where to live in Baltimore?

[snowinter]

Hey everyone,


This question is for those residents at Hopkins or UMD -- where do you live? /how much is housing? do you buy/ or rent?

thanks !

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[Winged Scapula]

Depends on what your social situation is - kids, pets, etc.?

A friend of mine was at UMD/Shock Trauma and lived within 1 block of the hospital, as did many of the medical students and residents. There are several apartment buildings, converted lofts in the Paca/Green Street area. His rent for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath loft was $1300 I believe - this seemed to be about the going rate. There are other nicer areas (ie, not as close to the ghetto), like Federal Hill, Charles Street area, which require driving or public transport.


JHU is in a different part of town, so I"ll let others assist you. THere are also several threads about living in Baltimore on these forums, so a search might help you as well.

 

[JustDOingIt]

Depends on what your social situation is - kids, pets, etc.?

A friend of mine was at UMD/Shock Trauma and lived within 1 block of the hospital, as did many of the medical students and residents. There are several apartment buildings, converted lofts in the Paca/Green Street area. His rent for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath loft was $1300 I believe - this seemed to be about the going rate.

JHU is in a different part of town, so I"ll let others assist you. THere are also several threads about living in Baltimore on these forums, so a search might help you as well.

dont live in the ghetto

 

[AngryTesticle]

dont live in the ghetto

Amen to that!

I would recommend living in one of the suburbs and commuting in. If you really want to live within the city, one area I would recommend is the Homewood area. That is where the undergrad campus is and based on having done my undergrad and lived there for four years, that area is pretty good. Reasonable rent (well back then it was, but who knows now) and you have the option of taking the shuttle to JHMI. Of course, you can commute to JHMI if you have a car.

The area around JHMI is pretty shady but there is parking within the medical campus and it should be safe for you to commute and park there since there is plenty of security on the medical campus.

 

[tec]

I live out in the suburbs by the airport and have a 15 min commute in (8 miles). Houses are more affordable to buy out there because the taxes are half of what they are in the city (the city hasn't figured it out that having high property taxes is not going to draw in home buyers). Houses have appreciated in value over the past few years, but you can definitely find an affordable house to buy if you look carefully.

If city living is more your style, then there are certainly many nice areas in Baltimore. The city is weird in that it is a collection of neighborhoods, some of which have retained their charm and niceness and others that are poor and crime-ridden. So the city ends up being very patchy.

 

[f_w]

If you want to live in the city (no kids to send to school), Bolton Hill is an area to look at. The art college is located there, it has an interesting mix of people. The housing stock is about 110 years old, many of them nicely renovated.

The 'good' area is fairly small, about a 10x10 block stretch along Mt Royal Ave (roughly bordered by W Lanvale, Mt Royal, Laurens and Mason). If you go anywhere north or west of there, you are on your own. It is a city, so don't bother locking your car and no jogging after dark. If you don't engage in gang turf-wars and keep your fingers out of dealing illicit drugs, your chances to die an unnatural death are not so much different in Baltimore than in pretty much any other US metro area.

 

[conrad]

The area near Hopkins Homewood is relatively safe... Guilford has huge beautiful mansions and Roland Park has some affordable condos, kind of a suburb feel in the city.

Federal Hill, Canton, and Fells Point are the most gentrified neighborhoods in town, all feel more city. I like Federal Hill if you're going to Maryland, and Otterbein's a nice semi-residential feeling neighborhood close to the Harbor and restaurants in Federal Hill. Canton and Fells Point are good for Hopkins, about halfway to JHH and Bayview, both have good food, bars, shopping, etc. The Canton crowd seems older to me (young married couples with kids?) and Fells Point is louder and younger.

Outside the city is generally safer. Towson to the north is a college town and light rail runs down to the Maryland hospital. Owings Mills in the northeast is a good family suburb and has a metro subway direct to JHH. Glen Burnie to the south is a working class suburb with all the suburbian amenities, close to the airport and quick drive into the city. Ellicott City and Columbia are more upscale suburbia, take longer to commute but have the best schools in the area and three huge Asian grocery stores.

I've lived here too long...

 

[gaspasser2004]

I'm a resident at Hopkins and I live in Owings Mills. It is ideal for me because I live 5 minutes away from the train station - the train takes about 30 minutes to get into Hopkins and runs every 15 minutes in the early morning and more frequently later in the day. Its a nice suburban area with grocery stores, restaurants, malls, golf courses, etc. The real estate market right now is overpriced in my opinion, but there are plenty of older properties that are reasonable and you can always rent like I do.

