Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I feel Baltimore always gets a bad rep in these Petty debates. I mean its Maryland largest city and the states Cultural Center. Not to mention its Americas largest independent city. If you want true East Coast urban living, I would definitely choose Baltimore. Now all you Anti Baltimore City Klan from D.C. can take a seat. Baltimore actually has character in its neighborhoods. Sure it has neglected swaths of the city but that comes with every major city in the East Coast. Every neighborhood in Baltimore has its own character that distinguishes it from the other. Whether its Pigtown, Mount Vernon, Fells Point, Harbor East, Bolton Hill, Greenmount West, Charles Village, Broadway, Poppleton, I mean the list goes on. Baltimore is literally a city full of neighborhoods. Plus Baltimores Downtown is way more live than D.C's. D.C.'s downtown kinda dies down after 9:30 when all the government workers are leaving to go home. All the buildings in downtown D.C. look the same too. The fact that D.C. has a building height restrictions kind of takes away from the city's character and potential to be a sprawling city with a competitive skyline. Baltimore on the other hand may have a smaller downtown but at least it has skyscrapers and has actual residential neighborhoods in it. Not to mention Baltimore's nightlife is crazy! You got the red light district AKA "THE BLOCK" and endless nightclubs/bars lining Charles Street, Light Street. I'm not trying to bash D.C. and take Baltimore's side in this debate. Im simply just saying Baltimore has more character. Now as for D.C. they definitely have Baltimore beat on transportation. There metro system is state of the art and actually takes people where they want to go. Part of the reason why D.C's Maryland and Virginia suburbs are forever sprawling. But what can you expect its the nations capitol of course its going to have better transportation options. It better! D.C. is forever increasing with young Professionals and the crime has been decreasing since the 90's. Condos and new townhomes are forever being built throughout the city and shopping is endless in D.C. D.C also has more livable communities. It truly has revitalized itself in the past decade. Baltimore might have character in its neighborhoods but there's many neglected and impoverished areas in the city. Although D.C.'s northeast and southeast districts are quite comparable to some neglected areas on Baltimore's West side. The cool thing about Baltimore is ALL of its bad areas aren't predominately AA. Unlike D.C. Baltimore has many poor white neighborhoods, poor Hispanic neighborhoods, as well as AA. Some neighborhoods are a mixture of different races like Carrolton Ridge in South Baltimore. Its one of the city's poorest and most dilapidated neighborhoods but its very racially diverse. You don't see a lot of that in D.C. Most of D.C.s bad areas are mainly AA. Both Cities have the same Population at 600,000. You can catch the train to both cities on weekends now to thanks to MARC! If you want Urban yuppie living, and meet young professionals with Great transportation move to D.C. If you want a true urban experience with a city with culture, great neighborhoods, move to Bmore!
I have lived in both cities and am not going to bash Baltimore but you really cannot compare the two. I hate these type of questions because the two cities are nothing alike. They only share a parkway, and an airport. The football teams are even in two different divisions. Baltimore is an industrial port city, DC is not. DC is the federal government and not a state which is unique only to DC. I grew up in a 'neighborhood' in DC. There are great neighborhoods there, it's not just federal buildings and new yuppies and starbucks everywhere. The city has a rhythm and soul to it like no other east coast city. But I am probably a little biased because it's my hometown. Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods and has it's own uniqueness. Maybe you should go and visit some of the 'neighborhoods' in NE and SE.
Really Baltimore is not a bad city, in fact it has a chance to be a middle class creative city. A refuge for those priced out of DC, Boston, and NYC.
Frankly...it's unique in terms of it's energy.
As much in terms of what is wrong with Baltimore it has a great deal going for it. Even I recognize that.
While it is declining in population now, I can see it turning a corner once DC prices many people out. In some ways, Baltimore is Portland, to DC's San Francisco. Or Milwaukee to Chicago.
This can benefit the character of the city, but also bring it back.
Let me be upfront...Baltimore's music and visual art scene blows DC's away. It's not even close.
So let me do a rundown.
Restaurants: DC
Bars: DC
Visual Arts: Baltimore
Music: Baltimore
Museums: DC
DC has jobs which are high paying for those with a college education. That's a pretty critical difference.
