Detroit versus Baltimore (live, best, cost, state)
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If you had to start over and were in need of a city where you could make it (e.g., afford to buy your own place and stop paying rent) on little money ("little" by the standards of what premium cities and even average cities cost), where would you go? Detroit and Baltimore come to mind. Yes, we all know the negatives of each, but each also has very inexpensive housing stock if you are willing to take a chance. Which would you pick, and why?
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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Baltimore. Not "declining" as badly as Detroit and easily accessible to the rest of the East Coast. Better football team, too. Though I will say Metro Detroit stands more on its own two feet. The city may be failing (or finally coming out of it from what I here) but the area isn't. Baltimore, for better or worse, has D.C. right there.
I think I would rather live in Baltimore of these two, although I have not been in Detroit aside from the Airport. I did like Baltimore's downtown area from my time there. Proximity to family is also a factor.
From what I could find, the median home sale price in Baltimore was actually a bit higher than Philadelphia, so I'm not sure it would be appealing for the cost per se. Detroit is much cheaper than both.
I like Detroit but, c'mon, Baltimore hands down; it's not even close. Detroit just has too much urban decay; hardly any true walking districts aside from Greektown and it's immediate environs, and too little street energy coupled with America's worst big-city transit system, with only the tiny 2-mile, 1-track People Mover around downtown.
Baltimore. Not "declining" as badly as Detroit and easily accessible to the rest of the East Coast. Better football team, too. Though I will say Metro Detroit stands more on its own two feet. The city may be failing (or finally coming out of it from what I here) but the area isn't. Baltimore, for better or worse, has D.C. right there.
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What area were you referring to as "isn't" coming out of it? Were you referring to the metropolitan Detroit area? If so, incorrect. If you were referring to the city of Detroit, it's only 15% of the metropolitan area.
Oakland County is located northwest of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,202,36 and it is is among the ten highest income counties in the United States with populations over one million people.
The county's knowledge-based economic initiative, coined "Automation Alley", has developed one of the largest employment centers for engineering and related occupations in the United States.
As of April 2015,
Detroit's unemployment rate is 10.2%
Wayne County, where Detroit is located, is 6%
Oakland County's unemployment rate is 4.1%
Macomb County's unemployment rate is 4.9%
Baltimore's unemployment rate is 7.4%
Baltimore'County's unemployment rate is 5.6%
Howard County's unemployment rate is 3.7%
Anne Arundel's unemployment rate is 4.3%
So, in short, yes the city of Baltimore is 3% lower than the city of Detroit. However, the metropolitan area is doing fine. Lastly, Baltimore is on the East Coast where there are really 3 cities nearby worth visiting: DC, Philadelphia, and New York. But don't forget that Detroit is 3.5 hours from Toronto and 4 hours from Chicago. I am not trying to sugar coat Detroit, God knows it has some major issues. However, the metropolitan area is healthy, and at the end of the day, it is located in a gorgeous state.
Full disclosure that I lived in Baltimore when in grad school, and grew up n the DMV area. I would choose Baltimore simply because I like the housing stock better than Detroit's, and it's east coast location. Also the harbor and neighborhoods around the harbor are beautiful. I've been to Detroit a handful of times, and am just not as high on the look and feel of the neighborhoods, but I haven't seen as much of Detroit either. Not a knock on Detroit at all. Just more a fan of the look and feel of the east coast cities. It also helps that the strong DC-area economy is near by that helps the greater Baltimore-DC region.
What area were you referring to as "isn't" coming out of it? Were you referring to the metropolitan Detroit area? If so, incorrect. If you were referring to the city of Detroit, it's only 15% of the metropolitan area.
Oakland County is located northwest of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,202,36 and it is is among the ten highest income counties in the United States with populations over one million people.
The county's knowledge-based economic initiative, coined "Automation Alley", has developed one of the largest employment centers for engineering and related occupations in the United States.
As of April 2015,
Detroit's unemployment rate is 10.2%
Wayne County, where Detroit is located, is 6%
Oakland County's unemployment rate is 4.1%
Macomb County's unemployment rate is 4.9%
Baltimore's unemployment rate is 7.4%
Baltimore'County's unemployment rate is 5.6%
Howard County's unemployment rate is 3.7%
Anne Arundel's unemployment rate is 4.3%
So, in short, yes the city of Baltimore is 3% lower than the city of Detroit. However, the metropolitan area is doing fine. Lastly, Baltimore is on the East Coast where there are really 3 cities nearby worth visiting: DC, Philadelphia, and New York. But don't forget that Detroit is 3.5 hours from Toronto and 4 hours from Chicago. I am not trying to sugar coat Detroit, God knows it has some major issues. However, the metropolitan area is healthy, and at the end of the day, it is located in a gorgeous state.
The OP listed Detroit, not Oakland County, Ann Arbor or any other suburb or nearby satellite town/area... The health of a metro area begins and ends with it's central area. Detroit is the most distressed big city in America. You can marshal statistics all you want, but the best and most reliable gauge of Detroit or Baltimore is simply driving through both ... which I have recently and extensively... And while certain areas of Detroit are getting somewhat better, like downtown, Corktown and Midtown and the Jefferson waterfront, Detroit started so far behind the 8-ball it has to work more than twice as hard as any city just to be reasonably normal... and it's simply not there yet...
And as far as comparison with Baltimore, even with the much publicized problems Baltimore is currently having, the 2 cities are not even in the same galaxy.
Baltimore deserves the whipping its getting here on CD. I still love my city though, and wishing the best for it as well as Detroit. Hopefully both cities with be places that the people on this site fawn over like they do NYC, DC, SF and Boston.
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Blue crabs alone...
