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Baltimore is a beautiful city. I think it is more walkable than Oakland and has a better DT, better historic nieghborhoods and diversity.
Hahahahahahahaha.....sorry, but that just made me fall out LOL.
What exactly are you defining as diversity here? More black? Or more white? Because Baltimore has more of both of those, enough to combine for over 95% of its population! LMFAO dude I love your posts, they're all comedy.
If you want to choose Baltimore, choose it for things it excels at and don't pick it for something like diversity when Oakland is by most accounts the 2nd most diverse city in the country lol. Here's a little breakdown of the diversity of the two fyi:
Races in Baltimore:
Black (64.3%)
White Non-Hispanic (31.0%)
Hispanic (1.7%)
Two or more races (1.5%)
American Indian (0.8%)
Other race (0.7%)
Races in Oakland:
Black (35.7%)
White Non-Hispanic (23.5%)
Hispanic (21.9%)
Other race (11.7%)
Chinese (8.0%)
Two or more races (5.0%)
Vietnamese (2.2%)
Other Asian (2.1%)
American Indian (1.7%)
Filipino (1.6%)
Japanese (0.5%)
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (0.5%)
No, you're right. Baltimore is waaaaay more diverse. LMFAO.
I'm not too sure about the walkability thing either b/c DT Oakland is pretty walkable and so are its surrounding neighborhoods like Uptown, Jack London Square, Chinatown, Old Oakland, Grand Lake, etc. If you're talking about the hilly neighborhoods, then I guess those parts of Oakland are less walkable since Baltimore is much flatter, but those are mostly residential neighborhoods and the business districts within them are still walkable (like Dimond, Laurel and Rockridge). Of course I'm sure you weren't making an educated comparison here since that's how you usually go about things on here, but if you actually cared to its good to know a thing or two about the city you're talking about.
I think these two cities are good to compare for all the reasons the OP mentioned. We already know what direction the polls will go in b/c 3 out of every 4 East Coast CD posters will blindly vote for Baltimore for no other reason than to be homers, and Oakland generally doesn't get much love (even in the Bay). But I think these two match up decently and are worth comparing.
I've never been to Baltimore so I can't really speak a whole lot on its strengths, but I'd prefer to avoid looking at either city's proximity to other major cities in order to just compare the two. I really don't know too much about Baltimore so I would be interested to see what people can say about it. Both cities have a rough image and high crime. But about half of Oakland is virtually crime free - is this at all the case in Baltimore as well?
Oakland's efforts to revitalize have been going pretty well IMO, although its crime will take a lot of work to decrease b/c of long-standing issues that need to be resolved first. All of its older housing projects have been torn down and rebuilt which is a plus, but the projects in Oakland weren't really dominating the crime throughout the hoods so that only goes so far. Uptown has been coming along nicely, and DT Oakland is a very safe place IMO. West Oakland seems to be improving a lot too, although I still consider it to be the worst side.
The weather is a tired thing to compare between East/West Coast cities b/c we all already know where most people stand on that issue, but I'd have to say with Oakland that it should be mentioned since Oakland takes such hard criticism to begin with. Oakland has possibly the best weather in the Bay Area, being centrally located between the hot inland temperatures and the cooler SF fog, making it about as nice as anyone could hope for. Of course in the hoods and industrial areas this really doesn't make too much of a difference b/c if you're around grit and danger you're not exactly looking around appreciating how lovely of a day it is, but for most of the city it is a great thing to have.
I'm not too sure about the mass transit in Baltimore, but in Oakland I don't personally think its the greatest. BART coverage is decent, but the AC Transit I'm not a huge fan of. I wouldn't want to live in Oakland w/o a car, although it does have some neighborhoods that are very walkable and one could get by just fine without one. But driving and parking in Oakland is pretty doable, definitely much more so than what I'm used to in SF.
Oakland has some really amazing views and some really beautiful neighborhoods. There is some excellent food to be found in Oakland. UC Berkeley is a bike ride away or easily accessible by BART if you don't drive, and Berkeley is an awesome town to have bordering it. Joaquin Miller Park, Lake Chabot, Lake Merrit and Lake Temescal are all beautiful and great to visit. Oakland has a lot more to offer than many people realize.
I can't say too much about the nightlife in Oakland b/c there do seem to be very limited party scenes there. There's a more yuppieish crowd that seems to dwell in Uptown, although they seem a lot friendlier and funnier to be around than typical yuppies (I'm not even sure if I should really be labeling them as such). And then there are a handful of clubs that often end up getting shut down due to violence in other parts of Oakland. I haven't had to much experience otherwise with Oakland's nightlife, so maybe I'm not giving it the fairest assessment.
Id take Oakland in a heartbeat though--youve got San Francisco and Berkeley right there and there are many great, walkable, community-oriented neighborhoods in Oakland proper. Also, the BART serves Oakland well...
Great points overall, but Id have to disagree about Oakland having the best weather in the Bay Area. To me, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Mountain View (or the "mid-penninsula) has the best weather in the world. Warm summers, no humidity, very mild winters, not too much rain, sunny skies most of the year. Beautiful spring and fall...Yeah, it can get a little hotter down there in the summer than Oakland, but overall I think that area is tough to beat. Oakland has great weather too, though...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jman650
I think these two cities are good to compare for all the reasons the OP mentioned. We already know what direction the polls will go in b/c 3 out of every 4 East Coast CD posters will blindly vote for Baltimore for no other reason than to be homers, and Oakland generally doesn't get much love (even in the Bay). But I think these two match up decently and are worth comparing.
