Does anyone else think Baltimore is one of the most underrated cities in the US? (Chance: neighborhood, DMV)

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

Interesting points! WPGC and WKYS did have more of an East Coast sound, but Hip Hop scene and the music has changed considerably over the years? And...who in the hell listens to mainstream radio anymore with all the tremendous variety in college and internet broadcasting???!!!

I lived in Houston for a few years, mainstream radio down there is about Southern rap music (they promote Houston and other southern rap acts).

Underground Hip Hop??!! What do you know about that? Lil Boosie and Wakka Flakka Fool is not underground Hip Hop! That is garbage, death music!

What do I know about Underground Hip Hop? A lot more than you lol. Who the hell ever considered those two bammas underground?

There's too many to name, but here are the underground acts that have been hot all this time:

New York:

Joey Bada$$
Pro Era
Flatbush Zombies
World's Fair/Children of the Night
Vado
Smoke DZA
Azealia Banks
The Underachievers
Troy Ave

Chicagoland:

Chance The Rapper
Freddie Gibbs

LA:

Dom Kennedy
Nipsey Hussle
Odd Future
The Internet
Ab-Soul
Jay Rock
Hopsin
Problem

DMV:

Logic
Phil Ade
Oddisee
RAtheMC
Black Cobain
Chris Barz
Lightshow
Lyriciss
Fat Trel
Shy Glizzy
Pro'Verb
Young Moe

Down South:

Big KRIT

Those are but a few examples of underground acts making noise in their own regions or the Hip Hop world at large. You can look them up yourself and give them a listen.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

DC does have height restrictions, yes, but DC is also almost completely filled in. Virtually all construction in DC requires something to be demolished or at the very least, converted (such as in a hotel into a condo complex). Baltimore has an excessive amount of vacant and/or neglected properties, some of which are connected by blocks and blocks of emptiness.

So, that gives Baltimore the unique ability to truly build itself into a new city without having to destroy much, if any, historic qualities or displace (too many) residents/businesses.

But for some reason it is not. If you peruse the balitmore dot gov website you can find documentation regarding city projects/developments. There is at least one "master plan" for each Baltimore neighborhood. However, many are dated from the 1970s and 1980s, with a few from the 1990s. So what happened? Nothing much outside of the area along the Harbor. The Harbor is also where Baltimore is putting its money. Currently there is the Harbor Point project, which given Baltimore's history will probably never happen despite the City throwing tens of millions of dollars at it, and, the Waterfront Project 2.0, which is really just going to add green space around the Inner Harbor (plus a sand beach complete with volleyball and a pedestrian foot bridge connecting the south side of the Harbor with the north side).

There is Sparrow's Point, which contains the most modern ship building facility in the U.S. to my knowledge. The current owners of Sparrow's Point have plans to turn it into a mixed use business/technology park and to keep the ship building facilities. That would all be of benefit to Dundalk and Baltimore County, though, not really Baltimore City. Also, if you look at a map of the Harbor you will see an enormous amount of rail track. These are obviously left over from the days of when shipping was a big deal in the Harbor. These tracks are owned by CSX and CSX has plans to expand within Maryland and neighboring states. My guess is that cargo ships will once again become a major presence in the Harbor once CSX completes its expansion, but who knows when that will be.

Take Portland, OR. I have mentioned this before: Portland was not always the cool, hip, place to be. 30 years ago the place was a total dump (Portland used to also be heavily Conservative not that long ago, but that is a topic for another thread). The City of Portland hired a firm to revitalize downtown and now wala, we have the Portland of today. Take my hometown of Sacramento, CA. Sacto's Midtown and Downtown were also kind of dumpy for a very long time. Not only that but there was almost latterly nothing to do. Sacramento hired the same firm who did Portland to revitalize Midtown/downtown. Now, skid row is luxury condos, the hole-in-the-wall bar where you used to be able to get a Shaker glass full of gin and a splash of grapefruit juice for $2 now sells $10 pints of craft beer. The food scene that once was full of restaurants that probably should have been condemned is now being featured in major New York City publications. Even though these plans were put into place just over a decade ago most of this change really only happened over the last five years.

