Considering a job in Baltimore: family-friendly towns/great schools? (Towson: how much, home)

[considering Baltimore]

My husband is considering a job in Baltimore. I have an 11 year old and a 6 year old and don't know where to begin to look to see if this is the right move for our family. We currently live in NJ with a top-rated school system.

Can anyone give me advice on what areas are close enough to Baltimore for a short commute, safe and family friendly with an excellent school system? Are the public school systems outstanding or do we need to look into private schools? Anything I should know/be wary of?

Any advice you could offer would be appreciated!

[krakenten]

With kids, think about Towson, the city is no place for a child.

Baltimore public schools are totally dysfunctional

[sobo16]

I have heard of some parents being very happy with city schools.

But anyway, where in Baltimore would the job be? If it's downtown, two suburbs come to mind: Lutherville (Baltimore County) and Linthicum (Anne Arundel County). Both are on the light rail line that can make commuting to downtown a breeze.

[Be More]

Originally Posted by krakenten

With kids, think about Towson, the city is no place for a child.

Baltimore public schools are totally dysfunctional

I teach in a city school and can tell you its far from dysfunctional..in fact there are more than a handful that are pretty damn good schools.

[jonjj]

Originally Posted by krakenten

With kids, think about Towson, the city is no place for a child.

Baltimore public schools are totally dysfunctional

These generalities are very annoying. Yes, Baltimore City Schools have issues but there are many that are doing quite well and progressing. And... there are plenty of children in the city who are good kids and enjoying their neighborhoods. Stop lumping people.

[krakenten]

Baltimore schools have more issues than National Geographic.

There are a few good schools, I'm sure, but most are war zones.

That's why so many private schools.

Everything in the City is politics-and it's hard to get involved on a meaningful level.

Someday, a Federal Task Force will probably sweep through, and clean things up, then real improvement can begin.

Baltimore City has been a write off for a long time-I remember when the poor souls from the mental institutions were dumped into Downtown, and the homeless problem began in earnest.

Drugs are still killing the City.

A lot of mistakes have been made, and setting it right is a real problem, one which is not being addressed in any sensible way.

If NYC could be cleaned up, why not Baltimore?

[Be More]

The last thing anybody should want...is a Federal Task Force to come through. As if things aren't already bogged down enough.

Things need to be done more "organically" and a few of the charter schools along with a couple of other schools that were allowed to "stray" from the traditional Balto City approach are leading the way in how our education should be approached here in the city with so many resources to tap into.

[DavidSKi]

lets leave the School debate out of this and try to get facts.

Considering Baltimore- I too am about to move to this city, there are many sites out there that can give you FACTS on the school systems here, how they rank in the state, and the US.

I have all my data collected already, now I just goto figure out which one of the 30 burbs I want to sink my roots into.

[NJtoBmore]

Originally Posted by Be More

I teach in a city school and can tell you its far from dysfunctional..in fact there are more than a handful that are pretty damn good schools.

I just accepted a job in Baltimore City at an elementary school on Caroline Street. I am new to the area, do you know if that is a safe area or not? I would appreciate any any information you can give me! Thanks

[fakeeyes]

I have lived in the Baltimore area since I moved to MD in 2006. I know this will come as a surprise to some of the Baltimore haters on the board, but we absolutely love it here. My family and I rented in Fells Point, Canton, Owings Mills, and at long last, we just purchased a lovely remodeled rowhome on N. Lakewood in Patterson Park.

I came to Baltimore anitially on a one year detail for work, so when I moved here, we decided to be adventurous and take a stab at city life. Both my wife and I were raised as kids of the suburbs, and since we were already well versed with the suburban lifestyle, we really wanted to try something new. You know what, my wife, my kids, and I all loved it. We could walk to the park, the grocery, wonderful restaurants, touristy crap at the harbor, my kid's school, the bar - my wife and me, not the little ones - and it was just great. Sure, parking was a pain, but since we didn't use the car much, this wasn't so bad.

After that first year, I was brought on full time here in Baltimore, and I lost the extra salary I had been receiving for maintaining a home in addition to my Baltimore residence. We had to cut back, so we moved out to the berbs (Owings Mills) in a move which we thought would help us cut expenses. Rent, yep, it was cheeper, but everything else, utilities, gas for a longer commute, child care, etc. all added up, and we found ourselves paying more, and liking our surroundings less. I'm not going to dog Owings Mills, but when compared with the fun we had in the city, there is no comparison.

After experiencing what both Baltimore City and Baltimore County have to offer, we decided to buy a home in the city. We finally chose Patterson Park because of its proximity to the park, and the fact that we could enjoy the same level of safety that we could have in Canton, but get much more home for our money. The PPCDC PPNA, and the Friends of Patterson Park have really shown how much can be done to return a neighborhood in distress, to a wonderful place to live. Quite frankly, we want to b part of this atmosphere. Paterson Park Community Charter School, and Hamstead Hill, are both great schools, and we can't wait to move in to the neighborhood and start really living.