Those who live in Baltimore...

Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Is it really as scary as people make out? And maybe this is a better question to ask transplants, not necessarily people who have lived there their whole lives.

I’ve been applying to random jobs across the country and I got down a rabbit hole when applying somewhere in Baltimore. It looks like such a charming city, filled with history and stuff, but the crime. My gosh.
 
The answer to that is going to change neighborhood to neighborhood, street to street. I’ve never felt unsafe there, but I’m also not walking around the back streets of West Baltimore after dark. My husband used to have an office in Mondawmin Mall. He’s still alive, FWIW. (But he did have to stay home a few days during the riots. :laughing:) Just do your research.
 
We live in the county but frequently go into the city for baseball and football games or tourist attractions around the Inner Harbor during the day and feel safe. We are careful with backpacks or fanny packs like we do when we travel to other states or out of the country.
 


It always seems to make the top 10 list for most dangerous cities in the US.
Just like any of the other cities that make the list there are most likely specific areas of the city that are horrible and ones that aren't.
I personally wouldn't move to any city on that list.
 
I seem to recall reading a home decor article about one of the Bush granddaughters moving to Balitmore and living there with her husband after they gut rehabbed a brick townhouse. My takeaway was gentrification had begun.
 


It always seems to make the top 10 list for most dangerous cities in the US.
Just like any of the other cities that make the list there are most likely specific areas of the city that are horrible and ones that aren't.
I personally wouldn't move to any city on that list.
That’s how it is here in NOLA. We usually run neck & neck with the likes of Chicago & Baltimore for highest murder rate & it's definitely a lock your doors & keep your head on a swivel kinda place in some areas. But knock-on-wood, no one I know has ever been the victim of a crime & we feel safe most of the time. You just have to be smart about & most violence here is not random.
 
Im a firm believer that every place is good, if you have a decent job, decent place and great friends. But I must admit when it wa sin the news a few monthes ago saying it smells like rats (yikes, what does that smell like)
 
I like that gentrification is bringing some of the worst American cities back to livability.
I know I’m not supposed to like this idea b/c it also has its risks & consequences, but I admittedly agree. An example of the catch 22 here though is NOLA is a unique place b/c of the ppl like low income musicians & similar so if you push ppl like that out then the whole area is changed. But it is nice to see parts of the city revitalized thst has been off limits most of childhood b/c of crime.
 
We frequent Baltimore quite a bit. I love it, but there are some very rough areas. You will know where they are. Just avoid.

Also, Baltimore has a rat problem. Like a very, very bad rat problem. You will see them everywhere. I am not kidding when I say I saw a rat bigger than my Grandmother's dog on Federal Hill. If you can laugh about it like we did, you will be fine. The rats run away from you. They aren't aggressive.
 
I saw that news footage of the locals being interviewed about the rat 🐀 problem, where the rat 🐀 strolled nonchalantly in the background within camera range. Rats freak me out even in areas like Manhattan and Philadelphia where you see signs posting that rat poison ☠ has been put out, so watch out for your children and pets.
The only place I’ve actually seen rats 🐀 in the street was Washington DC. I’m speaking of the animal kind, in this instance.
 
The Canton neighborhood east of Fells Point is where I've noticed the most gentrification over the past 15 years. Hundreds (or thousands) of pricey new condos along the waterfront and many of the old rowhouses restored or updated. Plus plenty of yuppie restaurants, bars, and shops.
 
There are several nicer areas, and there are some horrible areas. Like, depressingly bad or scary. Many many blocks of rowhomes and only one or two in all those blocks that are actually inhabited, the rest boarded up or used for squatting or other things... many collapsing, falling apart. Elderly that are left in those areas afraid to leave their homes. I still remember going downtown with my friends when we were teenagers and getting lost and ending up somewhere in West Baltimore about 1030 at night, people standing on street corners with non concealed handguns at their hip... I didn't stop for a single red light until we figured out how to get back on 95, ha.

Federal Hill, Canton, the general vicinity of the harbor, Little Italy, Fells Point, north Charles all have nice areas, charming historic homes, great restaurants, etc. But there is still crime in all those areas as well, it's just not as scary as parts of like West Baltimore. A friend's son was car jacked in Fells over the summer for example.

All large cities have these issues I presume. Baltimore sticks out because it's homicide rate is extremely high in comparison to its present day population numbers. And that high rate is just the people who died... There's a huge amount of shootings where the people survive too.

I love Bmore, it's my hometown but can't pretend it's safe either. But I still visit there, there's a lot to see and do, you just need to know where to go and what to avoid.
 
There are several nicer areas, and there are some horrible areas. Like, depressingly bad or scary. Many many blocks of rowhomes and only one or two in all those blocks that are actually inhabited, the rest boarded up or used for squatting or other things... many collapsing, falling apart. Elderly that are left in those areas afraid to leave their homes. I still remember going downtown with my friends when we were teenagers and getting lost and ending up somewhere in West Baltimore about 1030 at night, people standing on street corners with non concealed handguns at their hip... I didn't stop for a single red light until we figured out how to get back on 95, ha.

Federal Hill, Canton, the general vicinity of the harbor, Little Italy, Fells Point, north Charles all have nice areas, charming historic homes, great restaurants, etc. But there is still crime in all those areas as well, it's just not as scary as parts of like West Baltimore. A friend's son was car jacked in Fells over the summer for example.

All large cities have these issues I presume. Baltimore sticks out because it's homicide rate is extremely high in comparison to its present day population numbers. And that high rate is just the people who died... There's a huge amount of shootings where the people survive too.

I love Bmore, it's my hometown but can't pretend it's safe either. But I still visit there, there's a lot to see and do, you just need to know where to go and what to avoid.
I got turned around and lost on the bad side of town once back in the late 90s. My boyfriend at the time, in the passenger seat, got so scared he started crying. What a pansy.... :rotfl:
 

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