Is Baltimore really such a dump, or does TV make it look so

[davestar]

oh please. does anyone understand how cities work? to some degree or another, cities have large concentrations of poor people. in those areas, there is a significant amount of crime and drug use. when you quote average incomes, housing prices, crime rates, etc for an entire city, those numbers are likely to be worse than in the surrounding suburbs for nearly any city in the world. that analysis completely misses street-level reality.

if you look at the neighborhoods in baltimore that an average ATOT'er (or any young professional) would be interested in living or hanging out in, it's a pretty attractive city. the average house in Bmore's decent neighborhoods is probably in the $250k-$300k range. compare that to the MD average of $318k and you'd say that even Bmore's nicer areas can't compare to the rest of MD. but when you consider that an average Bmore house has no yard and is half the size of a suburban house, it's obvious that people are paying a premium to live in the city. that makes sense - Bmore has the best restaurants, bars, theaters, shops, farmers markets, concert venues, museums, etc in the state of Maryland - the richest state in the country. This article from a couple weeks ago lists Bmore as the best city in America for recent college grads.

baltimore has plenty of issues and i do complain about it a fair bit, but at the end of the day its the only place in the state that i'd want to live in.

 

[shocksyde]

oh please. does anyone understand how cities work? to some degree or another, cities have large concentrations of poor people. in those areas, there is a significant amount of crime and drug use. when you quote average incomes, housing prices, crime rates, etc for an entire city, those numbers are likely to be worse than in the surrounding suburbs for nearly any city in the world. that analysis completely misses street-level reality.

if you look at the neighborhoods in baltimore that an average ATOT'er (or any young professional) would be interested in living or hanging out in, it's a pretty attractive city. the average house in Bmore's decent neighborhoods is probably in the $250k-$300k range. compare that to the MD average of $318k and you'd say that even Bmore's nicer areas can't compare to the rest of MD. but when you consider that an average Bmore house has no yard and is half the size of a suburban house, it's obvious that people are paying a premium to live in the city. that makes sense - Bmore has the best restaurants, bars, theaters, shops, farmers markets, concert venues, museums, etc in the state of Maryland - the richest state in the country. This article from a couple weeks ago lists Bmore as the best city in America for recent college grads.

baltimore has plenty of issues and i do complain about it a fair bit, but at the end of the day its the only place in the state that i'd want to live in.

In addition to the above points, it's a REALLY FUN city. Many bar districts and tons of great live music.

 

[dpodblood]

According to this article it's the 8th most dangerous city in America.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national...st-dangerous-cities-in-america/239513/#slide3

 

[ShawnD1]

oh please. does anyone understand how cities work? to some degree or another, cities have large concentrations of poor people. in those areas, there is a significant amount of crime and drug use. when you quote average incomes, housing prices, crime rates, etc for an entire city, those numbers are likely to be worse than in the surrounding suburbs for nearly any city in the world. that analysis completely misses street-level reality.

How does it miss reality? Shit hole cities with no money tend to be shit holes. Economic depression is a major cause of crime.

AOL says baltimore's average income is $35k. link.
AOL says seattle's average income is $51k. link
I would go out on a limb and assume Seattle is a safer place to be.

 

[davestar]

How does it miss reality? Shit hole cities with no money tend to be shit holes. Economic depression is a major cause of crime.

AOL says baltimore's average income is $35k. link.
AOL says seattle's average income is $51k. link
I would go out on a limb and assume Seattle is a safer place to be.

alrighty, i guess we're ignoring everything i said about the utility of city-wide averages vs neighborhood averages. this is bound to be a productive conversation...

seattle has a leg up on baltimore in many regards. does that mean that every city (and every neighborhood) that is below the "seattle threshold" is a shithole?

over the past few days in baltimore i walked to a free happy hour held in a 100 year old 300ft clock tower and toured the dozens of artist studios housed inside. i had some drinks at a bar that has 100 beers on tap, many of which can't be found at any other bar or store within a few hundred miles. i also walked up to a park and had a potluck picnic with about 20 friends in the shade of a 120 year old pagoda on the site of a War of 1812 battlefield. but yeah, i guess baltimore is a shithole.

if all you care about is safety, find a gated community indistinguishable from thousands of others across the country and stay there... except for trips out to TGI Fridays and Walmart, of course.