I've never been to Baltimore so I can't really speak a whole lot on its strengths, but I'd prefer to avoid looking at either city's proximity to other major cities in order to just compare the two. I really don't know too much about Baltimore so I would be interested to see what people can say about it. Both cities have a rough image and high crime. But about half of Oakland is virtually crime free - is this at all the case in Baltimore as well?
Oakland's efforts to revitalize have been going pretty well IMO, although its crime will take a lot of work to decrease b/c of long-standing issues that need to be resolved first. All of its older housing projects have been torn down and rebuilt which is a plus, but the projects in Oakland weren't really dominating the crime throughout the hoods so that only goes so far. Uptown has been coming along nicely, and DT Oakland is a very safe place IMO. West Oakland seems to be improving a lot too, although I still consider it to be the worst side.
The weather is a tired thing to compare between East/West Coast cities b/c we all already know where most people stand on that issue, but I'd have to say with Oakland that it should be mentioned since Oakland takes such hard criticism to begin with. Oakland has possibly the best weather in the Bay Area, being centrally located between the hot inland temperatures and the cooler SF fog, making it about as nice as anyone could hope for. Of course in the hoods and industrial areas this really doesn't make too much of a difference b/c if you're around grit and danger you're not exactly looking around appreciating how lovely of a day it is, but for most of the city it is a great thing to have.
I'm not too sure about the mass transit in Baltimore, but in Oakland I don't personally think its the greatest. BART coverage is decent, but the AC Transit I'm not a huge fan of. I wouldn't want to live in Oakland w/o a car, although it does have some neighborhoods that are very walkable and one could get by just fine without one. But driving and parking in Oakland is pretty doable, definitely much more so than what I'm used to in SF.
Oakland has some really amazing views and some really beautiful neighborhoods. There is some excellent food to be found in Oakland. UC Berkeley is a bike ride away or easily accessible by BART if you don't drive, and Berkeley is an awesome town to have bordering it. Joaquin Miller Park, Lake Chabot, Lake Merrit and Lake Temescal are all beautiful and great to visit. Oakland has a lot more to offer than many people realize.
I can't say too much about the nightlife in Oakland b/c there do seem to be very limited party scenes there. There's a more yuppieish crowd that seems to dwell in Uptown, although they seem a lot friendlier and funnier to be around than typical yuppies (I'm not even sure if I should really be labeling them as such). And then there are a handful of clubs that often end up getting shut down due to violence in other parts of Oakland. I haven't had to much experience otherwise with Oakland's nightlife, so maybe I'm not giving it the fairest assessment.
Great points overall, but Id have to disagree about Oakland having the best weather in the Bay Area. To me, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Mountain View (or the "mid-penninsula) has the best weather in the world. Warm summers, no humidity, very mild winters, not too much rain, sunny skies most of the year. Beautiful spring and fall...Yeah, it can get a little hotter down there in the summer than Oakland, but overall I think that area is tough to beat. Oakland has great weather too, though...
True, you make a good case for that side and I think PA also has some of the best weather imaginable. I prefer things slightly cooler in general which is why I said that about Oakland, but I should have pointed out that that is very subjective. I also think Burlingame/San Mateo has some of the nicest weather in the Bay.
Id take Oakland in a heartbeat though--youve got San Francisco and Berkeley right there and there are many great, walkable, community-oriented neighborhoods in Oakland proper. Also, the BART serves Oakland well...
Who the **** cares that much about Berkeley? It's more like a northern Oakland neighborhood than another San Francisco.
Both cities have a rough image and high crime. But about half of Oakland is virtually crime free - is this at all the case in Baltimore as well?
It’s pretty much the same in Baltimore. Half of the city either gentrified communities filled with young people or big stately mansions full of old money. The other half is high crime, poverty, drugs, violence, etc (mostly concentrated on the inner West and East sides). Here are some pictures I took of a few Baltimore neighborhoods:
Federal Hill:
View of the Baltimore Inner Harbor from Federal Hill
The Inner Harbor
Fells Point
Harbor East
Guilford
Hampden
Mount Vernon, home of the original Washington Monument
Lexington Market, the largest of the three surviving markets in Baltimore
Quote:
Originally Posted by jman650
I'm not too sure about the mass transit in Baltimore, but in Oakland I don't personally think its the greatest. BART coverage is decent, but the AC Transit I'm not a huge fan of. I wouldn't want to live in Oakland w/o a car, although it does have some neighborhoods that are very walkable and one could get by just fine without one. But driving and parking in Oakland is pretty doable, definitely much more so than what I'm used to in SF.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lakal
Mass Transit in Baltimore also, surprisingly = fail. Especially when compared to all the other major cities in the region.
That’s one major disadvantage about Baltimore. Despite being on the East Coast, the mass transit in the city is terrible. At least BART is useful in Oakland. Baltimore has a very slow light rail line that comes close to a lot of neighborhoods, but not quite close enough, and a single subway line that really doesn’t go anywhere. And don’t even attempt the buses. Baltimore is still very much a car city.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jman650
Can anyone speak on the nightlife in Baltimore?
In my experience, Baltimore is much more of a bar town than a club town. Fells Point is considered to be one of the best neighborhoods for bar hopping as there are countless establishments all lined up right next to one another. Federal Hill and Canton are also pretty happening places.
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