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Yes, I thought the streets were narrow because of that. And you're right, the interstate construction was moving cones and lanes all day the day I drove ALL around. Went a few days earlier with a friend in his car and he hit a high curb downtown he didn't see with his 18 inch alloy right front wheel. I saw it, he didn't, and before I could say anything, a terrible sound. I thought he'd messed up the body. Luckily it was just the outer rim, but it was messed up. Expensive Accord, too. Our one bad experience.
My cheap Trac phone would cut off (or come in) sometimes when I moved two feet! Was in and out reception all day. I hear that's typical and ok with me. I'd learn where it works and doesn't.
Rest was good. Liked the town and I think I know it much better now. Especially how to go from one side to the other - take the interstate IMO! Are there other ways? Rt 40 (and 36?) seemed nice if you want the scenic route to Frostsburg that I started on, but didn't finish. And I guess now that I think about it, Alt Rt 40 and streets off it would go from east and north sides to west side, right? Most people there know the interstate as the freeway it seems. Maybe that's because it used to be a toll road?
All in all, very good.
Did not go to Frostsburg, kind of wanted to see that too. Hopefully will next time and soon.
Yes, I thought the streets were narrow because of that. And you're right, the interstate construction was moving cones and lanes all day the day I drove ALL around. Went a few days earlier with a friend in his car and he hit a high curb downtown he didn't see with his 18 inch alloy right front wheel. I saw it, he didn't, and before I could say anything, a terrible sound. I thought he'd messed up the body. Luckily it was just the outer rim, but it was messed up. Expensive Accord, too. Our one bad experience.
My cheap Trac phone would cut off (or come in) sometimes when I moved two feet! Was in and out reception all day. I hear that's typical and ok with me. I'd learn where it works and doesn't.
Rest was good. Liked the town and I think I know it much better now. Especially how to go from one side to the other - take the interstate IMO! Are there other ways? Rt 40 (and 36?) seemed nice if you want the scenic route to Frostsburg that I started on, but didn't finish. And I guess now that I think about it, Alt Rt 40 and streets off it would go from east and north sides to west side, right? Most people there know the interstate as the freeway it seems. Maybe that's because it used to be a toll road?
All in all, very good.
Did not go to Frostsburg, kind of wanted to see that too. Hopefully will next time and soon.
Freeway, interstate, and "crosstown bridge" are all interchangeable terms up here. I think freeway and interstate are in most of Maryland. The bridge that is now part of I-68 predates the interstate by about 20-25 years. It was designed for puddle jumping from one side of town to the other since the town has two sets of railroad tracks and a creek cutting through it.
I-68, Alt. 40, Braddock Rd, and Rt. 36 are the only ways to get through Cumberland to points west. The mountains dictate where the roads can be built.
Your general sense of direction is correct. Streets perpendicular to Alt. 40 (Henderson St.) are more or less N-S and can be used to get from West Side to North End (as West Side means the west side of Wills Creek). The problems is that thes Creek separates the two neighborhoods, so you need to find a bridge. Also the two main E-W streets (Mechanic and Centre) that you hit once you go south from Alt 40 are one way......meaning if you take the wrong side street, you could end up on a one way street heading away from the bridge crossing and towards the Narrows.
Don't worry about all that though. If you end up here you will figure it out pretty quickly, it sounds like you already are 1/2 way there.
Yes, I thought the streets were narrow because of that. And you're right, the interstate construction was moving cones and lanes all day the day I drove ALL around. Went a few days earlier with a friend in his car and he hit a high curb downtown he didn't see with his 18 inch alloy right front wheel. I saw it, he didn't, and before I could say anything, a terrible sound. I thought he'd messed up the body. Luckily it was just the outer rim, but it was messed up. Expensive Accord, too. Our one bad experience.
My cheap Trac phone would cut off (or come in) sometimes when I moved two feet! Was in and out reception all day. I hear that's typical and ok with me. I'd learn where it works and doesn't.
