Line Between Baltimore and Washington (Frederick, Rockville: transplants, real estate, houses)

[Thruway]

I was curious, were in Maryland does it generally go from being Washington territory to Baltimore territory?

1) In other words, in what area does a shift begin were the Ravens become the more popular football team, the Orioles the more popular baseball team, the Baltimore stations on TV and more watched, the Baltimore newspaper more read, and people idenfiying with that city?

-Is it in Northern PG County, past Laurel?
Central Howard?
Anne Arundal?

2) Or is there really no line, is there quite overlapping with people from Baltimore county frequently commuting into DC or nearby localties?

3) Does DC hold a much larger prescene, in other words is it a lot more common for somebody to live in Baltimore county and commute to DC than for somebody to live in Frederick County or PG County and commute up the road?

4) What about Maryland in general, do most Marylanders align with Baltimore and consider DC to be snobby and out of state, or is split or complementary to each other?

[Lumerian Feast]

I responded to the football question on your other thread, but generally people identify with the town they live closest to, at least it seems to me. The counties near Baltimore (AA, Balto. Co and City, counties north of Balto.) tend to align with Baltimore more, while PG and Montgomery Counties tend to align with DC more. Howard County seems to be half and half. Western Maryland is hard to say, since many towns there are equidistant from Baltimore and DC. The Eastern Shore is also hard to say because people either moved there from somewhere else, and their allegiances are based on that, or they've lived there for generations, in which case I don't think they care much for either town. Old school Eastern Shore folks sometimes use a derogatory nickname -- "chicken neckers" -- for people from the Western side of the Chesapeake, if that tells you anything. (Apparently the nickname refers to the one-time tendency of Baltimoreans to go crabbing with chicken necks tied to a string, which I did as a kid, as opposed to using a proper trap.) However, you will find a number of Orioles fans on the Eastern Shore, since the O's have a farm team in Salisbury, and since the O's were the only team anywhere nearby for many decades.

By the way, Baltimore and DC definitely have two different identities: Baltimore sees itself as a blue collar town that's become kind of funky and hip in places, while DC is more white collar and professional, with a more upscale hipness. It seems to me that Baltimoreans are fairly vocal about being from Baltimore, while DC folks aren't quite as chip-on-the-shoulder about it.

[Thruway]

I thought Anne Arundel was both Washington and Baltimore commuters?

What about Northern MD, Cecil county, does that identify with Philadelphia and Baltimore together?

[Tom Lennox 70]

Keep in mind that the Nationals are a very new team. For decades, everyone in the state of Maryland and most of Virginia supported the Orioles.

Technically Howard County is part of the Baltimore metro area while Prince George's and Montgomery are Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. However in order to get a decent crabcake you have to get to Baltimore County or Anne Arundel County.

Also I find Baltimore area people to be friendlier and laid back. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that especially in Montgomery County (and Northern Virginia) there are huge amounts of transplants from New York and PHiladelphia. And those people are the snobbiest, most unpleasant people anywhere on the planet.

[Tom Lennox 70]

I think in Howard County a lot of people commute to Baltimore while a lot also commute to the DC suburbs of Maryland. There are major employment centers in College Park and Rockville in the Maryland burbs. I don't think a lot of Howard County folks actually commute into the District itself.

According to my experience, the whole region has a lot of fair weather fans when it comes to the Redskins and Ravens though I'm certainly not an expert on this.

[Thruway]

1) I thought most Raven fans and Baltimore would never support the Redskins?

2) Is Baltimore very transient like DC? I notice they have tons of Yankee, Red Sox, Philly, and Pittsburgh fans at their sporting events.

3) How is the real estate in the Baltimore market? Is it expensive, but to a lesser extent, than DC prices?

4) Why is it that in the DC region, it being so close to Baltimore and the Chesepeake, crabcakes and seafood is not a big part of their identity and is quite expenseive? I know I am inland, but only 60 miles from the bay. I would think given how identifable crab, Maryland, and Baltimore is that would extend throughout the greater region.

[Lumerian Feast]

Originally Posted by tberg224

1) I thought most Raven fans and Baltimore would never support the Redskins?

That's correct.

2) Is Baltimore very transient like DC? I notice they have tons of Yankee, Red Sox, Philly, and Pittsburgh fans at their sporting events.

