I'm moving to Baltimore next summer and was looking for advice for neighborhoods to look it. I'm going to be training at Johns Hopkins Hospital but don't necessarily need to live that close. I have a wife and 2 daughters so safety and cost of living are the most important things to us.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

I lived in Owings Mills (NW suburb). It was safe fun, and not near the hellhole that is B-more. Subway ride took 30 minutes and ends at JH Hospital.

It was fun for the one year I was out there, but the east coast is not for me.

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not near the hellhole that is B-more

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[This message has been edited by TXAggie2011 (edited 5/21/2013 12:46a).]

Go to Severna Park or Arnold in Anne Arundel county. About 30 minute drive to Baltimore. Both of those areas have good schools. There is a professor at Anne Arundel CC who is an Aggie that is located in Arnold. You will hear more about the sport of lacrosse then you have ever imagined.

Moving there in a month. Moving to one of inner harbor neighborhoods. We liked the walk ability and safety of canton, fells point, federal hill. Lots to do, close to the water.

Those areas mentioned are good for single or no children couples. I would not raise children anywhere in the city of Baltimore.

Runner is right. You should not live in the City of Baltimore. A lot of the southern suburbs are nice. Severna Park and the Anne Arundel 'burbs are quite nice but also the priciest. I'd also look at Columbia and Ellicot City which are also quite family friendly and not as expensive. I would look no further south than Laurel. The commute from the southern 'burbs up 95 is not too bad as most that live in that area are commuting south to D.C. and not North to B'more. I spent a good amount of time at Shock Trauma as a resident and was always surprised at how easy the commute was into downtown from the southern 'burbs. That said I could take the 395 straight into downtown and Hopkins will (realistically) require you to go through the McHenry Tunnel. The tunnel requires a toll (I hate tolls with a passion) and the traffic can get nasty.

The north suburbs (Owings Mills, Towson, Timonium) have the easiest commute (straight down the Jones Falls Expressway, but Towson is even pricier than Severna Park.

I wouldn't live anywhere in the 95 corridor up toward Havre de Grace (but that's me).

If you are really into rural living and don't mind a ridiculously long commute you could look out west along the 70 into Mt. Airy, Damascus, and surrounding areas.

Good luck.

School aged children I get not raising in bmore city, you are very limited education wise. But those neighborhoods are safe. If you are around in a given day, moms are out pushing their strollers, no sketchy peeps around. Great spots for young couples.

Thanks everyone for their recommendations.

To clarify a few things, my kids will not be school age the time that I'm in Baltimore. One will be 2 and the other almost 1 by the time we move there, so not so worried about school districts, etc.

Mainly interested in price and safety, and looking for a commute in the 15-20 minute range. I had heard Towson, Canton and maybe Mt Vernon would be some good ones to look into.

Any other thoughts and thanks for everything so far.

I worked in Baltimore, downtown and then had offices in Catonsville. My son's private HS had us in Baltimore for games and I would stand by my previous comments. There is no way I would raise kids no matter what age in Baltimore city. Towson, Arnold, Severna Park, Ellicott City. I lived in Arnold and Annapolis when I made the commute to the downtown and Arnold was easy. I have great respect for Johns Hopkins as they operated on my youngest several times.

I live and work in Mount Vernon. Its a great neighborhood. There are tons of young families living here and there are a lot of Hopkins students (undergrad, grad and PhD). Its the cultural and historical center of Baltimore and there are free concerts in the park, art festivals, and parades happening very frequently. Its a safe neighborhood and there are some affordable options. There are a lot of super rich people here and a lot of students and young professionals so the cost varies accordingly.

Towson and Canton are also nice places but I'd prefer towson and mt Vernon over canton. If you want a suburban feel, towson is nice and will get you to Hopkins well enough. Depending where you are, traffic can be hell to the center of the city.

No offense to anyone, but there are a lot of experts on Baltimore who have never lived in the city. Take their advice for what its worth. Baltimore is a good city but just like anywhere else, you need to know where you should or shouldn't go. Good luck!

Mt. Vernon is a cool little neighborhood. Canton, I've heard, is a decently family friendly place although a little plain it seems.

Runner, I understand the schools argument, but kids of any age? You've not really expanded, so please, expand. I've heard the same things from a few people down here in DC and I don't completely buy it. And shoot, raise a kid in NW DC and you've got a few very good public schools to choose from. I know Baltimore has developed a few good ones, too.

[This message has been edited by TXAggie2011 (edited 5/28/2013 11:08p).]

Texas, first off let me wish you well on your move to Maryland. The things I say are just my take, you won't see me argue with other posters about opinions. We are all many and varied. I moved to North Carolina to get away from Maryland so that tells you something about how I view Maryland. I saw too many instances of crime in Baltimore that bothered me while working on North Charles Street. We had a lady who liked to walk at lunch and she was robbed at gunpoint. Another co worker was robbed at gun point going to his car. None of this was
considered shocking, not to locals, workers or the police. In
2011 a lady in Mt Vernon was raped and robbed while she was
moving in to her apartment. Welcome to the neighborhood !
Two men were shot in 2012. One killed. I just saw enough for
me. My opinion of the Baltimore City Police department is very
low because of corruption.
I grew up in Md and just had enough of the hug a thug
mentality that I find found pervasive. My grandfather moved
from Texas in 1920 or so as a child to Maryland. One B in law is
a judge in AA County, my other B in law was a detective in the
same county that borders B City.
Those are my views though, some love living in Baltimore but I
would never risk my families safety. I sold all over the DC
Baltimore area and in my view Baltimore is more dangerous
then DC because of the predatory nature of the crimes. If you
are to the left of center you may love Baltimore and want to
experience life in the city.

I am not trying to argue or even question those that live in the city but you asked my reasons and I answered. I do hope you enjoy the O's, Ravens and crabcakes. JH hospital is a great institution and I always be grateful for the care they gave my son.



[This message has been edited by Runner45 (edited 5/30/2013 2:22p).]

[This message has been edited by Runner45 (edited 5/30/2013 2:26p).]

Howard County! Severna Park is pretty nice. I also enjoyed Cockeysville NW of Baltimore. You could consider some areas in NOVA. Would more than likely be to long of a transit though but the area is amazing.

Don't live in NoVa.

It's nice, but your life would be spent fighting DC and Baltimore traffic, hopping across 2 or 3 forms of public transit, working, and sleeping.

If you like the northeast, look for a job in NoVa or within the beltway and send your kids through the excellent NoVa schools.

Really appreciate everyone's input. Should help he get a head start on where to look for a place.

I too will be moving up to the Baltimore area in the Fall for my masters degree at Towson. Whats the best place to watch an A&M football game? Any friendly bars in the area?

Would be interested to hear this as well. If there's not a place, would love to find out how to make an official watching spot.

I don't know of any bars that show a&m games or where Aggies gather. There are a couple in DC and there's an a&m club in savage MD, between DC and Baltimore.

Not a lot of ags go to Baltimore.

Not a lot of texans go to baltimore period. Yet they even have an official longhorn watch bar.

Pretty fun city, they do the fourth right, too.

Currently on a grad school internship at Johns Hopkins for the summer and am living up in Towson. The bar scene in Towson is pretty bad. Can't imagine any places being great to watch an Aggie game. Fells Point is definitely going to be your best bet for watching a game and having a good time.

Where's the watch party at for Rice??