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Old 07-09-2008, 09:47 AM
 
9 posts, read 28,520 times
Reputation: 19

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Ha ha. That sounds kind of like a plea, but don't take it the wrong way.

My husband and I are moving from Providence RI to Maryland. We've looked on websites, newspapers, etc to find out more about the area, but can anyone suggest some nice SAFE diverse places to live.

I'm Black and he's Italian. Are there any neighborhoods that are diverse (black, hispanic, white, asian, indian, etc) and safe within a 30 mile radius of Baltimore?

I've read that people suggest Federal Hill, Ellicott City, and Canton?

We're looking for a place that's diverse, accepting (or at least they don't care enough to hate us--that sounds bad, but its definitely the lesser of two evils).

We like to go to museums, cafes, libraries, read, etc. We're kind of quiet people, so we don't need to be in the midst of crazy city life, but easy access to Baltimore would be great.

Even living in suburbs, nice areas near the universities would be great, if it's safe. I've read some articles about a crime problem in Baltimore.

Also, is public transportation safe in Baltimore?
How is the city?

Thanks so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to read this.
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Old 07-09-2008, 11:26 AM
 
Location: Louisiana and Pennsylvania
3,011 posts, read 6,279,484 times
Reputation: 3128
Quote:
Originally Posted by fireflower View Post
Ha ha. That sounds kind of like a plea, but don't take it the wrong way.

My husband and I are moving from Providence RI to Maryland. We've looked on websites, newspapers, etc to find out more about the area, but can anyone suggest some nice SAFE diverse places to live.

I'm Black and he's Italian. Are there any neighborhoods that are diverse (black, hispanic, white, asian, indian, etc) and safe within a 30 mile radius of Baltimore?

I've read that people suggest Federal Hill, Ellicott City, and Canton?

We're looking for a place that's diverse, accepting (or at least they don't care enough to hate us--that sounds bad, but its definitely the lesser of two evils).

We like to go to museums, cafes, libraries, read, etc. We're kind of quiet people, so we don't need to be in the midst of crazy city life, but easy access to Baltimore would be great.

Even living in suburbs, nice areas near the universities would be great, if it's safe. I've read some articles about a crime problem in Baltimore.

Also, is public transportation safe in Baltimore?
How is the city?

Thanks so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to read this.
Fireflower,

Your best bets for a diverse area would be in the Columbia area, which is halfway between Baltimore and DC Ellicot city is also another possibility.I would suggest Silver Spring, but that is a bit further if you desire to be closer to Baltimore. All of the above areas are very diverse and accepting of interracial couples.
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Old 07-09-2008, 01:09 PM
 
9 posts, read 28,520 times
Reputation: 19
Thanks! Are there any places relatively close to the UMBC campus that are like Columbia and Ellicott city?
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Old 07-09-2008, 03:26 PM
 
49 posts, read 147,921 times
Reputation: 25
The advantages of living in Baltimore City are the diversity, acess to the arts, and activities. The downsides are that your insurance will be higher than the suburbs, public transportation is awful and you need to do your research on what you want in a neighborhood. In addition to the ones that you already list for the city, I'd suggest Roland Park, Charles Village and Lauraville.

As for the suburbs, Columbia and Ellicott City are becoming crowded, the quality of public education is declining, crime is climbing as are real estate prices (compared to the City) and there is (often) a lack of community in the neighborhoods. Yet there are many amenities in these neighborhoods (the planned ones) and character in the older distircts.

I have lived in both areas - city and county .
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Old 07-10-2008, 12:15 PM
 
Location: Baltimore, MD
260 posts, read 838,517 times
Reputation: 130
You might want to check out the communities of Pikesville, Catonsville and Towson. I'm from Pikesville and the area has become very diverse with a good mix of Jews, Blacks, and increasingly Hispanics as well. While I don't know how diverse Catonsville and Towson are, I do know they are both viewed as highly desirable communities and Towson is where Towson University is and Catonsville is where the UMBC campus is. All communities I just mentioned are located inside the Beltway so they are an easy drive away. If you lived in Pikesville you could also take the Metro Subway downtown. Most public transit in Baltimore is pretty safe during the day, but I don't know if I'd want to be riding it late at night.
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Old 07-11-2008, 10:39 AM
 