But to fool oneself and say Baltimore has nothing to offer, is missing out regarding a fantastic city.
I feel Baltimore always gets a bad rep in these Petty debates. I mean its Maryland largest city and the states Cultural Center. Not to mention its Americas largest independent city. If you want true East Coast urban living, I would definitely choose Baltimore. Now all you Anti Baltimore City Klan from D.C. can take a seat. Baltimore actually has character in its neighborhoods. Sure it has neglected swaths of the city but that comes with every major city in the East Coast. Every neighborhood in Baltimore has its own character that distinguishes it from the other. Whether its Pigtown, Mount Vernon, Fells Point, Harbor East, Bolton Hill, Greenmount West, Charles Village, Broadway, Poppleton, I mean the list goes on. Baltimore is literally a city full of neighborhoods. Plus Baltimores Downtown is way more live than D.C's. D.C.'s downtown kinda dies down after 9:30 when all the government workers are leaving to go home. All the buildings in downtown D.C. look the same too. The fact that D.C. has a building height restrictions kind of takes away from the city's character and potential to be a sprawling city with a competitive skyline. Baltimore on the other hand may have a smaller downtown but at least it has skyscrapers and has actual residential neighborhoods in it. Not to mention Baltimore's nightlife is crazy! You got the red light district AKA "THE BLOCK" and endless nightclubs/bars lining Charles Street, Light Street. I'm not trying to bash D.C. and take Baltimore's side in this debate. Im simply just saying Baltimore has more character. Now as for D.C. they definitely have Baltimore beat on transportation. There metro system is state of the art and actually takes people where they want to go. Part of the reason why D.C's Maryland and Virginia suburbs are forever sprawling. But what can you expect its the nations capitol of course its going to have better transportation options. It better! D.C. is forever increasing with young Professionals and the crime has been decreasing since the 90's. Condos and new townhomes are forever being built throughout the city and shopping is endless in D.C. D.C also has more livable communities. It truly has revitalized itself in the past decade. Baltimore might have character in its neighborhoods but there's many neglected and impoverished areas in the city. Although D.C.'s northeast and southeast districts are quite comparable to some neglected areas on Baltimore's West side. The cool thing about Baltimore is ALL of its bad areas aren't predominately AA. Unlike D.C. Baltimore has many poor white neighborhoods, poor Hispanic neighborhoods, as well as AA. Some neighborhoods are a mixture of different races like Carrolton Ridge in South Baltimore. Its one of the city's poorest and most dilapidated neighborhoods but its very racially diverse. You don't see a lot of that in D.C. Most of D.C.s bad areas are mainly AA. Both Cities have the same Population at 600,000. You can catch the train to both cities on weekends now to thanks to MARC! If you want Urban yuppie living, and meet young professionals with Great transportation move to D.C. If you want a true urban experience with a city with culture, great neighborhoods, move to Bmore!
Lol....is this post serious?
After I read that you think Baltimore has a better downtown than DC which is ranked as one of the top 5 downtowns in the nation along side NYC, Chicago, Philly, and San Fran, I stopped reading.....
You should go see what the nation thinks about this on the city vs city forum.
