Help! best places to live

[Proverbs 16:3]

Alright, i was in baltimore and it's not like philly so i can't tell which place is a good area. I've heard of several areas: charles village, federal Hill, midtown, Mt Vernon, canton, Parkville, i'm also looking at a property at ednor gardens.

It's very confusing. Yes i live in philly which is high crime but i live dowtown which is very safe so i'm a little oblivious to the crime in this city since they do a good job keeping it out of center city. Anyway, i've heard horror stories about baltimore. People tell me that it's worse than the worse parts of philly.

I'm trying to decide on where to live. I'm a city girl, but i can live i the burbs as well. No, i do not like sketchy areas. You're likely to find me walking outside at 1am in philly and so i need somewhere safe. Oh, i don't think i'll be walking around at 1am in baltimore but i still need a safe neighborhood.

Anyway, which area would you guys suggest is good for me to live? which places are safe? i don't want a place where everyone in the neighborhood has been mugged or had their house broken into. If you need my stats to fit me somwhere, I'm a new grad, single, female, no kids, not pets. I don't want an isolated area; i like a place with movie theaters and stuff to do. i really need to make a decision fast. I saw one place in Ednor gardens i think i like, does anyone have info on the area?

For those of you who live in baltimore or the surrounding burbs, or if you've ever lived there, please share your opinions, good or bad, i'd love to hear them.

thx

[Jules A, MSN]

There was a piece on the news tonight about murders in Federal Hill. There've been two in 2 days.

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/16678765/detail.html

The area around Hopkins does not have a good reputation crime-wise either.

That is so unusual for that area. The houses on E. Montgomery sell for in the $500,000-1,000,000 range it is really one of the nicest addresses in Federal Hill.

[Proverbs 16:3]

Jules, I was considering the area around hopkins hospital. I'm looking at a bunch of places at the current moment. Thanks for letting me know the area isn't the best place. I appreciate your input.

zahryia, thanks for the info about that high rise and those other neighborhoods you provided. I thought that was very helpful. Yes the place is so darn close to mercy but i don't like dealing with nasty managment. My current one here is good and i'd like to deal with nice people when i get there.

*ac*, thanks for the nice article....kinda creeps me out a little bit:stone.

How much would you guys consider decent rent? I know rent varies among neighborhoods so how much do you think i can expect to pay? i mean i wouldn't rent an apartment for $800 in north philly because i can do better in a safer neighborhood and likewise, houses in north philly are cheap. Of course, houses dowtown tend to run very high but that's the nature of the market.

Do you guys have any advice for living in baltimore? Moving two states away almost feels like moving to a different country.

Thanks to everyone of you for your helpful suggestions so far.

[marylandnurse2b]

I don't think anywhere right around Hopkins Hospital is safe, at ALL. That is a very, very bad area. And there is no way in heck you should be walking around those streets at 1am.

Towson, for the burbs, is great, Charles Village is good, too. Federal Hill was all over the news this week, but I don't think that's the norm. It can be noisy there at night with people going to the bars, same with Canton (which is an area you should check out in the city) and Fells Point. I think the new condos near Fells Point look pretty nice and that whole area has been really fixed up in the past 5-10 years.

We live right outside of Cockeysville and love it. If you work odd hours the commute downtown to Mercy or Hopkins wouldn't be bad. Parkville seems far to me. I think you're best bet is something off of 83 for commuting downtown. Towson has a college there so there are lots of rentals.

Have you looked at University Of Maryland Medical Center? That is a HUGE teaching hospital downtown. I know a couple people who work there and really like it.

I can't help much with rental prices because we've owned for so long.

[zahryia, LPN]

I don't think anywhere right around Hopkins Hospital is safe, at ALL. That is a very, very bad area. And there is no way in heck you should be walking around those streets at 1am.

Towson, for the burbs, is great, Charles Village is good, too. Federal Hill was all over the news this week, but I don't think that's the norm. It can be noisy there at night with people going to the bars, same with Canton (which is an area you should check out in the city) and Fells Point. I think the new condos near Fells Point look pretty nice and that whole area has been really fixed up in the past 5-10 years.