5 posts, read 21,295 times
Reputation: 12
If you look around in ellicott city/catonsville you will find nice areas. The city? HA! it's the only one in the world you can literally see falling apart around you. If you can afford it, places like Howard county are very nice, but not always as diverse. But I do have to say, prepare for life in one of the worst states in the country.
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Old 07-12-2008, 07:25 PM
 
222 posts, read 1,051,453 times
Reputation: 83
You may want to look in the Baltimore forum. There are many helpful threads and they can tell you about different neighborhoods. I'd suggest making a list of wants/needs and of things you'd like to avoid. Having clear expectations will help people help you. Also include how much you are looking to spend and where you might work (30 mile can be a half hour commute or 1.5 hrs +.

HTH!
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Old 07-13-2008, 03:49 PM
 
Location: Land of Free Johnson-Weld-2016
6,470 posts, read 16,319,639 times
Reputation: 6518
I'm also in a b/w interracial relationship. I'm not sure I would recommend Pikesville as a place to settle.

I would agreet with others who recommended Howard County. That area has the best public schools in MD and a diverse population. I think the mean income for blacks in Howard County is the highest in the country, too. The great school system means you don't have to pay for a good education for your kid, which you may have to resort to no matter where you live in Baltimore.

I believe Ellicott City and Columbia are both in Howard County. One of my coworkers is in an interracial relationship, and he and his wife live in Ellicott City. They love it! Actually, so do a couple of my other coworkers. All great people, by the way. It's a little pricey, but if you're planning to settle down, I would say go there.

The impression I get of Pikesville is a Jewish enclave that is negrifying (with maybe not-that-desireable black ppl) with the previous residents running rapidly away. I hope I am not offending anyone, but that's the type of area I would avoid like the plague. You may be familiar with the phenomenon. I don't believe you will be happy in Pikesville.

In Howard County, ppl of all races and nationalities live together because they want to, and I would highly recommend making a permanent home there. One Great thing about the area is the great food! As a foreign-born woman, I can tell you that is the area to get the best raw ingredients if you and your guy like to cook Asian, Caribbean, Latin American etc. Cuisine.

There are two Korean supermarkets nearby. If you and your honey get a chance to visit take a look there. The selection of fresh seafood alone will blow your mind. I think one is Han Ah Rheum and the other is Lotte. Fresh fish and hard-to-find-in-MD ingredients.

Housing may be a bit expensive there now, but you can rent for a good price at any of the area apartment complexes. They're nice and clean, and I think the prices are manageable. You can rent first and look around for a bargain if you want to buy a house. No matter where you rent in MD make sure you ask if they accept "Section 8" tenants. You may want to avoid those places.

Some Fun Stuff
---------------

Hiking n Biking - All around MD and in HC, Patapsco State park
Dancing n Prancing - You can drive to DC in 1 Hour or Baltimore in 30 min from Howard County. I think HC also has lots of family activities.
Drinkin - I don't think any place can match Baltimore for a wide variety of bars, but all over MD and HC, there are jazz and wine festivals all summer! Fun 4 U!

UMBC
------
I used to make the drive from Catonsville (UMBC) to Columbia and I think it took about 25 minutes.

At any rate welcome to Maryland! We are glad to have you! BTW, sorry if there are any typos, I'm to lazy to spellcheck today.
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Old 06-08-2009, 09:23 PM
 
Location: Baltimore, MD
260 posts, read 838,517 times
Reputation: 130
I know this is an old post and I really don't want to start a fight, but Kinkytoes does not know what she's talking about with regards to Pikesville.

First and foremost, Pikesville is a big place and some parts of it are as white, Jewish and affluent as ever. Do a search on Zillow.com or some other site and you'll see several million dollar homes for sale. The only area that has "negrified" would be a few neighborhoods along Reisterstown Rd. near the city line, which is where I live. There was a little white flight in the late 90's but that's all leveled off. To suggest that Pikesville is going through some sort of rapid and dramatic decline is just not true. City-Data is a pretty popular website and people need to be careful when criticizing certain areas.
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Old 06-08-2009, 09:26 PM
 
Location: Baltimore, MD
260 posts, read 838,517 times
Reputation: 130
Just to add, Pikesville is also one of the wealthiest places in the U.S. with more than 20,000 people.

//www.city-data.com/forum/gener...s-us-20-a.html
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