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Old 06-30-2010, 11:24 AM
 
1,292 posts, read 4,691,345 times
Reputation: 433

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My friend is convinced Baltimore is just basically like Compton. She watches those tv shows and is always like "i will never live in MD" so I was wondering if you guys can tell me what it is like living in the area. Also there seems to be a lot of "word of mouth" suggesting the city is kinda high on crime.

We are in Richmond VA and I have never been to MD long enough to give her a reply. Does anyone have anything I can tell her to convince her it is not like the wire (i think thats the show?) I have been telling her to apply up there for her job, baltimore is a GREAT location for what she wants to do and she is not getting a single bite here but she is convinced it is not safe is she right to assume this or what?
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Old 06-30-2010, 11:29 AM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
177 posts, read 529,267 times
Reputation: 47
Baltimore really isn't that great, but that doesn't mean you need to live there. Just go into the city for work.
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Old 06-30-2010, 11:31 AM
 
Location: NYC
7,305 posts, read 13,454,904 times
Reputation: 3714
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drayb3 View Post
Baltimore really isn't that great, but that doesn't mean you need to live there. Just go into the city for work.
Or you could live in the city and save yourselves the commute. Compton is an area of a larger city; Baltimore is a whole city. Baltimore has it's good parts and plenty of areas that are very nice. It will depend on your personal preferences if you like it or not.
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Old 06-30-2010, 12:00 PM
 
239 posts, read 756,785 times
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Frankly, there's no part of the city that's very nice. Even the nice parts would be 'meh' in nicer cities. The only really, really nice part of Baltimore is on a yacht, parked in the harbor for lunch.

The bad parts are really, really bad. The good parts are 'meh', and the suburbs that have a reputation for being 'great' are also 'meh'.

I live in Canton which is supposed to be 'nice' and cars are constantly broken into, homes are robbed, it's covered in litter, and there is a real problem with parking.

You mention word of mouth, and it's not word of mouth; it's statistics.
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Old 06-30-2010, 12:05 PM
 
49 posts, read 88,017 times
Reputation: 40
Is Baltimore that bad? You're damn right it is.
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Old 06-30-2010, 12:07 PM
 
Location: moving again
4,382 posts, read 16,722,500 times
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No, it is not. Your friend sounds very ignorant, especially considering she things Baltimore is all of Maryland.
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Old 06-30-2010, 12:17 PM
 
239 posts, read 756,785 times
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List the good things about Baltimore w/o saying 'History', or 'Charm'.

You're left with: Parks, Aquarium, and ... a few average museums. Nothing most cities don't have more of and better. The Aquarium is the only thing that separates Baltimore, and even it's overpriced and average.

The live music scene is bleh, the shopping (overall) is bleh, the nicest restaurants are 3/5 stars, every place to hang out looks exactly the same, and the parts where you can hang out w/o getting bothered, mugged, or worse is limited to a very small area compared to most cities.

I make the most of every day I'm here. Some days I'm more cynical than others.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the nice parts of Baltimore a 4. The city as a whole is about 1.5

...edit...

I forgot Soundgarden. It almost makes up for some of the crap. Awesome store.

Last edited by KennyP; 06-30-2010 at 12:56 PM..
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Old 06-30-2010, 12:54 PM
 
Location: On the Beach
4,139 posts, read 4,502,757 times
Reputation: 10317
Baltimore has folks with extremely polarized views; those who defend it blindly and those who trash everything about it. I have lived in numerous neighborhoods in the city; Butchers Hill, Hamilton, Charles Village, Canton, Resevoir Hill. I now live in Pikesville (in the county). What I like about Baltimore is it's quirkiness; a lot of Baltimore natives tend to be down to earth, lacking pretense, and open to new experiences, cultures etc. The neighborhoods around the Harbor offer new energy, albeit not on scale with other large cities but nonetheless the local music, arts, and local cultural scenes are improving. The parks are better than many other cities and are relatively safe. The down side; crime--regardless of what other's say, Baltimore has a huge crime problem fueled by drug trade, gangs, and poverty. Some opine you can avoid being a victim by using common sense and that crime is everywhere but I'm seeing a lot less of it where I live outside the city. Racial tension, although beneath the surface is still considerable in many parts of the city. Traffic and mass transit are a nightmare; unlike many older cities, Baltimore has no comprehensive plan to expand and encourage the use of public transportation. Although recent efforts have been made to make the city more bike friendly, it's still pretty dangerous to do a daily commute on a bike downtown. Parking is a huge problem in most downtown neighborhoods. Taxes are outrageous. I had a home in Canton in 2003; real estate taxes were close to $10,000 a year, allegedly because it was "new construction". I pay half of that in taxes now in the county for a higher priced home on 3 acres. Great restaurants are still sorely limited; outdoor dining almost non-existant. The city needs a strategic business process in place to balance the budget--high unemployment and extensive poverty continue to strain the city resources. Public education, although somewhat improved of late is still sub par and safety issues at many city schools goes unchecked. So, I think it just depends on your perspective--having grown up here I've witnessed a lot of change, both good and bad but, when I visit other cities I gravitate to the smaller ones (with the exception of NY). My personal preference is a rural setting without a lot of traffic, noise and more green space so I choose to no longer live in the city but, I still visit the city regularly and many of my friends continue to live there. Can't say that I miss city living but if I did, I would probably not choose Baltimore if I had the flexibility to move anywhere. There are a lot of nicer (and worse) cities than Baltimore but it really comes down to individual preference. You have to spend some time here before you know if it appeals to you. I have friends who have moved to the West Coast and after 10 years still miss Baltimore--it is incomprehensible to me but everyone is different. good luck with your decison.
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Old 06-30-2010, 01:45 PM
 
Location: Squirrel Hill
1,349 posts, read 3,561,325 times
Reputation: 406
No Baltimore isn't THAT bad.

But it isn't very good either. The best parts of Baltimore are acceptable but not all that great, the bad parts should be avoided completely.

Baltimore is tolerable if you have to be here. If you don't have to be here, I'd pick somewhere else.
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Old 06-30-2010, 01:50 PM
 
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,683 posts, read 41,557,150 times
Reputation: 41302
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders15 View Post
My friend is convinced Baltimore is just basically like Compton. She watches those tv shows and is always like "i will never live in MD" so I was wondering if you guys can tell me what it is like living in the area. Also there seems to be a lot of "word of mouth" suggesting the city is kinda high on crime.

We are in Richmond VA and I have never been to MD long enough to give her a reply. Does anyone have anything I can tell her to convince her it is not like the wire (i think thats the show?) I have been telling her to apply up there for her job, baltimore is a GREAT location for what she wants to do and she is not getting a single bite here but she is convinced it is not safe is she right to assume this or what?
You can't learn about the whole city of Baltimore by watching The Wire anymore than you can learn about the whole city of Louisville by watching the Kentucky Derby or the city of Richmond by reading Confederate history books.
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