Author Topic: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer  (Read 6442 times)

Gin1984

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Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« on: February 14, 2019, 07:52:01 PM »
A couple years back my family and I moved to Iowa for my husband to take a visiting professorship, well he has just been offered a tenure track job beginning next August in Baltimore so we are moving again.  I remember how helpful everyone was last time I had questions, so I thought I'd ask here again?
I've been to Baltimore once, my friend lived there.  I've lived on east coast so I'm aware of Wegmans...
Otherwise any all information is welcome and appreciated.

CanuckExpat

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2019, 11:10:28 PM »
It is fun and quirky city. I lived there in grad school and quite liked it. Ups and downs to the city, as you can imagine. 
Do you have specific questions? Are you going to live in the city or suburbs? Do you have children and/or schools to worry about?

There is a meetup thread: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/baltimore/

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2019, 06:11:04 AM »
It is fun and quirky city. I lived there in grad school and quite liked it. Ups and downs to the city, as you can imagine. 
Do you have specific questions? Are you going to live in the city or suburbs? Do you have children and/or schools to worry about?

There is a meetup thread: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/baltimore/
As of now our plan is to live in Towson as it is near DH's work but we are still in the fact gathering stage.  We have two daughters, one in daycare and one in school. We feel strongly about private school and think we know where we want the oldest to go, but not so much for the youngest, but again we are still in fact finding right now.
I don't really have specific questions, just more information gathering.  Thanks for the meetup thread, it would be nice to meet new people. :)

AMandM

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2019, 08:29:28 AM »
Congrats to your husband!  Those tenure-track jobs are not easy to land!

Baltimore used to have very ethnically-defined neighbourhoods and suburbs. That's diminished, and it doesn't apply to newer-built developments, but it's still a place with a fair amount of ethnic pride and also racial tension. You might want to think about what kind of neighborhood you want and ask the folks on the meetup thread for specific suggestions. Personally I love the architecture of the areas near downtown, but that would be a bear of a commute to Towson.

StarBright

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2019, 08:47:47 AM »
I also lived in Baltimore during grad school and my first years out in the working world. It is a great city and I often miss living there. I still get to go back frequently for work.

Towson is nice. It is a straight shot into Baltimore from Towson town center down York Road/Greenmount, has a ton of convenient shopping, schools are fine etc. Is your DH at Towson U?

If you tried to live in Towson town center area, anything you need would be walkable. There are sidewalks through most of that area.

I lived in a few northern neighborhoods of Baltimore City (Charles Village, Hampden, Waverly) and downtown in Mount Vernon. AMandM is very right about the defined neighborhoods of Baltimore. I think it is one of the best features of the city, but it means you also have a be a bit careful about where you plunk down.

Congrats to your family! feel free to ask any questions, I worked in Owings Mills and my husband worked in Towson, so we are pretty familiar with the area.

ETA: I saw your note about private schools. I have friends who taught at both Garrison Forrest and Roland Park and both schools are absolutely fantastic. One of my coworkers has their kids at McDonogh and is also very pleased. Note that the traffic in Owings Mills is absolutely awful!
« Last Edit: February 15, 2019, 08:57:55 AM by StarBright »

StarBright

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2019, 09:01:19 AM »
And here is your judgemental Baltimore Map:

https://judgmentalmaps.com/post/84140769295/baltimore

It's not PC but it is not wrong. Except for the scary mall that has the Target. The Target closed.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2019, 09:02:59 AM by StarBright »

Laura33

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2019, 09:11:52 AM »
Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Laura33

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2019, 09:15:56 AM »
And here is your judgemental Baltimore Map:

https://judgmentalmaps.com/post/84140769295/baltimore

It's not PC but it is not wrong. Except for the scary mall that has the Target. The Target closed.

OMG.  Yeah.  It's not wrong.

Loretta

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2019, 07:16:00 PM »
I had never heard of Judgemental Maps before, thank you!  They have northern VA pegged. 

Re Baltimore, I’ve enjoyed the art museum very much and a very eclectic diner called the Paper Moon.  It was featured on on of travel channels I think—very colorful.

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #9 on: February 16, 2019, 04:23:40 PM »
I did think of one specific question I had... Where would I find decent used clothes for my girls?

StarBright

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #10 on: February 16, 2019, 07:52:34 PM »
There are a ton of Goodwills - for adult clothes I've always found the best quality at the Reisterstown and Timonium ones.

I think the only Once Upon a Child is in Ellicott City.