I feel Baltimore always gets a bad rep in these Petty debates. I mean its Maryland largest city and the states Cultural Center. Not to mention its Americas largest independent city. If you want true East Coast urban living, I would definitely choose Baltimore. Now all you Anti Baltimore City Klan from D.C. can take a seat. Baltimore actually has character in its neighborhoods. Sure it has neglected swaths of the city but that comes with every major city in the East Coast. Every neighborhood in Baltimore has its own character that distinguishes it from the other. Whether its Pigtown, Mount Vernon, Fells Point, Harbor East, Bolton Hill, Greenmount West, Charles Village, Broadway, Poppleton, I mean the list goes on. Baltimore is literally a city full of neighborhoods. Plus Baltimores Downtown is way more live than D.C's. D.C.'s downtown kinda dies down after 9:30 when all the government workers are leaving to go home. All the buildings in downtown D.C. look the same too. The fact that D.C. has a building height restrictions kind of takes away from the city's character and potential to be a sprawling city with a competitive skyline. Baltimore on the other hand may have a smaller downtown but at least it has skyscrapers and has actual residential neighborhoods in it. Not to mention Baltimore's nightlife is crazy! You got the red light district AKA "THE BLOCK" and endless nightclubs/bars lining Charles Street, Light Street. I'm not trying to bash D.C. and take Baltimore's side in this debate. Im simply just saying Baltimore has more character. Now as for D.C. they definitely have Baltimore beat on transportation. There metro system is state of the art and actually takes people where they want to go. Part of the reason why D.C's Maryland and Virginia suburbs are forever sprawling. But what can you expect its the nations capitol of course its going to have better transportation options. It better! D.C. is forever increasing with young Professionals and the crime has been decreasing since the 90's. Condos and new townhomes are forever being built throughout the city and shopping is endless in D.C. D.C also has more livable communities. It truly has revitalized itself in the past decade. Baltimore might have character in its neighborhoods but there's many neglected and impoverished areas in the city. Although D.C.'s northeast and southeast districts are quite comparable to some neglected areas on Baltimore's West side. The cool thing about Baltimore is ALL of its bad areas aren't predominately AA. Unlike D.C. Baltimore has many poor white neighborhoods, poor Hispanic neighborhoods, as well as AA. Some neighborhoods are a mixture of different races like Carrolton Ridge in South Baltimore. Its one of the city's poorest and most dilapidated neighborhoods but its very racially diverse. You don't see a lot of that in D.C. Most of D.C.s bad areas are mainly AA. Both Cities have the same Population at 600,000. You can catch the train to both cities on weekends now to thanks to MARC! If you want Urban yuppie living, and meet young professionals with Great transportation move to D.C. If you want a true urban experience with a city with culture, great neighborhoods, move to Bmore!
There are so many things you are missing. The skyline does not make the city. I personally love cities with low buildings because they are unique. Baltimore may have more skyscrapers, but their skyscrapers are boring and don't have that great of architecture. If you went up to a random person in Texas and showed them a picture of Baltimore's skyline and asked them, "What city is this?" most wouldn't be able to tell you. Your claim that Baltimore has better neighborhoods is also discredited because DC was ranked the second best city in the nation for neighborhoods behind Boston. Also, DC was ranked the second best downtown in America behind NYC. DC has far better museums, and DC's performing arts are some of the best in the nation. You also said that DC's downtown dies after 9:30, and because you said this I am led to believe you haven't been to DC recently. Come to Gallery Place on a Friday night after 7 and there is so much activity going on, that you might think you are in NYC. Like you said, DC has a much lower crime rate, and is gentrifying so quickly that by the end of the decade there probably will be no "bad" areas left. Further, DC's public schools are slowly getting better and have become much better than Baltimore's schools. I think we need to admit it, DC is just a better city that Baltimore. Back in the 90's DC and Baltimore were both terrible places, but DC has really skyrocketed ahead. As DC becomes more prominent as a global city, Baltimore is beginning to look like a satellite city. But once DC becomes too expensive for most people, Baltimore will start picking up and gentrifying as well.
I am not going to bash Baltimore but you really don't know DC that well. DC is ten times more vibrant than Bmore. Baltimore has no answer for DC's Gallery Place Chinatown area. It's busy 20 hours of the day. South of Dupont Circle is also packed with nightlife as well as 14th & K Street. It's not even a real comparison. Baltimore has no answer for U Street, H Street, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Eastern Market. Ask any AA in Baltimore about DC's character and culture. They can tell you all about it.
