Would Baltimore and PG County have gone bankrupt like Detroit if not for state intervention?

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70

The state gives Baltimore City countless funds for transportation yet the roads there are the worst in the state, and the worst I've driven on anywhere in the nation. Now they are raising gas taxes to build the Red Line that nobody will ride and which will be filled with criminals and thugs from the hood.

You must not have driven through New England much. It won't take long living in Boston before your vehicle requires front-end work. That is if you are silly enough to own a vehicle in Boston, of course.

Originally Posted by DistrictSonic

Detroit is failing because the economic conditions in a post-industrial economy does not favor it whatsoever.

Baltimore is a different story entirely...they have gone through some of the post industrial problems as detroit. The difference is they benefit from being both a port city, and being on the eastern sea board, and having a somewhat intelligent route to recover independent of the State. But even with Baltimore, comparing it to Detroit is an insult. Baltimore is not nearly on the same declining path as the motor city.

Detroit's economic decline is largely due to the Big Three automakers moving much of their operations to Mexico followed by Americans' penchant for affordable foreign makes that happened in the 80s. Baltimore's decline was when, in the 60s? Sorry, but for what-ever Baltimore's "benefits" may be, they do not seem to be taking advantage of them. I'd bet that Detroit makes a comeback before Baltimore does. At least Detroit is not sitting between two wealthier, more prominent cities. Ok, there is Windsor...but that is in Canada. Detroit also has something like 4.5 million residents in it's MSA. Baltimore has 5.8 million in it's MSA...but it's not Baltimore's MSA, it is Washington's and includes Baltimore and a portion of West Virginia. Actually, about 2/3s of "Baltimore's" MSA is in Virginia. But Detroit still has wealthy people who live downtown and scattered about here and there. Mostly C-level management. Plus, the Grosse Pointes still have billionaire residents and Detroit has some solid middle-class and upper middle-class suburbs.


And, Detroit is a port city, too. Don't forget that the Great Lakes are heavily maritime.

Originally Posted by e30is

I'm not always siding with Tom but where did he mention race in his post?

Yeah, me neither...and I didn't get any racism from his post, either.

[slowlane3]

Tom's observation about Baltimore, mirrors exactly what Blair Lee said in his September 27, 2013, newspaper column entitled "Why Baltimore is not Detroit"

My Maryland by Blair Lee -- Gazette.Net

[Phyxius]

Originally Posted by slowlane3

Tom's observation about Baltimore, mirrors exactly what Blair Lee said in his September 27, 2013, newspaper column entitled "Why Baltimore is not Detroit"

My Maryland by Blair Lee -- Gazette.Net

Are you surprised?

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by slowlane3

Tom's observation about Baltimore, mirrors exactly what Blair Lee said in his September 27, 2013, newspaper column entitled "Why Baltimore is not Detroit"

My Maryland by Blair Lee -- Gazette.Net

Hmmm. Wonder why PG was thrown in there. All one had to do was look up state aid by county to see that PG is no where near Baltimore in terms of state. And along with PG, there are plenty other counties getting approximately the same amount of state funds as PG. Perhaps the OP should have included Caroline or Wicomoco counties as comparisons? Or was there another purpose?

(In Millions)
1. Baltimore City $1,928
2. Caroline 1,666
3. Wicomico 1,455
4. Allegany 1,367
5. Charles 1,288
6. Dorchester 1,287
7. Prince George's 1,271
8. Somerset 1,270
9. Washington 1,270
10. Cecil 1,232

[choccity]

PG County will never go bankrupt because of it's proximity to DC. PG County has the largest concentration of black wealth in the US, things did change after the housing crisis, but the median income is still around 71k. Interesting article The Collapse of Black Wealth