 

[NinerNiner999]

I agree with Gas, but prices aren't that bad if you consider a mortgage. A three bedrrom townhome is about $300k, or about $1800/month for mortgage. Find someone to split the price and its pretty affordable. The convenience of the metro is a huge plus!

 

[CameronFrye]

I agree with Gas, but prices aren't that bad if you consider a mortgage. A three bedrrom townhome is about $300k, or about $1800/month for mortgage. Find someone to split the price and its pretty affordable. The convenience of the metro is a huge plus!

How is the Baltimore metro? I've heard some people say that public transportation in Baltimore is dangerous, but I wasn't sure if they were referring to the metro or not.

 

[NinerNiner999]

How is the Baltimore metro? I've heard some people say that public transportation in Baltimore is dangerous, but I wasn't sure if they were referring to the metro or not.

No problems that I know of. Of course when I take te metro I'm usually too early or too late for peak traffic. I've never felt in danger (of course I have seen a few former patients)...

 

[Roll the Bones]

Any thoughts about the north side of the city ie Perry Hall?

 

[CameronFrye]

No problems that I know of. Of course when I take te metro I'm usually too early or too late for peak traffic. I've never felt in danger (of course I have seen a few former patients)...

Ok, thanks. Since it begins and ends in Owings Mills and Hopkins, I figured it couldn't be too horrible.

 

[Loopo Henle]

I live out in the suburbs by the airport and have a 15 min commute in (8 miles). Houses are more affordable to buy out there because the taxes are half of what they are in the city (the city hasn't figured it out that having high property taxes is not going to draw in home buyers). Houses have appreciated in value over the past few years, but you can definitely find an affordable house to buy if you look carefully.

Which way is the airport? I am looking at housing in Baltimore and I am confused. I like Columbia but it is far and expensive. I have a wife, pets and soon probably a kid or two. We are looking to buy a townhouse or small house for around 250k, but my main concern is my wife's safety. We are definetely thinking suburbia. Is Elkridge safe? Is there anything along the I-95 corridor between Columbia and Bawmer that would be appropriate. JHU is my eventual destination (I hope). What about Hampden there seem to be relatively affordable rowhouses there with little yards, but I think affordable in the city=I don't want to be there. I am going to check out Owings Mill a little bit more, that sounds good.

 

[conrad]

Airport's south near Elkridge and Glen Burnie. Elkridge is pretty safe. It borders a nicer suburbian area on the west (Columbia) and a more working class area on the east (Glen Burnie). So it splits the difference. Lots of new or recently constructed houses. Hampden is relatively safe but much more "city". Depending on what your expectations are... Baltimore City neighborhoods are quirky, whereas the suburbs are blander. But schools in the City are pretty bad, so if you live in the city with kids, you'll probably be sending them to private school.

 

[geneseo]

what do people think of charles village or the inner harbor area? how safe is it? is rent reasonable?

 

[Quink]

Which way is the airport? I am looking at housing in Baltimore and I am confused. I like Columbia but it is far and expensive. I have a wife, pets and soon probably a kid or two. We are looking to buy a townhouse or small house for around 250k, but my main concern is my wife's safety. We are definetely thinking suburbia. Is Elkridge safe? Is there anything along the I-95 corridor between Columbia and Bawmer that would be appropriate. JHU is my eventual destination (I hope). What about Hampden there seem to be relatively affordable rowhouses there with little yards, but I think affordable in the city=I don't want to be there. I am going to check out Owings Mill a little bit more, that sounds good.

Check out a neighborhood called Rodgers Forge, just north of the city line and right below Towson. Lots of row houses selling for about $250 ish. Excellent schools. Safe, clean, well-cared for area. It is a very easy commute to Johns Hopkins, both the University and the Hospital. Great houses built in the 1950's, mostly with three bedrooms. It is county (not city) so the taxes are affordable and services better.

 

[ZAZA67401]

Towson or near by is the way to go. Easy to get to Hopkins, Loch Raven Blvd. and UMMC by way of the 83. Good neighborhood, etc. You could also look even further out York Road toward Lutherville to Hunt Valley.

 

[ZAZA67401]

Oh also, some people live around DC, silver spring, etc. and then take the commuter train to Penn station in Baltimore then hop on the JHMI school bus to Hopkins, don't know how this would work if you go to UMMC.