Do you think Baltimore will eventually become swallowed up by the DC metro area? (Aberdeen: rent, neighborhoods)

[BigCityDreamer]

I know this is controversial. But I've been wondering about this. Baltimore's economic strength used to be industrial-based a long time ago. But now, it's become largely service-based. Moreover, the DC metro area and its economy has expanded rapidly in the last 20 years and continues to. So much so, that Howard County, Anne Arundel County and probably other counties in the Baltimore metro area have become bedroom communities for both the Baltimore and DC metro areas.

If the DC metro area economy and population continues to expand and move northward, do you think that Baltimore and its economy will eventually merge into the DC metro area?

[jonjj]

The following is a summary of data regarding the Baltimore Metropolitan area (PMSA) labor force, 2003 annual averages.
Size of civilian labor force: 1,344,649
Number of workers employed in . . .
construction and mining: 73,700
manufacturing: 80,200
trade, transportation and utilities: 237,000
information: 20,600
financial activities: 81,800
professional and business services: 172,000
educational and health services: 199,500
leisure and hospitality: 107,100
other services: 55,700
government: 218,900

The Baltimore-DC market is already connected in many ways.

The above information is from city-data. DC is growing but Baltimore is no slouch. It has one of the strongest economies in the country right now. The counties you mentioned (Howard and Anne Arudel) already have a sizable population of folks who make their living in the DC area along with many folks in Baltimore City for that matter. I imagine that will continue to grow. In the global market we are living in today, the entire east coast is somewhat connected.

[katydoes]

Yeah I agree they're already somewhat connected. At the very least, DC's high cost of living has certainly spilled into Baltimore. I was shocked at rent prices when I first moved here. (In fact, I'm still not over them. It's... Baltimore. Not Philadelphia, Boston, NYC...) And the places I looked at in the counties were more expensive, probably because as already pointed out, they're suburbs of DC just as much as Baltimore.

[MidValleyDad]

Think about it Joe Biden used to commute by train all the way from Newark DE to Washington every day AND HE WASN"T THE ONLY ONE!. From Aberdeen MD people commute North to Wilmigton DE (Dupont and the Financial industry) Some even go all the way to the Philly area. The entire east coast from south of DC up to above NY (maybe all the way to Boston) is already a series of interlocking markets. For years I've heard it called one big metro area 'the Megalopolis' So maybe deciding where Baltimore, Washington, Wilmington, etc begin and end is just splitting hairs

[trickymost]

I used to see Biden regularly on the Acela in 2006-2007. Ironically, his commute from Wilmington was probably shorter than most DC area commutes into DC.

1 hr 16 minutes from Wilmington to Union Station and you emerge on Capitol Hill...not to mention that is one smooth and comfortable commute.

Until public transport links Baltimore and DC, I don't see how DC can swallow Baltimore. For DC to swallow Baltimore, commuting into DC, Montgomery County, and NoVA would need to be nearly as convenient, and the commute times from Baltimore to DC area are getting worse not better.

A better comparison between DC and Baltimore is Orlando and Tampa.

[SunnyTXsmile]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

I know this is controversial. But I've been wondering about this. Baltimore's economic strength used to be industrial-based a long time ago. But now, it's become largely service-based. Moreover, the DC metro area and its economy has expanded rapidly in the last 20 years and continues to. So much so, that Howard County, Anne Arundel County and probably other counties in the Baltimore metro area have become bedroom communities for both the Baltimore and DC metro areas.

If the DC metro area economy and population continues to expand and move northward, do you think that Baltimore and its economy will eventually merge into the DC metro area?

I can't speak for 50 or 100 years ago, but the Baltimore and DC areas have already been strongly connected my entire life, so much so that (to me) they're simply two "neighborhoods" (albeit two different neighborhoods) near one another.

[Uptkid]

Its already happened even though the two cities are still night and day in terms of culture and vibe.

[KodeBlue]

Baltimore is way too big to be swallowed up by another city.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by KodeBlue

Baltimore is way too big to be swallowed up by another city.

An acquaintance of mine from Lancaster insists that "Baltimore is a suburb of Philly". I doubt he's ever even been to Baltimore.

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by Tezcatlipoca

An acquaintance of mine from Lancaster insists that "Baltimore is a suburb of Philly". I doubt he's ever even been to Baltimore.

LOL.. Lancaster is more a suburb of Baltimore than Baltimore is to Philly.....Speaking of PA.. I would think that York would almost be considered a Baltimore suburb....