it a point not to go there after 3pm. My rental agency has their offices there and i mail my rent instead of going there. Baltimore has many little areas within the city it's hard to tell which parts are safe and which parts are sketchy.

BlackDoc: which part is butchers hill? i usually come from philly during the day to check out aparments and houses and i leave around 6pm. I really don't know baltimore very well though i'm trying to figure out the city

[DavidSKi]

theres an areas in the last 6 months that has risen in crime drastically. (says Bmote crime stats)

The area is east of Greenmount Cemetery and west of Baltimore cemetery. south of clifton park and north of paterson park.

Termendous Shooting, muggings, rape and assults there.

Heres a map I have compiled so far of the extremly violent areas in the inner city.

Google Maps

Those shapes are draw due to data collected from

Baltimore Crime Map - Showing Crime in Baltimore, MD - Crime Statistics - Crime Alerts - Crime Stops Here and the city's own database-map.

hope that helps.

[herenia]

Thanks, that was very helpful. I think the problem with baltimore is that the crime is all over the place unlike philly where they're concentrated i certain parts of the city. The maps are scary. I actually used another tool i found on another thread to look up the crime in an area i saw a house i really liked and i found no murder but two burglaries and stolen vehicles and stuff. The stolen vehicle doesn't scare me that much but the burglary? i haven't dealt with that before and, God forbid, i don't want/wish to deal with that.
If philly didn't have too many nurses, i'd be living here instead of moving and hospitals in balt. offer those mouth watering sign on bonuses i just can't look past it.

[DavidSKi]

i am in the middle of relo as well from Jax FL. i knwo how you feel. Luckly enough there many NICE people on this board to help you out as unbiased as possible.

Jjonjj is updating that map as we speak, enlarging the areas and adding more... take a peak.

[DavidSKi]

also, be aware that no matter where you move in the city or surrounding areas, just liek any city.. there is crime. There is no completly safe area, just don't put yourself in a position that someone can hurt you.