Arundel Mills is also a decent outlet mall/regular weird giant super mall.

Unrelated to children's clothes, but very mustachian -  if you like reading you must check out the Book Thing in Charles Village.
https://bookthing.org/

ETA- when I lived there, there was a thriving craigslist and freecycle culture. I bought bagsfull of maternity clothes on craigslist for next to nothing - but that was almost a decade ago now. Still worth checking out for kids clothes and furniture. Also tons of furniture auctions as you get into Western MD.

Oohh this is making me miss Baltimore and surrounding areas! It is such a fun town. It really does have its own personality. Have fun exploring!

« Last Edit: February 16, 2019, 08:04:55 PM by StarBright »

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #11 on: February 18, 2019, 06:48:28 AM »
My favorite TV series ever was about B-more.

"The Wire", give it a watch, and remember "it's all in the game."

historienne

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #12 on: February 18, 2019, 10:39:00 AM »
Welcome to Bmore!  I also moved here for a tenure-track job, although sounds like at a different institution.

I have heard great things about the on-campus daycare at Towson, if that's an option for you.  Can I ask why private school?  Baltimore county schools are generally considered pretty great.  If I wanted to live in Towson, I'd buy in Rodgers Forge and and my kids to public. If you are dead set on private, I would agree with looking within the city limits for a cheaper house.  Personally, I'm not a fan of Towson, or of the suburbs generally.  The Towson Y has a great family pool, though. 

Also, depending on the specific private school, you should act fast.  Application deadlines for the competitive ones were in Dec/Jan.  You've also missed charter deadlines at this point.

On city schools being "mixed at best" - strong disagreement here.  There are some great schools in the city.  And not just the big names (Roland Park, Mt Washington, etc).  On the north side of the city, I have friends whose kids are having good experiences at Hampden, Medfield, and Garrett Heights.  There are definitely schools I wouldn't send my kid to, but there are lots of strong options.   

Used kids clothes: there's a high-end consignment store on York Road (Lily Pad), and a Once Upon a Child in Ellicot City and Glen Burnie, and a Kid to Kid up in Bel Air.  But agree that Facebook groups are much more convenient.  Look for Mobtown Mommies: The Exchange. 

Sorry, Wegmans is also only way out in the suburbs. 

Feel free to PM me for more school info.  We looked extensively at a range of private and charter options before sending our kids to our local zoned public school in the city. 

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #13 on: February 18, 2019, 06:21:37 PM »
We have already reached out to the schools are interested in for next year, but thank you for the info about how quickly some close up.  We do plan to rent in Towson and when we buy it may be somewhere completely different, especially depending on where I find a job.
We are not comfortable living in white enclaves however, my husband and daughters are not white and I do not want my daughters to feel like they are different for the color their skin.  It is one of the reasons we are moving back to a big city.
Side question, if Wegmans is just in suburbs, what grocery stores are in the city?

Bird In Hand

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #14 on: February 18, 2019, 06:39:54 PM »
My favorite TV series ever was about B-more.

"The Wire", give it a watch, and remember "it's all in the game."

With apologies to OP...one of my favorite SNL segments, Norm MacDonald's "Larry King's News and Views" circa 1997:

"Baltimore is a dirty, ugly city"

CanuckExpat

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #15 on: February 18, 2019, 08:55:54 PM »
Regarding groceries, if it's not too far out, check out H Mart in Catonsville (asian grocery store). There is also a Patel Brothers near there for ethnic food from the subcontinent if either is handy to have. Cheap prices too, fruit you can't always get in mainstream grocery stores.

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #16 on: February 18, 2019, 09:15:55 PM »
Regarding groceries, if it's not too far out, check out H Mart in Catonsville (asian grocery store). There is also a Patel Brothers near there for ethnic food from the subcontinent if either is handy to have. Cheap prices too, fruit you can't always get in mainstream grocery stores.
Seriously awesome!

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #17 on: February 18, 2019, 09:16:53 PM »
There are a couple Whole Foods in the city, local chains Eddies and Grauls on the higher end, Giant and Safeway a little less fancy, shoppers and Aldi for the discount folks. I don’t think there’s a Trader Joe’s in the city proper but there’s certainly one in Towson, plus a Fresh Market. Harris Teeter is in town but not handy to the neighborhoods you’re likely looking at... we are not short of food!
I've never been to a Giants but I've heard it is good, I'll check it out!