Not really, though it's becoming a bit more like that. A lot of DC people are moving to Balto. because it's cheaper than DC. Most Baltimoreans have families that have been in the area for generations, which doesn't seem as true of DC. You won't see a lot of the visiting fans at Ravens games (some Steelers fans, but you see just as many Ravens fans in Pittsburgh when the two teams play), but you'll see the NY, Boston and Philly fans at Orioles games. This is for a few reasons: Camden Yards is one of the best stadiums in the league, if not the best, and is also relatively inexpensive, so a lot of these fans make the short drive to Baltimore to support these teams and stay near the waterfront for a pleasant weekend. (Philly's only an hour and a half away, and NYC's only three to four hours away.) Also, many of these folks actually live in DC and come up to Baltimore for games to see these popular teams play. You never saw Boston fans invade Camden Yards until after they won the World Series -- same with NYC fans -- which indicates that a lot of these people are bandwagoners/fair weather fans. If the Orioles start winning again, many of them will transform into Orioles fans. Camden Yards didn't start getting over run by the out of towners until around 1999 or so.

3) How is the real estate in the Baltimore market? Is it expensive, but to a lesser extent, than DC prices?

Getting pricier all the time -- prices doubled between 2000 and 2004 -- but still far cheaper than DC. Even as the rest of the region settles down, the Baltimore market is still somewhat energetic, mostly because of supply and demand. The desirable neighborhoods are at or are near full capacity, and there's a lot of construction downtown; meanwhile, east and west Baltimore still have many vacant rowhouses. People want to live in a few choice neighborhoods.

4) Why is it that in the DC region, it being so close to Baltimore and the Chesepeake, crabcakes and seafood is not a big part of their identity and is quite expenseive? I know I am inland, but only 60 miles from the bay. I would think given how identifable crab, Maryland, and Baltimore is that would extend throughout the greater region.

Because Baltimore is at the top of the Chesapeake and was one of the main ports of call for fishing vessels. Crabs were also considered a blue collar meal for a long time (surprising, since they're so expensive nowadays), and Baltimore was for a long time an industrial blue collar town, though that's not as true anymore. DC was never much of a port, and has long been a white collar/legal/politics town. Overall, Baltimore and DC are only 45 minutes apart, but they are very different, distinct cities, with different cultural and economic histories.

[Thruway]

Not really, though it's becoming a bit more like that. A lot of DC people are moving to Balto. because it's cheaper than DC. Most Baltimoreans have families that have been in the area for generations, which doesn't seem as true of DC. You won't see a lot of the visiting fans at Ravens games (some Steelers fans, but you see just as many Ravens fans in Pittsburgh when the two teams play), but you'll see the NY, Boston and Philly fans at Orioles games. This is for a few reasons: Camden Yards is one of the best stadiums in the league, if not the best, and is also relatively inexpensive, so a lot of these fans make the short drive to Baltimore to support these teams and stay near the waterfront for a pleasant weekend. (Philly's only an hour and a half away, and NYC's only three to four hours away.) Also, many of these folks actually live in DC and come up to Baltimore for games to see these popular teams play. You never saw Boston fans invade Camden Yards until after they won the World Series -- same with NYC fans -- which indicates that a lot of these people are bandwagoners/fair weather fans. If the Orioles start winning again, many of them will transform into Orioles fans. Camden Yards didn't start getting over run by the out of towners until around 1999 or so.

I'm going to have to disagree.

1) Camden Yards and even Memorial Stadium, Baltimore in general for baseball has long been known as a visiting team's paradise. This held true even during the 80s and 90s sellouts.
In fact I recall the Yankees having a ton of fans there in the 1996 playoffs, it has always been the case where Baltimore gets invaded by road fans.
Boston had many fans there before 2004, more since, but many before and the Phillies have also had fans even while losing.

2) Baltimore has a lot of Steeler fans, they have multiple Steeler bars in Baltimore and fan clubs, while the Ravens hardly have any fans in Pittsburgh.

Going to have to disagree.

[alido]

Marylanders are very independent and it varies from where they are from, their families or how close they live to one area, or what university campus is closest, and even who they marry. These influences shape loyalties or priorities. Some only root for college or high school teams as that is a significant presence in some communities out here. Over time priorities come and go.Things like allegence to sports teams, change over time. I find it fluid.