Baltimore - why I shouldn't hate to move there, or should I ?

[JulieL]

So my DH is putting together his list for places he's gonna apply for a residency placement. In his top ten places he would like to get an interview/go is Johns Hopkins Baltimore, MD. I am balking at this. The other 9 he has in his top ten I'm ok with but this I just can't seem to swallow. I DON"T want to live in a super crowded place, I get the opinion that Baltimore is. I don't want to live close to DC for that reason. I hear people commute from Baltimore to DC, driving up the population. I get the idea it's not a fab city for families. Anyway before I get all in a frenzy I thought I'd ask for any thoughts on the area from those who have been there. The other bad deal for me is I live in St. Louis, and I could hardly drive home on a weekend with the kids from here. I hate to burst this possibility for DH (if he was even granted an interview) but... I REALLY don't think I want to be stuck there, iykwim. The other thing/worry for me is well he's an extremely good student so the idea of him getting an interview here is realistic... anyway thoughts please!

eta: applications go in this Sept so we have to make our choices soon.

[mudder17]

Hey Julie, I'm from Baltimore. Before that, I lived in Champaign, IL (so not far from St. Louis) and I actually grew up in Chicago. DH and I were in CA for 4-5 years and neither of us liked it at all, so when DH got a post-doc at Hopkins, we were both pretty skeptical about living there, but we figured we could handle a couple years. As it turns out, we've grown to love it here. We were fortunate and we are in a wonderful neighborhood that just happens to be in a really good school district. We found a church home that we love and I can't imagine being any place else. DH works in Bethesda, but he only has to go in a couple days a week and he takes the MARC train. We actually considered moving to Rockville when he got a permanent position there, but now we're really glad we didn't. I love living here and we're actually considering expanding our house upwards instead of moving in the future, partly because we hate moving, but partly because we can't imagine any other place being better. :)

And 10 years ago, I would have said it wasn't a great place for families, but now, I think it's really quite nice. If you have any questions or want to talk, just shoot me an e-mail. I can also e-mail you my phone number.


Eileen

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Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[octmom]

Eileen is the expert, but I wanted to chime in and say that there are some really great parts of Baltimore. DH went to college there and lived and worked there for a couple of years while we were dating. (I was three hours away.) The area around Loyola College is really nice, though I think it may be a bit pricey. I'm not sure if you will need to live within a certain distance of Hopkins, but there are some really nice spots both in the more urban areas and the more residential areas. Some of my college friends lived in Baltimore (not the nice parts) after we graduated and I spent lots of time visiting them and going out in Fells Point. These days, the aquarium would be a bigger attraction for my family. I think there is a children's museum somewhere in the same part of the city (Inner Harbor). Baltimore has lots of charm, good restaurants, and things to do. Give it a chance!

One more area that I *think* is nice, IIRC-- Mount Washington.

Jerilyn
DS, Sean 10/03
DD, Katie 3/06

"Baby makes days shorter, nights longer, home happier, and love stronger."

[psophia17]

Hey Julie, I love Baltimore!

I have never lived there, but I always loved visiting. There's just something about it that works for me, plus they have an awesome aquarium.

I didn't realize Eileen lived there, but if she has for several years, I'm sure she single-handedly cleaned up the place :)

[mudder17]

LOL, Petra, you are too funny! :) Yes, I've lived here since 1998 and the place has definitely changed, even in the time I've been here. Mount Washington is still a great place to live and raise a family, although yes, it can be pricey depending on where you go. But there are supposedly some nice apartments that have reasonable rents around there. Depending on what you are looking for, you can still find nice places to live, although, like most places, Real Estate has gone up (but not nearly as much as the DC area!). I used to live around Loyola in a condo (very nice, actually), but I think the price of the condos have gone up since we sold it a few years ago. And we sold it for a very large profit, so you can imagine how things have gone. But I think Real Estate has slowed down quite a bit in the last 2 years, so we may be at a better time to buy (although construction costs are still crazy!).

The zoo is a nice place to go and with the membership, I love going there with Kaya for a couple hours before coming back. We're also members of the aquarium (which I love) but we don't go nearly as often because it's so far away, comparatively. There is also a kids museum (Port Discovery) down in the same area, but I think it's better for 3 year olds and up. And yes, there are some really nice playgrounds, including at least a couple of tot lots that are quite popular for families to bring their kids. Lots of neat things for the kids to play with other than your usual swings and jungle gyms.

For the most part, if you're going to buy, it's probably cheaper to buy in the county because the taxes are lower. For rent, I think it could go either way. Friends of ours just moved closer to the city (but still in the county) and were able to find a nice place for their family. Anyway, if it does become a reality for you, definitely let me know and I'll try to help however I can. :)


Eileen

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Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[megs4413]

another St.Louisan here. I understand why you would struggle with the idea of moving to a city so different from ours. It's hard for me to imagine raising DD anywhere but here! I have some close friends who just made the move from Baltimore to St. Louis last year.They said the DC area is more fast-paced. Whatever that means. They also said it is more crowded, but they thought it was a good place to raise their kids. They also said they were excited to be moving here for the public schools. I don't know what district they lived in in Baltimore, but apparently Rockwood was a better choice for them. I don't know if that helps or not, but there it is anyway! Good luck! What are the rest of the ten? Just out of curiousity.

[Rachels]

I used to live in Baltimore and liked it! There are some great areas. It's pretty easy to get around, and there are a lot of smaller towns on the outskirts that are lovely as well. There are a lot of things to do, I think. It wouldn't be a terrible place to land!

-Rachel
Mama to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
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Nursed for three years!

and Ethan James
10/19/05
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"When you know better, you do better."
Maya

[JulieL]

Thanks for the replies! It's so hard to judge something you've never seen. Eileen, I'd love a chat, just shoot me you're number and when it's a good time to talk.