Rest was good. Liked the town and I think I know it much better now. Especially how to go from one side to the other - take the interstate IMO! Are there other ways? Rt 40 (and 36?) seemed nice if you want the scenic route to Frostsburg that I started on, but didn't finish. And I guess now that I think about it, Alt Rt 40 and streets off it would go from east and north sides to west side, right? Most people there know the interstate as the freeway it seems. Maybe that's because it used to be a toll road?
All in all, very good.
Did not go to Frostsburg, kind of wanted to see that too. Hopefully will next time and soon.
Freeway, interstate, and "crosstown bridge" are all interchangeable terms up here. I think freeway and interstate are in most of Maryland. The bridge that is now part of I-68 predates the interstate by about 20-25 years. It was designed for puddle jumping from one side of town to the other since the town has two sets of railroad tracks and a creek cutting through it.
I-68, Rt. 40, Braddock Rd, and Rt. 36 are the only ways to get through Cumberland to points west. The mountains dictate where the roads can be built.
Your general sense of direction is correct. Streets perpendicular to Alt. 40 (Henderson St.) are more or less N-S and can be used to get from West Side to North End (as West Side means the part of town on the west bank of Wills Creek). The problems is that the Creek separates the two neighborhoods, so you need to find a bridge. Also the two main E-W streets (Mechanic and Centre) that you hit once you go south from Alt 40 are one way......meaning if you take the wrong side street, you could end up on a one way street heading away from the bridge crossing and take you to the Narrows.
Don't worry about all that though. If you end up here you will figure it out pretty quickly, it sounds like you already are 1/2 way there.
Did not go to Frostsburg, kind of wanted to see that too. Hopefully will next time and soon.
Frostburg is definitely worth a detour. I have lots of love for both Frostburg and Cumberland but to me Frostburg feels more intact with a bit livelier of a vibe, owing largely to the presence of a 4-year college right in town.
I'm currently looking at a gorgeous house in one of the rougher parts of Cumberland. I absolutely fell in love with the historic building when I found it online, and the price was unbelievable before I got to the address and saw the crumbling neighborhood. I have lived in some rough areas before, but this may be the worst street I have ever seen. I'm a bit devastated. Is there any hope for improvements around Columbia st. or should I shed a tear and look elsewhere?
I think I know the house you're talking about. It's an awesome house and it was built by an architect that did many of the more prominent buildings around town, including out courthouse... if it's the house I think it is.
That end of Columbia st is rough, Cumberland as a whole is improving. There are more streets being paved here, more blighted houses being torn down here and more business moving here than there has been in the past 30 years. Our mayor Brian Grimm is incredibly easy to reach via Facebook and would be more than happy to tell you about improvements coming to neighborhoods. Cumberland hit a rough patch in the 1970's, not unlike many cities its size in America at that time, but we are showing signs of improvement here municipally and out and out quality.
I lived on the North End for 2 years and now live on the West Side.
I'm currently looking at a gorgeous house in one of the rougher parts of Cumberland. I absolutely fell in love with the historic building when I found it online, and the price was unbelievable before I got to the address and saw the crumbling neighborhood. I have lived in some rough areas before, but this may be the worst street I have ever seen. I'm a bit devastated. Is there any hope for improvements around Columbia st. or should I shed a tear and look elsewhere?
Columbia St. is a one way street that takes you away from the center of town, and is cut off from easy access to other neighborhoods by the Frederick St. Bridge. It's an isolated area, and unless you really have a reason to go there, it is out of sight, out of mind.
I wouldn't do it, personally, even if it is a Wright Butler house. The street is pretty sketchy, and it isn't likely to improve soon, IMO. The city's focus is on the major corridors in/out of town, like Baltimore Ave, Park St., etc. As other parts of the city eliminate blighted housing, those people are going to have to move somewhere.
We would love to have you move here, but I would be doing you disservice not to point out you get what you pay for, even in a low cost real estate market like Cumberland.