Here is my point: no one in Sacramento would have thought any of this possible ten years ago. Heck, growing up we used to joke that Sacramento was a cow town, which was not far from the truth. I mean imagine a major U.S. city built around agriculture and being a place where "big city folk" did things like join 4H and/or FFA (Future Farmers of America) and going to something like a rodeo within city limits was a good way to spend a Friday evening...a major U.S. city. But Sacramento became tired of being the red-headed step-child to SF that everyone loved but no one really wanted. I do not want to suggest that this is what Baltimore should do. I am just giving some insight into what is possible. Hence my previous comment that Baltimore can become the big city that DC cannot.

You are correct! That's why Charlotte with its looser height restriction feels more of a big city than the likes of DC, Baltimore, Paris, Portland, etc. I mean it makes perfection sense innit? Baltimore also has a larger CBD office space-wise, retail space-wise, and boundary size-wise, busier public transit system, more densely clustered apartments and condos (pure or converted rowhomes/townhomes), faster paced vibe, etc. I've never thought of that before....Brilliant deduction K-Luv I have seen the light!

[Oranje1]

Yes, I love Baltimore!

[Zea mays]

Does anyone else think Baltimore is one of the most underrated cities in the US?

No, I don't think it is underrated. It has a poor reputation in the midwest, probably because of "the wire." I would rate it between Atlanta and Detroit. That's not to say that if I were young I wouldn't have enjoyed living there for a few years ... if just to establish cred with my grandkids. As someone else on this forum has mentioned, it's no place for older white couples. If I were younger (and smarter), I would have settled on the West Coast.

[Mini-apple-less]

If it wasn't for crime Baltimore would be a great city. Maybe in 20 more years.

[Zea mays]

Originally Posted by valsteele

If it wasn't for crime Baltimore would be a great city.

Crime can be avoided. But crime aside, Baltimore's chief asset is it's 40-mile distance from Washington, with DC's free world class art museums, natural history museums, and cultural events.

Plop Baltimore down in central Georgia, and you would not be planning a vacation there, regardless of the Walters, BMA, the Meyerhoff, or the Orioles and Ravens.

[Hamish Forbes]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

Baltimore has an ex-slave and hillbilly mentality/consciousness PROBLEM that needs purging..exorcism!

Better be careful. Do you know what happens if you can't pay your exorcist? You're repossessed.

[pwduvall]

Originally Posted by Zea mays

No, I don't think it is underrated. It has a poor reputation in the midwest, probably because of "the wire." I would rate it between Atlanta and Detroit. That's not to say that if I were young I wouldn't have enjoyed living there for a few years ... if just to establish cred with my grandkids. As someone else on this forum has mentioned, it's no place for older white couples. If I were younger (and smarter), I would have settled on the West Coast.

I think Zea mays has unwittingly made my point. In order to be underrated Baltimore doesn't have to to be great. It just needs to needs to be generally better than it' Wire driven reputation - which it clearly is. How could it not be?

[pwduvall]

Originally Posted by pwduvall

I think Zea mays has unwittingly made my point. In order to be underrated Baltimore doesn't have to to be great. It just needs to needs to be generally better than it's Wire driven reputation - which it clearly is. How could it not be?

What they said: Detroit, Pittsburgh, Oakland Among Our Most Underrated American Cities - Condé Nast Traveler

[choccity]

Baltimore has the most loyal Raven and Orioles fans I have ever seen. Other cities have loyal fans but also may be fans of other teams. Like in DC you have loyal Redskins fans, but there is also a large fan base for the Cowboys (who used to be Redskins fans, lol) and a large fan base for the Giants. Not Baltimore. EVERYONE bleeds purple and orange, period.