 

[lxskllr]

alrighty, i guess we're ignoring everything i said about the utility of city-wide averages vs neighborhood averages. this is bound to be a productive conversation...

seattle has a leg up on baltimore in many regards. does that mean that every city (and every neighborhood) that is below the "seattle threshold" is a shithole?

over the past few days in baltimore i walked to a free happy hour held in a 100 year old 300ft clock tower and toured the dozens of artist studios housed inside. i had some drinks at a bar that has 100 beers on tap, many of which can't be found at any other bar or store within a few hundred miles. i also walked up to a park and had a potluck picnic with about 20 friends in the shade of a 120 year old pagoda on the site of a War of 1812 battlefield. but yeah, i guess baltimore is a shithole.

if all you care about is safety, find a gated community indistinguishable from thousands of others across the country and stay there... except for trips out to TGI Fridays and Walmart, of course.

A+

Baltimore's alright. I'm not much into the urban scene, but I've always had a good time in Baltimore. I've wandered around in no condition to be anywhere, and felt perfectly safe. As long as you don't sell crack on North Ave, you're unlikely to get shot ;^)

 

[Chess]

Bodymore, Murdaland i love it... b-more is great

 

[ShawnD1]

A+

Baltimore's alright. I'm not much into the urban scene, but I've always had a good time in Baltimore. I've wandered around in no condition to be anywhere, and felt perfectly safe. As long as you don't sell crack on North Ave, you're unlikely to get shot ;^)

Yeah but that's the problem. In Seattle I can sell as much crack as I want and I won't get shot.

 

[Chess]

How does it miss reality? Shit hole cities with no money tend to be shit holes. Economic depression is a major cause of crime.

AOL says baltimore's average income is $35k. link.
AOL says seattle's average income is $51k. link
I would go out on a limb and assume Seattle is a safer place to be.

and citing a source such as AOL is a fucking joke

 

[SP33Demon]

alrighty, i guess we're ignoring everything i said about the utility of city-wide averages vs neighborhood averages. this is bound to be a productive conversation...

seattle has a leg up on baltimore in many regards. does that mean that every city (and every neighborhood) that is below the "seattle threshold" is a shithole?

over the past few days in baltimore i walked to a free happy hour held in a 100 year old 300ft clock tower and toured the dozens of artist studios housed inside. i had some drinks at a bar that has 100 beers on tap, many of which can't be found at any other bar or store within a few hundred miles. i also walked up to a park and had a potluck picnic with about 20 friends in the shade of a 120 year old pagoda on the site of a War of 1812 battlefield. but yeah, i guess baltimore is a shithole.

if all you care about is safety, find a gated community indistinguishable from thousands of others across the country and stay there... except for trips out to TGI Fridays and Walmart, of course.

Just be sure to wrap it up if you're going to have sex.

According to the CDC, Maryland had the 12th highest rate on syphilis in the U.S. in 2009 at 5.2 cases per 100,000 population, compared to the U.S. rate of 4.6. In 2009, there were 23,474 cases of Chlamydia reported in Maryland with a rate of 421.5 per 100,000 population. The national Chlamydia rate for the same period was 409.2. During 2009, 6,395 Marylanders reported cases of gonorrhea with a rate of 113.5 per 100,000 population compared with a national rate of 99.1.

