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Yeah, so I've lived in Maryland for about 8 years and have had enough. I've lived in Hagerstown, Frederick, and now Baltimore (going on my third year). I've also moved to several different neighborhoods in the city and I don't think I can handle it anymore - the crime, the corrupt city government, the weird climate, the rude pretentious people, the hipsters, ect. I'm originally from Detroit (another horrible place).
My girlfriend (who is originally from Wyoming) and I want to live somewhere that has a thriving nonprofit/political/communications job market, as we both work in the nonprofit fundraising/communications field - but not in the Northeast or mid-Atlantic. We can't stand the northeast. Can anyone suggest a place?
I don't want to live anywhere with a higher cost of living because I'm in a lot of debt from my student loans. I would also like to live somewhere I can live where I work, that isn't too expensive. I'm not big on commuting. I'm not really closed to living in the suburbs or in the city.
We were thinking Denver, Chicago, Columbus, Des Moines, or maybe Indianapolis. Of course, I'm open to a lot of different places in the Midwest/west/southeast if people can suggest better. Does anyone have experiences with these places comparing/contrasting with Baltimore?
I love Denver and another recent poster moved out that way. Housing is very expensive there though. Also, Chicago is a great city but then again--housing is expensive and there are tales of corruption in goverment. I have been to Des Moines and I actually liked it. It has a low cost of living and seems to offer what you may be interested in. It's closer to Wyoming. Not sure on Columbus or Indy but I heard they are pretty nice.
I have to mention that the area between Hagerstown and Frederick has really grown in the last few years. The traffic along 70 has exploded.
I moved to the Denver area about 6 months after living in Baltimore for 6 years. Personally, I find the cost of living cheaper here than in the metro-Baltimore area. Others may disagree with me on that point. I'm not up to date on the B'more housing market these days but I recall what the prices for rowhomes in Federal Hill were the price of what my wife and I paid for our single family home. I also find the city itself to be much cleaner than Baltimore. I know there are bad parts but it seems easier to stay out them in Denver than it was in Baltimore. Denver also has a nice light rail system that connects some of the surrounding suburbs to the city so that could help with your commute.
My wife's brother-in-law worked for non-profit in Denver. For the life of me, I can't remember the name! I'll attempt to find it. I know there are others in the area.
I moved to the Denver area about 6 months after living in Baltimore for 6 years. Personally, I find the cost of living cheaper here than in the metro-Baltimore area. Others may disagree with me on that point. I'm not up to date on the B'more housing market these days but I recall what the prices for rowhomes in Federal Hill were the price of what my wife and I paid for our single family home. I also find the city itself to be much cleaner than Baltimore. I know there are bad parts but it seems easier to stay out them in Denver than it was in Baltimore. Denver also has a nice light rail system that connects some of the surrounding suburbs to the city so that could help with your commute.
My wife's brother-in-law worked for non-profit in Denver. For the life of me, I can't remember the name! I'll attempt to find it. I know there are others in the area.
Good luck on your search...
I think you may be right on that one but the gentrified areas of the city of Denver are pretty expensive. My buddy bought a HUD home near Colfax and rehabbed it. Sold it for over 300 and it wasn't that big of a home. But I think (although not sure) that generally speaking, the area as a whole may have less expensive housing.
making me wonder, if you're leaving Baltimore....why post in Baltimore section and ask for advise? Shouldn't you be posting at those areas you are interested???
Denver = cold and a lot snow..nice town though mountians and whatnot..nice boulder hippy community and nice school
Chicago= cold as hell , nice downtown, decent transit system,
Columbus= Columbia, Ohio? Pretty small town just like Cincinati or Louisville
Des Moines = Des Moines is a major center for the insurance industry and also has a sizeable financial services and publishing business base enough said? ..cold as hell too ..those mid states
Indianapolis = i have nothing to say about the colts..i hate them lol..but it's alright. Never actually been there..passed by a lot of times though
Rentals in Denver are cheaper than rentals in Baltimore, and I'd say you would be paying as much as 20% less than what you would in Baltimore.
Buying a house is a different matter. Housing in the old Denver neighborhoods is more expensive than comparable housing in Baltimore, because the supply is smaller. A 700K colonial in Homeland or Guilford would go for closer to a million in Denver. However, new housing in the suburbs is cheaper than its counterpart in the Baltimore suburbs, and you can find a nice newer 2500K sqft house in a pleasant Denver suburb for 250K and you get more value for your money.
I like Denver very much. Great lifestyle if you love the outdoors. Sprawl is more visible, but it's more compact than in Maryland. Winters are generally mild, and perpetually sunny even during the cold spells.
Quote:
Originally Posted by losingmylycosa
Yeah, so I've lived in Maryland for about 8 years and have had enough. I've lived in Hagerstown, Frederick, and now Baltimore (going on my third year). I've also moved to several different neighborhoods in the city and I don't think I can handle it anymore - the crime, the corrupt city government, the weird climate, the rude pretentious people, the hipsters, ect. I'm originally from Detroit (another horrible place).
My girlfriend (who is originally from Wyoming) and I want to live somewhere that has a thriving nonprofit/political/communications job market, as we both work in the nonprofit fundraising/communications field - but not in the Northeast or mid-Atlantic. We can't stand the northeast. Can anyone suggest a place?
