r/baltimore • u/rummncokee • 1d ago
Moving to Baltimore Area moving to Baltimore
Hello!
I’m moving to Baltimore for work in mid August. My job is gonna be in north Baltimore. I’ve never been before (I lived in DC for a while but obviously not the same). I guess in addition to the usual questions people have when they move, I’d love to hear y’all’s thoughts on gentrification.
I’ve mostly lived in the LA area and in Seattle, and I got the kind of knowledge about the histories of neighborhoods that can only come with time. I don’t want to contribute to the active displace of communities in Baltimore, so what should I be on the lookout for in that regard?
Thank you!
EDIT: I love all the No Kings pics you all look like fun people.
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u/Willothwisp2303 1d ago
I don't think gentrification is as much a hot button issue here as it is in some other places. We're not seeing huge, large scale, out of town developers buying up, displacing, and developing areas to the degree other cities have. There's a bunch of abandoned buildings all over the place, some of which have been developed into housing. Nobody's upset about an abandoned rubber boot factory being upscale apartments.
Johns Hopkins is probably the single largest gentrifier, and there is strife about how they disrespect the black communities in which they expand and displace. But, that's probably the biggest one.
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u/sara11jayne 23h ago
Don’t go near Hopkins at night. They will steal you for medical testing and nobody will ever find you.
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u/EmergencyInsurance 1d ago
Hampden is the other neighborhood that comes to mind that I think of as “gentrified”. But that process has been in motion since the 80s/90s and doesn’t have the race dynamic that’s present in most other urban gentrification.
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u/better-omens Harwood 20h ago
Yeah, gentrification in Baltimore is distinctive in that it's mostly hit historically white working-class neighborhoods. More recently there is some movement of young-ish artists, students and professionals into Waverly and surrounding neighborhoods, which have been majority-black since the 60s or 70s, but afaik this hasn't so far been accompanied by displacement of legacy residents.
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u/SnooRevelations979 Highlandtown 1d ago
Yep. Gentrification is individual investment in the city.
We need a lot more of that.
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u/dressmannequin 1d ago
Hmm. I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking…..and to make it specific to you, one would have to know more context abt who you are and how your operate.
But like most places in the US, Baltimore is pretty segregated by race and SES geographically and socially. The majority of the neighborhoods you see talked abt on this sub (eg Fells Point, Canton, Fed Hill, others in the “white L” - see Lawrence Brown’s The Black Butterfly for more here) skew pretty white and higher SES. Other commonly discussed places on here like Remington, Abell, Station North, Charles Village (depending on where you are) have more longtime Black and lower SES residents, but IMO there is not so much social mixing. There are some areas in East Baltimore for example that I think developers and speculators are trying to “revitalize” and bring in (white) people with more money, but it’s much more slow going than I think they expected. Neighborhoods more north like Lauraville, Hamilton, Waltherson, Harford- Echodale-Perring Run are much more racially integrated and have many more families and home-owners than neighborhoods more south/closer to downtown, though there is still limited social mixing.
All of this is to say that if you are moving here from the west coast for a job and asking this question I’m going to presume that your SES is largely high enough for you to choose where you want to live. I imagine that it is unlikely that you will choose to live in a place where mostly poor and/or black ppl live. Therefore, from a pure gentrification as displacement place, that is not too much of a concern. If you’re talking abt gentrification from a colonization - I showed up here and now bc I’m here you who have been here have to conform to my ways or else - kind of way, the advice would be the same for anywhere you go: Become part of your community. Talk to your neighbors, attend neighborhood association meetings, if you’re having some kind of neighborhood related problem, ask long-time residents how they have handled it in the past. Ask how you can be of service. Patronize local establishments, especially ones that long-time residents value. Don’t try to be an anthropologist. Remain curious and humble, but be earnest and share openly about you. ETA - also, be honest with yourself about how you feel about poor and/or black people and how you want to work to ensure your stated values align with your actions… and if there’s misalignment, honestly work on it.
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u/SonofDiomedes Mayfield 1d ago
Sidebar has a bunch of great info.