StarBright

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #18 on: February 18, 2019, 09:48:40 PM »
seconding H Mart! I also highly recommend the 32 Street Farmer's Market (year round!). http://www.32ndstreetmarket.org/

CanuckExpat

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #19 on: February 18, 2019, 09:56:05 PM »
Also the downtown Farmers Market, not year round, but you haven't been to a farmers market until you've been to one underneath a highway ;)

historienne

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #20 on: February 19, 2019, 10:10:59 AM »
We are not comfortable living in white enclaves however, my husband and daughters are not white and I do not want my daughters to feel like they are different for the color their skin.  It is one of the reasons we are moving back to a big city.

I feel similarly, but that is a big part of the reason we live in the city and use public schools.  Roland Park, Mt Washington, Medfield and Garrett Heights are majority-minority schools.  Even Hampden is only 62% white, 38% minority.  The only private schools in the area that I know about that approach that level of racial diversity are Catholic, which is a non-starter for my family.  Park, which is the 'progressive' private school in the area, is 68% white.  Most of the other privates with good academics are significantly whiter than that - Friends is 75%, etc. Wilkes is an exception, but it's located downtown, so not going to be convenient from Towson.

As for white enclaves, those exist for sure - including in Towson.  Even if you don't plan on using the public schools, I'd check the demographics of the local zoned school to get a sense of the racial mix of the various neighborhoods.  Towson is whiter than the city, by a big margin, although perhaps less starkly segregated.  The specifics matter here; living in Baltimore as a black person feels different from living here as an Asian person, because the racial history of the area has been deeply structured by specific forms of anti-black racism. 

FWIW, we live in one of the 'white enclaves' mentioned above and have both black and Asian families on our block; parts of of these neighborhoods have gone through rapid demographic transformations recently.  It's also true that the neighborhoods around Hopkins and Loyola have lots of faculty and similar types; most of the white people are the 'do-gooder liberal' sort (which does not, I realize, preclude racism - but it's the kind of place where lots of white people have Black Lives Matter signs in their yards, to give a sense of the culture).  This map of voting in the 2016 election gives a reasonably good political lay of the land: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/upshot/election-2016-voting-precinct-maps.html#11.80/39.320/-76.620/35901.
My point here is not that Democrats can't be racists; more that given how Democratic Maryland is overall, the red zones on the map are a pretty accurate representations of places I wouldn't be excited to live as a minority.

On the flipside, to really prioritize racial diversity and a family-friendly neighborhood, my first choices would be Bolton Hill (there are affordable pockets), Reservoir Hill, and Hamilton-Lauraville and surrounding areas in the northeast of the city. 

And one more thing on schools - it's true that the flagship schools are oversubscribed and you need to live in the boundaries to get in.  It's also true that there are plenty of genuinely bad schools.  But you don't need to live in-zone to send your kid to Hampden or Garrett Heights, and probably not Medfield either.  Plus lots of other good places that aren't as convenient to Towson (Mt Royal, Cecil, etc).
« Last Edit: February 19, 2019, 10:28:35 AM by historienne »

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #21 on: February 19, 2019, 05:43:15 PM »
Oh yes very nice farmers markets and some old indoor markets still, various stages of proposed or completed renovation. And I forgot the newish MOMs at the Rotunda for all your hippie needs :-)

The location call will def depend on where and what you want to do for work; can you say what that is? Happy to start poking the networks if it connects with any of mine.
Thank you for the offer. I work for a vaccine company right now as someone who improves processes, my last job was as a researcher.  I am looking at research or quality control. It looks like many jobs are in Sparks, MD.

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #22 on: February 20, 2019, 06:33:22 PM »
Hmm my only connection to that world moved to Germany a few years ago - but I'll keep an ear out. It's definitely the kind of gig where you won't likely have to consider the logistics of a DC commute though, so that buys you some flex.

I think despite our varying degrees of rosiness on city schools our historian and I can agree that it is hard to make housing or educational choices in Baltimore that are not informed by and partly in response to the history of race and racism in and around the city. It's not always comfortable, but it is a place where most of the time you can have open conversations about it, and where it is not hard to find community. I think that much of the city tries to do the work to pull us back from the worst parts of that legacy - but it's a lot. (If you are looking for a read _Not In My Neighborhood_ is the usual recommendation; not light going but fascinating- for frugality points the library has a zillion copies. For booster points Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library was the first public lending library in the country, and some say the world!). I will spare the personal finance board more of my thoughts on the topic :-)

If money was no object and I was going private I'd think about Bryn Mawr for your girls (certainly majority white but I believe not Roland Park Country School (not to be confused with the public Roland Park Elementary-Middle school across the street, the oversubscribed but great flagship mentioned above) levels of old cash attitude, and I know black girls who have had good experiences there; well resourced academically, nice facilities). But it sounds like you have some ideas in hand already.
Bryn Mawr does look like nice but seriously outside my price range.  With two kids, it would be half my budget! That said, trying to find all of this from far away is hard and I am so grateful for everyone's help.