I don't want to live anywhere with a higher cost of living because I'm in a lot of debt from my student loans. I would also like to live somewhere I can live where I work, that isn't too expensive. I'm not big on commuting. I'm not really closed to living in the suburbs or in the city.
We were thinking Denver, Chicago, Columbus, Des Moines, or maybe Indianapolis. Of course, I'm open to a lot of different places in the Midwest/west/southeast if people can suggest better. Does anyone have experiences with these places comparing/contrasting with Baltimore?
Yeah, I just decided to post here because I wanted some advice from other frustrated people in the city who might be thinking about making the jump.
Just last night my fiancee's car got totalled by some ******* drunk driver. It was parked on the street and it was about 12:30 AM (on a Monday night). The guy almost ran, but there was a witness (luckily). We live in the Charles Village. This solidified our desire to leave, but since we're recent college graduates we don't feel secure leaving until we've worked stably for 2 years. So as of August, we'll have a year to go. But in the meantime, we're going to try to move somewhere safer outside of the city. Don't live in the Charles Village unless you want your car messed with.
Then we take a walk to the Charles Theatre and get hit up for money. We were nice, but after we gave him 2 dollars and walked away he turned around and started following us We had to duck and run to get away. This is no way to live. We were carrying a switchblade, luckily. It's not like we're rich. I work at a nonprofit serving the homeless and she's a poor college student.
Yeah, we came to the city with this idealistic view but that gets driven out of you quickly.
The worse thing is that parking has gotten so bad in the Charles Village that sometimes you have to park blocks away - and you are paying for a spot you aren't guaranteed and have to shift your car to either side of the street depending on the day. Yuck. So sometimes we're forced to park on the corner of an intersection and that is how this accident happened.
Thanks for all your comments. I think Denver sounds good to me. But of course, I go where I get the job... I love the outdoors so CO has a lot to offer.
making me wonder, if you're leaving Baltimore....why post in Baltimore section and ask for advise? Shouldn't you be posting at those areas you are interested???
Denver = cold and a lot snow..nice town though mountians and whatnot..nice boulder hippy community and nice school
This is about the 400th time I've had to reiterate that Denver does not get a lot of snow. We average about 61" per year (higher than Baltimore, but lower than many northeast cities), but receive much less in many years. The 61" is also spread out over a period of 8 months, so that would be an average of less than 8" per month. We get a blizzard, on average, once every 6 years and sometimes go more than 10 without seeing one. The northeast is notorious for seeing much larger storms more frequently. I don't quite understand why people in the northeast think Denver is so snowy. Our MOUNTAINS get tons of snow, but Denver is not situated in the mountains - it's adjacent to them. Regardless, Denver is much sunnier (especially during winter) and snow quickly disappears.
Regarding Boulder, I would strongly recommend a few-day visit to acclimate yourself to the population if even considering it. It is very liberal and VERY unique. Personally, I only go into Boulder if I absolutely have to. The cost of living is high, people are generally hurried to get nowhere and many people who live there are impatient and unfriendly. I used to love this city, but it's become a place I'd rather not visit. The CU campus is beautiful and the Flatirons to the southwest are breathtaking, but the people really turn me off. One thing I do love about the people is that you're free to be who you are - you're not generally judged on that.
Yeah, I just decided to post here because I wanted some advice from other frustrated people in the city who might be thinking about making the jump.
Just last night my fiancee's car got totalled by some ******* drunk driver. It was parked on the street and it was about 12:30 AM (on a Monday night). The guy almost ran, but there was a witness (luckily). We live in the Charles Village. This solidified our desire to leave, but since we're recent college graduates we don't feel secure leaving until we've worked stably for 2 years. So as of August, we'll have a year to go. But in the meantime, we're going to try to move somewhere safer outside of the city. Don't live in the Charles Village unless you want your car messed with.
Then we take a walk to the Charles Theatre and get hit up for money. We were nice, but after we gave him 2 dollars and walked away he turned around and started following us We had to duck and run to get away. This is no way to live. We were carrying a switchblade, luckily. It's not like we're rich. I work at a nonprofit serving the homeless and she's a poor college student.
Yeah, we came to the city with this idealistic view but that gets driven out of you quickly.
The worse thing is that parking has gotten so bad in the Charles Village that sometimes you have to park blocks away - and you are paying for a spot you aren't guaranteed and have to shift your car to either side of the street depending on the day. Yuck. So sometimes we're forced to park on the corner of an intersection and that is how this accident happened.
Thanks for all your comments. I think Denver sounds good to me. But of course, I go where I get the job... I love the outdoors so CO has a lot to offer.
I don't remember there ever being a time when parking in Charles Village or anywhere in the city is "good". Try Boston for parking. I had a car there but eventually just sold it due to all of the parking regulations, "bumps", tickets, etc. It just wasn't worth it. Folks who want to live in any city have to deal with the parking issue. It isn't going away anytime soon. I worry about someone running into my car all the time. I only wish Baltimore would have better mass transit options. Then I could just dump it. But, oh well, life goes on....
Just a little sidenote for you. If you move to the burbs, choose a location with easy parking because that issue is also out in some of them. I have a neighbor who moved to Dundalk with street parking. She never had a problem here but her husband passed away and she wanted to get to a smaller place. Anyway, she had street parking and the first week she was there, she woke up to her car having been hit the night before.
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