Some quick relocation questions....... (Baltimore, Ridgely: condominiums, homes, neighborhoods)

[ACMont1987]

Hello everyone, and thank you for taking the time to provide some much appreciated insight.

I have recently been presented with an opportunity to potentially join the team at Johns Hopkins Hospital (not a physician, but rather an allied health professional). This would be at the main facility at 1800 Orleans Street. I'm excited about the opportunity, but my Baltimore knowledge is limited to the few visits I've made to Little Italy and Inner Harbor (aside from multiple layovers at the airport).

I know many of the broad strokes;

> Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods, with personalities and demographics all their own
> Private school is a must, given the ongoing challenges of the public school system
> Crabs are a religion, and a staple of the food culture

Like I said, the broad strokes. Those things that can be learned from a handful of visits and a few hours of internet research. Obviously, I know there is much more to the city, it's people, and it's culture.

Anyway, why I'm here.......

I would be moving with my boyfriend, and our small dog. We've been looking at a number of neighborhoods that appear to meet a few of our interests/criteria based on our limited visits and our search engine results; Canton, South Baltimore, Fells Point and Little Italy among them. We like to live well within our budget, so we're trying to stay under 400K.

We like walkability, urban/farmers markets, accessibility, and relative safety. We're big fans of being able to walk to restaurants and shops, if possible, and we'd like to be in more of a family neighborhood than a busy, active, "young professional" area.

Recently, we've seen some interesting homes in neighborhoods that we hear are "bouncing back," places like Union Square and Ridgely's Delight.

However, I know nothing about these areas, and before I burn too many calories on this I wanted to get some insight from locals. Thus, I'd love some guidance, but first here are some answers to what appear to be common questions;

- My boyfriend is a financial services executive who worked for a foreign company that exited the U.S. market during COVID, and this is what gave us the opportunity to relocate. Thus, we do not have to accommodate a certain location for him, but rather he will be seeking work as a local candidate once we get there.

- We do not have concerns over schools, as we are happy to pay for private schools as needed, however we are seeking a neighborhood/community that is safe for kids to explore, walk around and enjoy their childhoods.

- We are interested in typical Baltimore rowhomes more so than detached suburban homes and/or condos. We like the character and the history of them, and we inherently loathe paying HOA's at condominiums.

- We are both Italian-American, but we've moved around a lot and embrace diversity of thought, culture, race and ethnicity. We expect to embrace our new neighborhood and really become part of its fiber.

We're hoping to hear about suggestions regarding neighborhoods to consider, and other factors to weigh in our decision.

Any guidance, suggestions, advice or questions are welcome. Thank you again.

[MrRational]

Choose the dog park you like best. Live as close to it as you can afford.
Work in the rest, like commute route, as best you can.


https://www.bringfido.com/attraction...ltimore_md_us/
https://barklypets.com/blog/baltimor...arks-dog-love/
https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=dog...altimore%2C+MD

[NJ2MDdude]

Union Square has been "bouncing back" since the 1980s. Two of my former co-workers bought in that neighborhood on the word that it was "up and coming," and they got out when they realized they made a mistake. IIRC, one took a major financial loss.

[ACMont1987]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Choose the dog park you like best. Live as close to it as you can afford.
Work in the rest, like commute route, as best you can.


https://www.bringfido.com/attraction...ltimore_md_us/
https://barklypets.com/blog/baltimor...arks-dog-love/
https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=dog...altimore%2C+MD

Well, if it's that easy, that certainly takes away a lot of the stress Thank you.

[ACMont1987]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

Union Square has been "bouncing back" since the 1980s. Two of my former co-workers bought in that neighborhood on the word that it was "up and coming," and they got out when they realized they made a mistake. IIRC, one took a major financial loss.

Thank you, that is the type of local insight I really appreciate. Whenever I hear "bouncing back" or "transitional neighborhood" or "up and coming," I tend to want local opinion. You really can't understand the pulse of a city, or have insight into how local government and private builders invest into areas, unless you've lived there.

Thank you.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by ACMont1987

Well, if it's that easy, that certainly takes away a lot of the stress

Ha! You're a good sport. But not easy so much as real direct.

Based on your other criteria I'll suggest that you start with the Lake Roland dogpark
and the MtWashington area near it along with the private schools nearby and LightRail options for the commute.
Spend some time and and see if you can find reasons it doesn't fit.
https://www.pawpoint.org/about/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_...ton,_Baltimore

[ACMont1987]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Ha! You're a good sport. But not easy so much as real direct.

Based on your other criteria I'll suggest that you start with the Lake Roland dogpark
and the MtWashington area near it along with the private schools nearby and LightRail options for the commute.
Spend some time and and see if you can find reasons it doesn't fit.
https://www.pawpoint.org/about/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_...ton,_Baltimore

Thank you! That really helps!

[NJ2MDdude]

Originally Posted by ACMont1987

We like walkability, urban/farmers markets, accessibility, and relative safety. We're big fans of being able to walk to restaurants and shops, if possible, and we'd like to be in more of a family neighborhood than a busy, active, "young professional" area.

I'd say Canton is a neighborhood that meets your criteria with respect to walkability, markets and relative safety. On weekends, there's always something going on at the waterfront, including events that attract young families. There's a Canton famers market, but I'm not sure if it's open during the pandemic. I'm not sure what you mean by "accessibility." Fwiw, Canton is close to JHU and I-95. The neighborhood has an admixture of young families and young, single professionals though. On weekends, the baby strollers are out and about. But I think you'll still find blue collar families living there as well further north and away from the waterfront. You really have to drive through the neighborhood on a Saturday to get a feel of the vibrancy Canton offers.

[Digger 68]

Nobody mentioned Hampden........?

[ACMont1987]

Originally Posted by NJ2MDdude

I'd say Canton is a neighborhood that meets your criteria with respect to walkability, markets and relative safety. On weekends, there's always something going on at the waterfront, including events that attract young families. There's a Canton famers market, but I'm not sure if it's open during the pandemic. I'm not sure what you mean by "accessibility." Fwiw, Canton is close to JHU and I-95. The neighborhood has an admixture of young families and young, single professionals though. On weekends, the baby strollers are out and about. But I think you'll still find blue collar families living there as well further north and away from the waterfront. You really have to drive through the neighborhood on a Saturday to get a feel of the vibrancy Canton offers.

Yes, thank you, I read some articles about Canton that were really complementary. It sounds much as you've described. We will definitely check out that area. Also, when I say "accessibility" I basically mean proximity to everything that matters (i.e. hospitals, grocery stores, cafe's, etc). As I expect to work alot, I hope to have everything I need close to where I am living.