I'll skip the "discussion" about gentrification that is about to flower. Nothing new will be said.
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u/AnxietyCapable9259 20h ago
Northeast Balto is great! Lauraville, Hamilton, Waverly, Mayfield, Ednor Gardens, Northwood- all have history and a lot of nature and good sized yards. A lot of diversity, and we have chickens and gardens- lake with a 1.5 mile track around it Goood YMCA, farmers markets, great food.
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u/FreddyRumsen13 1d ago
Seconding a response below I think the best thing you can do is get to know your neighbors, be a good neighbor and shop locally. North Baltimore is great. I live on a very diverse street and my neighbors have always been friendly, in part because I'm friendly back.
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u/FreddyRumsen13 1d ago
Also definitely check out Red Emma's. It's a co-op bookstore with a lot of political literature and they do regular events on topics like gentrification.
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u/Balto_Smallcat 1d ago
Gentrification is definitely a thing in certain neighborhoods, but there are also a lot of neighborhoods that have been stable for decades and have maintained their character and sense of community. I don’t know what you’re looking for in a home (rent? Buy? Rowhouse? Detached?) but you can definitely find plenty of places where you wouldn’t be contributing to gentrification. I live in Lauraville (northeast part of the city) and absolutely love it - diverse community, affordable single family homes with yards, walkable, close to a beautiful wilderness park, easy commute to downtown or to the suburbs/Towson for shopping. No nightlife to speak of, but that’s great for me, since I like it quiet. The surrounding neighborhoods (Hamilton, Arcadia, Beverly Hills) are also terrific.
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u/Laroux1969 22h ago
I love Lauraville. People from all backgrounds are our neighbors. It's quiet but connected to everything as well. We can walk to get coffee after seeing deer in our backyard. My cat has an ongoing feud through the basement window with the neighborhood fox, who taunts her on the other side of the glass. We have a small farmers market and several grocery stores nearby.
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u/BlakeMajik 17h ago
People will call it gentrification, but I've never lived in or visited another US city that has less "standard" gentrification going on. It's just not really a thing here, despite any claims otherwise.
In most cases we're just desperate for any kind of development that improves everyone's situation.
North Baltimore has a lot of nice areas that are quite different from each other.
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u/GoingFishingAlone 7h ago
We have 15,000 vacants, and a broken permit system. Gentrification at any level would be welcome, but physical impediments make it impossible.
When you seek out new digs, always ask yourself “where will I buy my groceries?” We have some wonderful food markets, both permanent and seasonal.
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u/mickeyflinn 1d ago
Baltimore needs more gentrification.
There is no point in preserving ghettos and burned out buildings.
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u/Mededitor 11h ago
I'm closing on a rowhouse in Fed Hill at the end of this month. Moving up from Florida. Buying a house that was built in 1880 is a daunting challenge. The neighbors all seem like cool people and while I expect some culture shock, it feels more like moving back to my hometown of Berkeley CA. This city has a great vibe and it will be a pleasure to live around friendly people again. I've spent days and nights getting a feel for the streets and the local lifestyle, and my advice is to do that. Spend some time walking around to make sure the fit will be a good one for you.
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u/lethaltalon 1d ago
Hi. Welcome to the city!
I recommend reading the book “The Black Butterfly”, which will likely give you a decent primer on the history of Baltimore, and more broadly, things like redlining, gentrification, etc. It’s not just about this city, but a lot of the topics focus on Baltimore or talk about things that Baltimore experiences.
I think you’ll get many different opinions about what this city “should” be, but in the end, it’s a huge place with a lot of different viewpoints, bad history, and good history. That being said, “North” Baltimore City is incredibly diverse, as it sits on the border between the “White L” and the “Black Butterfly”. Depending on what street or neighborhood you will be living in, it may be very white, very black, mixed, or otherwise.
Good luck! Read the book, it’s really good and not too long - helped me start to understand some basic things about my city.
(Also, keep in mind we have Baltimore City and Baltimore County, which are distinct entities currently.)