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What were your likes and dislikes about both cities?
Baltimore has lots of charm and lots of grit. I like both aspects...but I do buy into the high crime in bad areas of Baltimore stereotype. So my superficial impression is that there's a fantastic touristy Inner Harbor, and a few neighborhoods close by that are very beautiful, charming, walkable, vibrant, and full of delicious seafood. Then the rest of the metro is either neighborhoods to stay away from or boring suburbs.
Louisville has done a nice job with its urban revitalization and they also have rebranded themselves (and certain neighborhoods) in a Portland or Austin-esque way. This is appealing to me. I also do a lot of real estate investing and Louisville's fundamentals are pretty good and have attracted my eyeballs (though I've yet to invest in the market) Finally, I grew up in the Florida State University and later University of Florida D-1 sports community/culture...spending time in Louisville it was really neat to see a similar big time NCAA program that was not part of the ACC or SEC. This is something that Baltimore lacks...but overall, Baltimore has much more than Louisville does so for an urban-minded fellow like me Bmore wins in the end.
Louisville has done a nice job with its urban revitalization and they also have rebranded themselves (and certain neighborhoods) in a Portland or Austin-esque way. This is appealing to me. I also do a lot of real estate investing and Louisville's fundamentals are pretty good and have attracted my eyeballs (though I've yet to invest in the market) Finally, I grew up in the Florida State University and later University of Florida D-1 sports community/culture...spending time in Louisville it was really neat to see a similar big time NCAA program that was not part of the ACC or SEC. This is something that Baltimore lacks...but overall, Baltimore has much more than Louisville does so for an urban-minded fellow like me Bmore wins in the end.
When I first started coming to Louisville before I moved here this is what surprised me the most. Louisville's charm all of the investment happening in the core, and the surrounding neighborhoods that were really nice. The other thing that impressed me about Louisville is that it has the infrastructure of what feels like a much bigger city. But I suspect that has to do with the fact that Louisville's urban area is very compact. Unlike other cities the a greater proportion of it's metro pop lives in its urban area. But still compared to Baltimore it is small.
Baltimore has lots of charm and lots of grit. I like both aspects...but I do buy into the high crime in bad areas of Baltimore stereotype. So my superficial impression is that there's a fantastic touristy Inner Harbor, and a few neighborhoods close by that are very beautiful, charming, walkable, vibrant, and full of delicious seafood. Then the rest of the metro is either neighborhoods to stay away from or boring suburbs.
Louisville has done a nice job with its urban revitalization and they also have rebranded themselves (and certain neighborhoods) in a Portland or Austin-esque way. This is appealing to me. I also do a lot of real estate investing and Louisville's fundamentals are pretty good and have attracted my eyeballs (though I've yet to invest in the market) Finally, I grew up in the Florida State University and later University of Florida D-1 sports community/culture...spending time in Louisville it was really neat to see a similar big time NCAA program that was not part of the ACC or SEC. This is something that Baltimore lacks...but overall, Baltimore has much more than Louisville does so for an urban-minded fellow like me Bmore wins in the end.
Oh okay. As far as Bmore's suburbs are concerned, there are some interesting ones among the bunch such as Ellicott City, Towson, Columbia (the town center part), Catonsville, Pikesville, Dundalk, Hunt Valley, etc. Baltimore itself has some nice streetcar suburban neighborhoods in the northern part of the city such as Roland Park, Tuscany-Canterbury, Charles Village, etc. Beautiful housing stock but not much to do other than Charles Village and a couple of other nabes.
Louisville definitely flies under the radar a lot. I went on Google Map and its Downtown and Old Louisville nabes look really nice, Midwestern humbleness with a Southern flair. I wonder what the rest of the city is like, culture-wise, food-wise, neighborhood-wise, etc.
Oh okay. As far as Bmore's suburbs are concerned, there are some interesting ones among the bunch such as Ellicott City, Towson, Columbia (the town center part), Catonsville, Pikesville, Dundalk, Hunt Valley, etc. Baltimore itself has some nice streetcar suburban neighborhoods in the northern part of the city such as Roland Park, Tuscany-Canterbury, Charles Village, etc. Beautiful housing stock but not much to do other than Charles Village and a couple of other nabes.
Louisville definitely flies under the radar a lot. I went on Google Map and its Downtown and Old Louisville nabes look really nice, Midwestern humbleness with a Southern flair. I wonder what the rest of the city is like, culture-wise, food-wise, neighborhood-wise, etc.
Nabes in the city or the suburbs? In the city there are tons of places not mentioned. Baltimore is even underrated by the people who live here. Most of the people that I know have never been to Hampden, Canton, Mount Washington, Locust Point. Truly, an underrated city.
Nabes in the city or the suburbs? In the city there are tons of places not mentioned. Baltimore is even underrated by the people who live here. Most of the people that I know have never been to Hampden, Canton, Mount Washington, Locust Point. Truly, an underrated city.
Nabes in the city limits. And that's true about Baltimore being underrated even by its own residents. Some don't realize that there's actually a subway line or that there are plenty of neighborhoods beyond the Inner Harbor/Downtown/Midtown-Belvedere area that have interesting local histories, quality architecture ranging from humble and/or scruffy to tony and/or flamboyant, some nice parks, North Baltimore looks pretty nice, Baltimore Zoo is a good place to visit, hole-in-the-walls and small boutiques and neighborhood/block markets that are waiting to be discovered, etc. I normally don't defend Bmore on this site or on others but it can be a pretty interesting city at times I will give it that.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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Louisville is much more similar in size and culture to Richmond than Baltimore. I think Cincinnati is a better apples to apples comparison. In general the Ohio Valley has a much slower pace of life, friendlier people, much lower cost of living, worse high end job market than the Baltimore / DC area.
Despite its eight-year run, we still haven't had a comparison of these two cities. Both are the largest cities in a state that also has another metro area down a highway in which the central city is outside of its state, and both are cities that are known for being borderline southern and are at the upper end of being mid-sized while not quite a truly large city. Use the following categories to compare:
Economy
Location
Suburbs
People
Urban Feel
Architecture
Politics
Future Potential
Scenery
Parks and Recreation
Performing Arts
Museums
Colleges
Crime and Safety
Attractions
Events
Sports
Diversity
Shopping
Cuisine
Congestion/Road network
Public Transportation
Overall
Louisville is full blown Southern, not borderline Southern. Baltimore is not Southern, hasn't been for a long time.
Louisville is much more similar in size and culture to Richmond than Baltimore.
Yep; other than the qualification of being the biggest cities in their respective states, the similarities laid between Baltimore and Louisville laid out by the OP fit Louisville and Richmond better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrfgsn
Louisville is full blown Southern, not borderline Southern. Baltimore is not Southern, hasn't been for a long time.
Louisville isn't "full blown Southern;" it has a substantial amount of Midwestern influence. How can it directly border the Midwest and not?
Louisville isn't "full blown Southern;" it has a substantial amount of Midwestern influence. How can it directly border the Midwest and not?
Watch this one. They don't like others giving their opinion. I have tried to explain Louisville, and so have residents of Louisville, but they just don't get it.
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