Need advice on moving to Baltimore ASAP! (Mount Vernon: apartments, lease)

[EmersonKnight]

My name is Cedric and I'm a Air Force vet who has a tentative offer as a police officer at the Veterans Affais bldg in Baltimore. I'm a bit nervous "because of crime, and I watched the entire "Wire" serious. Please tell me the areas are ok. I won't be doing much driving, so I'm planning on living downtown. Other areas I've looked at are Fedhill, locust, and Otterbein, Inner harbor/East. I make pretty decent money and I'm looking to pay no more than 1500 a month. Any advice would be appreciated.

Blessings 🇱🇷✊🏾

[pwduvall]

Originally Posted by EmersonKnight

My name is Cedric and I'm a Air Force vet who has a tentative offer as a police officer at the Veterans Affais bldg in Baltimore. I'm a bit nervous "because of crime, and I watched the entire "Wire" serious. Please tell me the areas are ok. I won't be doing much driving, so I'm planning on living downtown. Other areas I've looked at are Fedhill, locust, and Otterbein, Inner harbor/East. I make pretty decent money and I'm looking to pay no more than 1500 a month. Any advice would be appreciated.

Blessings 🇱🇷✊🏾

Will you have a car? Is the Veterans Affairs Building at/near the VA Hospital? In general (pending more info) I would say that your choices are good. They lie on the safety side of the safety vs. housing value continuum. You might get a little more value and a little less safety in Mount Vernon and further up the Charles Street corridor. Good transit from Locust Point depends on the continuation of the Circulator route to that area - by no means a sure thing.

While Baltimore is a relatively dangerous city in general, what gets most people killed is mixing with the criminal element. In your case, that is probably more likely to happen on the job. Be careful with that!

[EmersonKnight]

Hello and thank you for your response! Yes I'll have a car, but since I'll be working at the VA bldg, I'll look at public trans as an option. My position would be federal police officer there (not Baltimore PD). I just want a decent area that doesn't make me or future guest cringe upon going out in the city streets. Thank you for your input though, much appreciated. I'll be visiting there tomorrow 3 Jan-5 Jan. Any advice oh hotspots and areas to visit could help also.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by EmersonKnight

Hello and thank you for your response!
Yes I'll have a car, but since I'll be working at the VA bldg, I'll look at public trans as an option.

You'll be in about THE best spot for transfers and route choices.
You could literally go anywhere by bus from the VA

I just want a decent area that doesn't make me or future guest cringe...

That's going to be about radius... how far out into the 'burbs you need to go/can afford to.
Not that you CAN'T find nice closer in... but without a locals knowledge it can be tough to pick the right block vs one 2 blocks over.
Then there's things like auto insurance rates etc.

I'll be visiting there tomorrow 3 Jan-5 Jan.
Any advice oh hotspots and areas to visit could help also.

The Wire Tour - Wikitravel

[beasley106]

Crimes of opportunity (ie burglaries, theft) can happen throughout the city (just like anywhere else) but most of the crime hot spots in Baltimore are concentrated in a few neighborhoods in West Baltimore and parts of East Baltimore like Oliver and McElderry Park. The rest of the city is relatively safe for the most part. Some neighborhoods I would recommend are Harbor East, Fells Point, Canton, Patterson Park, Highlandtown, Greektown, Mount Vernon, Federal Hill, Locust Point, Hampden, Charles Village, and Mount Washington. Generally speaking unless you are in the drug trade for are involved with unsavory people the likelyhood of you getting shot at is practically nil.

The Live Baltimore website is a good resource for info on various neighborhoods plus they also offer various housing incentives to anyone looking at buying/rehabbing a home in the city.

[pwduvall]

Having a car and not driving it to work downtown can be tricky... been there. Bus service from the Southeast neighborhoods leaves a lot to be desired but quality of life is good. It may be very difficult to find parking in Federal Hill and on most parts of the South Baltimore peninsula. Same deal with storing a car downtown or even, to a lesser extent, in Mount Vernon. Living in the southern part of Bolton Hill and taking the Metro would allow you to park the car and have a fast commute. Unfortunately, Bolton Hill is a little less safe than Federal Hill and Southeast. The same would be true of Charles Village. You could also live in Woodberry or Mt. Washington and take the light rail downtown.

An added wildcard is that the bus routes will be changed this summer. You should look up the current service to your apartment and also any changes that BaltimoreLink might make.

If you didn't have the car, I would recommend signing a lease on a downtown apartment and then exploring the city and suburbs for a while in order to decide where you want to live a year from now. Feel free to let us know when you start to zero in on a place.

[BMoreJuice]

I would like to offer an alternative, although your preference is more downtown. I would take a look in Northwest Baltimore, known as "Upper Park Heights" and Mount Washington. I suggest this for a few reasons. 1) Mount Washington has the MARC that is very convenient to downtown. 2) The area is very safe, suburban, and clean. 3) Parking for days. 4) The area has a very high Jewish population and the sense of community and pride is the best in the city. In fact, the community has the Northwest citizens patrol and Shromim, community security organizations that have volunteers who patrol the streets and respond to emergencies. A 40 minute wait for BPD is a 2 minute response from the Shromim, You wont find that anywhere else in the city.

[james777]

I like your suggestion, but Mount Washington does not have the MARC. It has the light rail, which will take you downtown, and all the way to the airport if you desire. The MARCs only stops in Baltimore City are Penn Station, Camden Station, and the West Baltimore MARC station on route 40.

[BMoreJuice]

Originally Posted by james777

I like your suggestion, but Mount Washington does not have the MARC. It has the light rail, which will take you downtown, and all the way to the airport if you desire. The MARCs only stops in Baltimore City are Penn Station, Camden Station, and the West Baltimore MARC station on route 40.

Your right, I meant to say light rail.

[Spoiled1]

The Fitzgerald Apartments may be in your price range. Located in Mt Vernon and light rail stop behind building. Also check out the Zenith