SON,
HALF the problem with D.C. is yall feel your better than EVERYOTHER city yo. When wholetime your city is full of yuppies. The only time D.C. is vibrant is on the weekends. Your downtown is WACK all the buildings are flat and look the same. You guys have no culture at all, because everybody that live there is transplants. Except southeast there some natives over there but that's about it. Baltimore's Lexington Market ****s on Eastern Market. Pratt Street stay live, Baltimore Street aka the block is always live, our nightclubs are the ****. People from Columbia, Owings Mills, Towson, and Annapolis come to Baltimore clubs all the time. Club Dubai, Club Choices, Night Shift, Red Maple, Club Hustler, Grand Central Club, BWX Lounge, Lux Lounge, The Paradox, I mean come on we got endless clubs. Pratt Street downtown stay vibrant on any given day, Charles Street, Light Street, Lombard Street, Park Avenue, St. Paul Street, Eutaw Street, and don't forget the vibrancy of our AA neighborhoods. Our AA neighborhoods got there own culture and have block party's live every weekend. Pennsylvania Ave, North Ave, Park Heights, Sandtown, they **** on Adams Morgan or Bum ass Barry farms or Anacostia. You call us BAMMAS but wholetime your south of us lets be real. D.C. copy Philly and New York and claim yall started everything but wholetime all you got is GOGO which has phased out. Club music be in every major city. Baltimore Club, Philly Club, Jersey Club, Chicago House like come on if you gonna hate on our music scene then hate on everybody else too our city be poppin. Only reason why your city got more vibrancy is cause of the lame ass muesum's and monuments and government offices for tourist that never seen the nations capitol. Our population has been higher than yours for decades until recently. SO please take a seat you don't know Baltimore. WE on our own ****. We the largest independent city in the U.S. and the largest in Maryland. D.C. so small that they gotta claim Arlington and Alexandria and pg. That's why yall came up with that stupid DMV ****. We real live a party city my dude. Just face it. We even got more concert venues then D.C. Constitution Hall is terrible, Verizon center is nice ill give you that but 9:30 club is lame. Its tiny you cant even move. Downtown Baltimore got Baltimore Soundstage, Pier 6 pavilion, 1st Mariner Arena, Harborplace, Rams Head Live, Power Plant Live. We even got raves in downtown. So take a seat my dude stop trying to flex for D.C. we get it your a political powerhouse with yuppies, and young professionals
Really Baltimore is not a bad city, in fact it has a chance to be a middle class creative city. A refuge for those priced out of DC, Boston, and NYC.
Frankly...it's unique in terms of it's energy.
As much in terms of what is wrong with Baltimore it has a great deal going for it. Even I recognize that.
While it is declining in population now, I can see it turning a corner once DC prices many people out. In some ways, Baltimore is Portland, to DC's San Francisco. Or Milwaukee to Chicago.
This can benefit the character of the city, but also bring it back.
Let me be upfront...Baltimore's music and visual art scene blows DC's away. It's not even close.
So let me do a rundown.
Restaurants: DC
Bars: DC
Visual Arts: Baltimore
Music: Baltimore
Museums: DC
DC has jobs which are high paying for those with a college education. That's a pretty critical difference.
But to fool oneself and say Baltimore has nothing to offer, is missing out regarding a fantastic city.
Exaclty my point. Glad to see some one sees baltimores potential to be a great major city.
After I read that you think Baltimore has a better downtown than DC which is ranked as one of the top 5 downtowns in the nation along side NYC, Chicago, Philly, and San Fran, I stopped reading.....
You should go see what the nation thinks about this on the city vs city forum.
ARE you SERIOUS? is the question. Stop trying to make DC seem like its Manhattan. Its nowhere near that. My point is D.C. downtown has no character and the buildings all look the same to match the gentrification of all the neighborhoods. All of DC rowhomes look the same. Your NFL stadium isn't even in your city. D.C is a global city because its the nations capitol it should be. Im saying that DC lacks in character which is preventing it from having a real city feel to it like Baltimore has. Most cities started off from industry like Baltimore. Also I never said Baltimore's downtown was better than D.C. i said Baltimores nightlife is better than D.C. IMHO. But everyone's urban taste is different. You should respect that
There are so many things you are missing. The skyline does not make the city. I personally love cities with low buildings because they are unique. Baltimore may have more skyscrapers, but their skyscrapers are boring and don't have that great of architecture. If you went up to a random person in Texas and showed them a picture of Baltimore's skyline and asked them, "What city is this?" most wouldn't be able to tell you. Your claim that Baltimore has better neighborhoods is also discredited because DC was ranked the second best city in the nation for neighborhoods behind Boston. Also, DC was ranked the second best downtown in America behind NYC. DC has far better museums, and DC's performing arts are some of the best in the nation. You also said that DC's downtown dies after 9:30, and because you said this I am led to believe you haven't been to DC recently. Come to Gallery Place on a Friday night after 7 and there is so much activity going on, that you might think you are in NYC. Like you said, DC has a much lower crime rate, and is gentrifying so quickly that by the end of the decade there probably will be no "bad" areas left. Further, DC's public schools are slowly getting better and have become much better than Baltimore's schools. I think we need to admit it, DC is just a better city that Baltimore. Back in the 90's DC and Baltimore were both terrible places, but DC has really skyrocketed ahead. As DC becomes more prominent as a global city, Baltimore is beginning to look like a satellite city. But once DC becomes too expensive for most people, Baltimore will start picking up and gentrifying as well.