Hello All. Just thought I'd throw a quick update on my earlier posts and what my thoughts are about Cumberland after seeing new posts here. I did buy a house in the city. I really wanted another one that was in Mt Savage in a much more rural setting, but there were things I just could not handle like termite infestation that was untreatable in areas because of a well under the floor, other inaccessible areas that could not be termite treated properly, and no warrantee would be issued if treated. That and the fact Mt Savage has a water district that charges you about $180 every quarter whether you are connected to their water or sewer system or not left a bad taste in my mouth. Would not have been that much of a problem except - as I noted in earlier threads - I planned only on being there in the summers and did not want what to me was basically an extra "tax" to deal with. And the woman that gave me this info with the county and water district volunteered telling me quite bluntly (and rudely to be honest) if you didn't pay it for whatever reason, they put a lien on your property. Too bad about those two problems. I still have a feeling that if they didn't exist, I would have been ecstatic about that place if I'd decided on that one. Someone did buy it recently, but I wonder if they were disclosed about the termite problem. Maybe they liked it so much, they were willing to deal with it. I saw the pictures my termite inspector took and that was enough for me. He's been in the pest control business for over 30 years he told me, and never seen one so bad. Kind of tells you why I decided no on that one.
Now the house I DID buy. I really like the house even though there were all kinds of surprises and LOTS of work to be done (and still is). Like I pulled up the wall to wall carpets the first couple of weeks and the hardwood floors were in terrible shape. So bad I may re carpet them, not sure. Other things too numerous to go into here, but the BIG thing: The traffic. Terrible road noise and I'm very hard of hearing. Couldn't believe it that I noticed this after I bought the place. I'd been there in person three times before I bought it, checked the house out and even had a home inspection done where I was there about 5 hours straight one day. A lot of the vehicles completely ignore the speed limit and fly down the street too, with NO reprimand from the local law establishment - NONE! Even my neighbor said someone will get killed there one day. Great. But after staying there for a month to get started on fixing the place up, the road situation was so bad that - again - left a very bitter taste in my mouth. I asked my very nice next door neighbor how she could stand that - she's been living in her house for over 50 years - and she said "Oh, you just get used to it". I have lived on a cut through street before in a highly congested area, but it was NOTHING like this nightmare turned out to be. I really am considering just listing the house again and trying to get back as much of my money as possible and possibly look somewhere else. And that may still be in Cumberland or the general vicinity. Thank God I didn't pay a lot of money for the place, but it still wasn't cheap in my financial situation and selling will be questionable. I believe I could always rent it and turn a small profit that way, but I'm not a landlord type of guy and don't want those headaches.
The people seem nice for the most part. I did notice some "rougher" looking people, but I can take care of myself even as I age, that doesn't bother me. What bothers me is constant speeding through town - lucky me, I picked a house that has a smooth street you can fly on, most streets in Cumberland I noticed you cannot speed on or you will be going to the suspension shops weekly - and the constant sound of little to no mufflers it seems on the trucks and "buzz bombs" that are plentiful in Cumberland.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the future to Cumberland, I still like the place. But there are definitely hurdles to overcome there. But you can also say that for many , many places in the good old USA at this point in time. With shootings like they had in DC yesterday, there are a lot of people that would think Cumberland and it's "crime" are nothing these days. I wish the best for the City (and myself!), I really do.
And one last note about the house I bought: It was built like a tank. Almost 100 years old and windowsills and headers are still plumb dead on level. It is insured for over 5 1/2 times what I paid for it because that is what the replacement costs are on it (and insurance costs really not too bad for that amount of value, I was surprised on that) . And today's construction would not be near as good, I know enough about building to know that. Replies are welcome! Please give me your thoughts everyone!