We live right outside of Cockeysville and love it. If you work odd hours the commute downtown to Mercy or Hopkins wouldn't be bad. Parkville seems far to me. I think you're best bet is something off of 83 for commuting downtown. Towson has a college there so there are lots of rentals.

Have you looked at University Of Maryland Medical Center? That is a HUGE teaching hospital downtown. I know a couple people who work there and really like it.

I can't help much with rental prices because we've owned for so long.

Parkville is actualy just to the right of Towson...like 5 minutes away I actually commuted to both Hopkins and a job that was literally one block from Mercy, so I can tell you about both commutes.

Both of them are within 30 minutes taking the local streets. It's really not that bad.

As for rents, I would say Towson is anywhere from $800 to $1200 depending on how nice of an apartment you want. And Parkville is cheaper...like $700 to no more than $900 (if that). Also Parkville crosses both the county and city line. I can only vouch for Parkville on the county side (like around Perring Parkway and Putty Hill). My only issue with Parkville is that I find it incredibly boring.

Besides safety, what else are you looking for in a neighborhood?

BTW. I agree with the others who have said anywhere in the immediate area of John Hopkins hospital is not good:no:, however the area around Johns Hopkins University is nice. So make sure you clarify when you're searching apts.

[marylandnurse2b]

Oops, I had Parville and Parkton mixed up. You're right, that's not a bad commute at all.

[Proverbs 16:3]

marylandnures2b: Thanks for the info on UMMC. i'll check them out.

Zahryia: I'm very young so when it comes to neighborhoods, i'm not looking for an aging community. I just came out of college and i need a place where i can have a life. It just so happens i like to live in places where i don't have to hear police sirens every hour or loud music that just keeps me awake all night.

[zahryia, LPN]

marylandnures2b: Thanks for the info on UMMC. i'll check them out.

Zahryia: I'm very young so when it comes to neighborhoods, i'm not looking for an aging community. I just came out of college and i need a place where i can have a life. It just so happens i like to live in places where i don't have to hear police sirens every hour or loud music that just keeps me awake all night.

Then I'd recommend Towson. Good luck with your decision!

[Proverbs 16:3]

Thanks.

You guys were right. I did see the area around Hopkins yesterday. i looked at a really beautiful house i just fell in love with but the area is like the west part of west philly so i have to give it up. Most people at hopkins i spoke to yesterday suggested mt vernon, charles village, federal hill and the rest like you guys mentioned.

I'm not looking to spend over a $1000 if it has to be my own place so i hope i find a place or if you guys know of some place that's up for rent, please let me know.

Thank you all again for your great, very helpful, responses.

[Jules A, MSN]

You could also check Highlandtown which is still reasonable and starting to become a bit more hip.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

sounds fabulous but i'm betting expensive.

actually, not so much. we live in a townhouse, though, with "only" 1300 square feet. a lot of folks seem to require much bigger houses. we bought our townhouse after it had been a rental for a number of years and spent two months repainting, refinishing and installing new floors. it paid off. we love our home, and have to laugh when we see how much other homes in our development are going for even now!

[Proverbs 16:3]

Thanks to all of you for the responses. Luckily or unluckily, depending on how you look at it, i can't start in july because i couldn't get a date for my physical so i'll start work in august. Problem is; i'm still looking for an apt. it's insane...i found one place in canton i liked but i waited for a couple of days before driving down to baltimore and the place had been taken by the time i got there. i'm more of a city person but i'm looking at the exburbs as well as the suburbs, too.

Has anyone seen a for rent sign in a good neighborhood? pm me the phone number.

thx

I find myself coming to baltimore a lot more these days just to look at houses/apartments. I almost feel like i should rent a 1br in the high rise by mercy and get a life cuz it's soo much money coming from philly to baltimore. Not to mention the time getting around all the various places in baltimore.

[gab.rielle]

Hello!

Check out www.apartments.com !

They have an awesome search engine and ways to contact great apartment complex admin offices! You can even narrow down the search according to pets/no pets, pools, parking, A/C, RENT PRICES, apartment sizes etc! (studio size apartments are so reasonable!) Baltimore City and surrounding areas have the most complex buildings but they have apartment listings for anywhere in the US.

-gab.rielle