The forum was about who has the best Downtown. Having a nice downtown does include the ARCHITECTURE. If you don't believe a city's SKYLINE has nothing to do with its downtown then I don't know why your on here. Sure DC is better politically or more diverse and more YUPPIFIED. Good for DC. DC public schools are also one of the lowest performing in the nation. DC Trinidad neighborhood was closed off to residents who didn't live there a couple of years ago because the murder rate was so high. Anacostia is one of the most dilapidated areas I've seen, and DC homeless population is off the charts. DC HIV rate is the highest in the nation and your murder rate increased last year also. So no DC does certainly have bad areas and has problems, and don't forget your crack problem either. I'm not going to sit here and bash DC because DC is an awesome city. The metro is by far the best subway system I've ever seen and the concerts at the Verizon center stay live. I go to clubs on 14th street all the time. However DC does lack on having character. It just looks all the same. All the flat boring buildings with glass windows. All the 9-10 floor condos and apartments that sprawl across the city. All the matching rowhomes that have the same design on every street. I'm just saying it can use some character. Baltimore's performing arts are some of the best in the nation also how could you not mention The Meyerhoff, the hippodrome, centerstage, or the lyric? Baltimore's housing prices are sky rocketing. Thousands of rowhomes across the city are being rehabbed and renovated into luxury apartments/ rowhomes some starting in the $700. Both cities are slowly gentrifying. But I think we can agree that Baltimore has more character in its neighborhoods than DC.
I have lived in both cities and am not going to bash Baltimore but you really cannot compare the two. I hate these type of questions because the two cities are nothing alike. They only share a parkway, and an airport. The football teams are even in two different divisions. Baltimore is an industrial port city, DC is not. DC is the federal government and not a state which is unique only to DC. I grew up in a 'neighborhood' in DC. There are great neighborhoods there, it's not just federal buildings and new yuppies and starbucks everywhere. The city has a rhythm and soul to it like no other east coast city. But I am probably a little biased because it's my hometown. Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods and has it's own uniqueness. Maybe you should go and visit some of the 'neighborhoods' in NE and SE.
I see where your coming from. Both are so different yet so similar. When i say the neighborhoods are boring im talking about mainly the downtown area. NE ans SE have very strong culture. Reminds me of southside Chicago.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Now as for D.C. they definitely have Baltimore beat on transportation. There metro system is state of the art and actually takes people where they want to go. Part of the reason why D.C's Maryland and Virginia suburbs are forever sprawling. But what can you expect its the nations capitol of course its going to have better transportation options. It better! D.C. is forever increasing with young Professionals and the crime has been decreasing since the 90's. Condos and new townhomes are forever being built throughout the city and shopping is endless in D.C. D.C also has more livable communities. It truly has revitalized itself in the past decade. Baltimore might have character in its neighborhoods but there's many neglected and impoverished areas in the city. Although D.C.'s northeast and southeast districts are quite comparable to some neglected areas on Baltimore's West side. The cool thing about Baltimore is ALL of its bad areas aren't predominately AA. Unlike D.C. Baltimore has many poor white neighborhoods, poor Hispanic neighborhoods, as well as AA. Some neighborhoods are a mixture of different races like Carrolton Ridge in South Baltimore. Its one of the city's poorest and most dilapidated neighborhoods but its very racially diverse. You don't see a lot of that in D.C. Most of D.C.s bad areas are mainly AA. Both Cities have the same Population at 600,000. You can catch the train to both cities on weekends now to thanks to MARC! If you want Urban yuppie living, and meet young professionals with Great transportation move to D.C. If you want a true urban experience with a city with culture, great neighborhoods, move to Bmore!