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #23 on: March 24, 2019, 08:35:45 PM »
We move in 10-18 weeks, I'm packing away and applying to jobs!  Slow but steady wins the race right?

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #24 on: April 08, 2019, 10:41:56 AM »
We move in 10-18 weeks, I'm packing away and applying to jobs!  Slow but steady wins the race right?
I just got a call where they are interested in me, but they want to move fast and have me out mid-May.  They are concerned I won't be able to find a place that soon.  How do I reassure?
And does anyone here have a line on a short term rental?  I really only need one bedroom to split with my infant.

historienne

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #25 on: April 08, 2019, 02:16:33 PM »
When we moved here, we did an AirBnB for a month while finding a longer-term rental.  It was more expensive than going straight to something already set up, but not insanely so. 

Going to PM you something else.

Edit: If you end up looking in Baltimore proper for AirBnBs, feel free to post here or PM me for feedback on the areas.  There are some parts of the city I wouldn't much want to live in, even for a month.  But also plenty of places that are not fancy, but perfectly safe.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2019, 02:27:26 PM by historienne »

JustK

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #26 on: April 10, 2019, 07:57:36 AM »
I have nothing of value to add, not knowing anything about Baltimore (though I also loved "The Wire").  But congratulations to your family for a new and exciting opportunity!

And, @StarBright , thank you for sharing Judgemental Maps.  I can attest that it is 100% accurate for Tampa Bay! :)

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #27 on: April 10, 2019, 07:37:35 PM »
Congrats on the job interest! Looking in April for housing in May shouldn’t be too bad; might be less disruptive to go ahead and get a 1-2br and just stay there til your partner comes out, presumably in June, and give yourselves the rest of the lease before worrying about buying? If not your best bet will be a finished basement - sections of the city built in the 50s-70s often have nice ones. Maybe Rogers forge or lake walker, chinquapin park/ramblewood to stay handy to the northside universities and affordable.

Also happy to share unvarnished neighborhood thoughts if you’re trying to rule options in or out!
RockeTree, the reason for looking for a short term rental is they normally come furnished or semi-furnished which will help us.  My daughter's daycare is in Parkville area so I'm hoping to find something nearish to there.  We do want to rent for the first two years before buying, though even if I rent a room or one bedroom first or not.

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #28 on: August 17, 2019, 03:04:11 PM »
We have arrived in Towson. Does anyone have a recommendation for a mechanic?

CU Tiger

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #29 on: August 20, 2019, 11:33:42 AM »
Paul's Automotive at 6318 Falls Rd, inside the beltway.
(410) 324-7155

Gin1984

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #30 on: August 21, 2019, 10:09:15 PM »
Paul's Automotive at 6318 Falls Rd, inside the beltway.
(410) 324-7155
Thanks!

StarBright

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #31 on: August 22, 2019, 07:30:29 AM »
Yay! Enjoy Bmore and Towson and the whole area. I found it to be a wonderful area to live.

noplaceliketheroad

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #32 on: August 22, 2019, 08:59:44 PM »
Haven't been, but one of my fave writers lives in and writes about Baltimore - Laura Lippman. Her Tess Monaghan series is fantastic - about a private investigator. I've learned a ton about Baltimore from the books and really want to visit! She does a great job of making you feel like you're in the city - which may be fun to read before you get there!

iris lily

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Re: Moving to Baltimore MD this summer
« Reply #33 on: August 23, 2019, 11:28:59 AM »
My favorite TV series ever was about B-more.

"The Wire", give it a watch, and remember "it's all in the game."

Baltimore’s city architecture is the closest to St. Louis I’ve ever seen. Pittsburgh seems also fairly close.

Those housing projects in The Wire are exactly what I have two blocks from my house. I watched that show in horrified fascination. In real life here the people in the projects are still shooting each other and dealing the drugs.

It never changes. There has been a rash of them killing their own kids as well. Where is Omar when we need him.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!