Hello All. Just thought I'd throw a quick update on my earlier posts and what my thoughts are about Cumberland after seeing new posts here. I did buy a house in the city. I really wanted another one that was in Mt Savage in a much more rural setting, but there were things I just could not handle like termite infestation that was untreatable in areas because of a well under the floor, other inaccessible areas that could not be termite treated properly, and no warrantee would be issued if treated. That and the fact Mt Savage has a water district that charges you about $180 every quarter whether you are connected to their water or sewer system or not left a bad taste in my mouth. Would not have been that much of a problem except - as I noted in earlier threads - I planned only on being there in the summers and did not want what to me was basically an extra "tax" to deal with. And the woman that gave me this info with the county and water district volunteered telling me quite bluntly (and rudely to be honest) if you didn't pay it for whatever reason, they put a lien on your property. Too bad about those two problems. I still have a feeling that if they didn't exist, I would have been ecstatic about that place if I'd decided on that one. Someone did buy it recently, but I wonder if they were disclosed about the termite problem. Maybe they liked it so much, they were willing to deal with it. I saw the pictures my termite inspector took and that was enough for me. He's been in the pest control business for over 30 years he told me, and never seen one so bad. Kind of tells you why I decided no on that one.
Now the house I DID buy. I really like the house even though there were all kinds of surprises and LOTS of work to be done (and still is). Like I pulled up the wall to wall carpets the first couple of weeks and the hardwood floors were in terrible shape. So bad I may re carpet them, not sure. Other things too numerous to go into here, but the BIG thing: The traffic. Terrible road noise and I'm very hard of hearing. Couldn't believe it that I noticed this after I bought the place. I'd been there in person three times before I bought it, checked the house out and even had a home inspection done where I was there about 5 hours straight one day. A lot of the vehicles completely ignore the speed limit and fly down the street too, with NO reprimand from the local law establishment - NONE! Even my neighbor said someone will get killed there one day. Great. But after staying there for a month to get started on fixing the place up, the road situation was so bad that - again - left a very bitter taste in my mouth. I asked my very nice next door neighbor how she could stand that - she's been living in her house for over 50 years - and she said "Oh, you just get used to it". I have lived on a cut through street before in a highly congested area, but it was NOTHING like this nightmare turned out to be. I really am considering just listing the house again and trying to get back as much of my money as possible and possibly look somewhere else. And that may still be in Cumberland or the general vicinity. Thank God I didn't pay a lot of money for the place, but it still wasn't cheap in my financial situation and selling will be questionable. I believe I could always rent it and turn a small profit that way, but I'm not a landlord type of guy and don't want those headaches.
The people seem nice for the most part. I did notice some "rougher" looking people, but I can take care of myself even as I age, that doesn't bother me. What bothers me is constant speeding through town - lucky me, I picked a house that has a smooth street you can fly on, most streets in Cumberland I noticed you cannot speed on or you will be going to the suspension shops weekly - and the constant sound of little to no mufflers it seems on the trucks and "buzz bombs" that are plentiful in Cumberland.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the future to Cumberland, I still like the place. But there are definitely hurdles to overcome there. But you can also say that for many , many places in the good old USA at this point in time. With shootings like they had in DC yesterday, there are a lot of people that would think Cumberland and it's "crime" are nothing these days. I wish the best for the City (and myself!), I really do.
And one last note about the house I bought: It was built like a tank. Almost 100 years old and windowsills and headers are still plumb dead on level. It is insured for over 5 1/2 times what I paid for it because that is what the replacement costs are on it (and insurance costs really not too bad for that amount of value, I was surprised on that) . And today's construction would not be near as good, I know enough about building to know that. Replies are welcome! Please give me your thoughts everyone!
How long have you stayed in the house? When I moved back into town from the country as a kid, the noise of the trains and the street lights were a big change and annoying for a few months. Then I got used to it, and don't even hear the train anymore unless I think to listen for it.
Also, is the house furnished? Sometimes an emptier house will amplify noise. Adding carpeting back in might help dampen the noise too.
Can I ask which street? You can try to contact the local police and tell them about the speeding. More than likely they will set up a speed trap, or one of those signs that displays the car's speed for at least a few days. I doubt it would fix the problem permanently, but it may make a dent in it.
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If you end up here you will figure it out pretty quickly, it sounds like you already are 1/2 way there.