In Maryland, infection rates for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, are consistently higher than the national average.

http://dhmh.maryland.gov/pressreleases/2011/pr040611.html

Baltimore city was 3X the national average rate when it comes to the CLAP in 2009 (1221.3 vs 409):
http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/2009_ct_table-agegroup-by-jurisdiction.pdf

In fact, Baltimore racked up 1/2 the number of CLAP cases in all of the rest of MD (@ 4X higher rate of infection).
Dirty ass city.

 

[shocksyde]

Just be sure to wrap it up if you're going to have sex.

http://dhmh.maryland.gov/pressreleases/2011/pr040611.html

Baltimore city was 3X the national average rate when it comes to the CLAP in 2009 (1221.3 vs 409):
http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/2009_ct_table-agegroup-by-jurisdiction.pdf

In fact, Baltimore racked up 1/2 the number of CLAP cases in all of the rest of MD (@ 4X higher rate of infection).
Dirty ass city.

I don't see why STD numbers make any difference. If you're not having safe sex, you're an idiot. No matter where you are.

 

[ShawnD1]

Just be sure to wrap it up if you're going to have sex.

http://dhmh.maryland.gov/pressreleases/2011/pr040611.html

Baltimore city was 3X the national average rate when it comes to the CLAP in 2009 (1221.3 vs 409):
http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/2009_ct_table-agegroup-by-jurisdiction.pdf

In fact, Baltimore racked up 1/2 the number of CLAP cases in all of the rest of MD (@ 4X higher rate of infection).
Dirty ass city.

Whoa that sucks. Not everyone sells crack in a stabby area, but everyone (not including Trident) has sex.


Just wait for it. Someone will quote you and say
"oh yeah well if you use protection it's not a problem"
"stay out of crime areas and it's not a problem"
"you wouldn't get raped if you didn't dress like a slut"
and so on

 

[Chess]

Just be sure to wrap it up if you're going to have sex.

http://dhmh.maryland.gov/pressreleases/2011/pr040611.html

Baltimore city was 3X the national average rate when it comes to the CLAP in 2009 (1221.3 vs 409):
http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/2009_ct_table-agegroup-by-jurisdiction.pdf

In fact, Baltimore racked up 1/2 the number of CLAP cases in all of the rest of MD (@ 4X higher rate of infection).
Dirty ass city.

I believe in spreading aids to everyone

 

[shocksyde]

I believe in spreading aids to everyone

Sharing is caring!

 

[Chess]

I don't see why STD numbers make any difference. If you're not having safe sex, you're an idiot. No matter where you are.

Are you kidding me... safe sex is boring... i prefer multiple STD's they are fun:whiste:

 

[Chess]

Sharing is caring!

you feel me on that *beer for you buddy*

 

[shocksyde]

Whoa that sucks. Not everyone sells crack in a stabby area, but everyone (not including Trident) has sex.


Just wait for it. Someone will quote you and say
"oh yeah well if you use protection it's not a problem"
"stay out of crime areas and it's not a problem"
"you wouldn't get raped if you didn't dress like a slut"
and so on

All are incredibly valid arguments. If you dress like a slut, your chances of being raped skyrocket. If you have unsafe sex, your chances of contracting an STD skyrocket. If you are hanging around a high-crime area, your chances of being the victim of crime skyrocket.

What's your point?

 

[shocksyde]

Are you kidding me... safe sex is boring... i prefer multiple STD's they are fun:whiste:

My AIDS has herpes.

 

[SP33Demon]

I don't see why STD numbers make any difference. If you're not having safe sex, you're an idiot. No matter where you are.

It could be argued that idiots are what makes a city a "dump". High STD rates are proof of that idiocy. Also:

May 23, 2011
FBI data: Baltimore retains top-5 murder rate

Despite a nearly across-the-board decline in crime, Baltimore maintained the fifth-highest murder rate in the country last year, according to preliminary data released Monday by the FBI.
...
Baltimore, which was also fifth in murder rate in 2009, last year trailed only New Orleans, Flint, Mich., St. Louis and Detroit, the latter of which also saw a steep decline in murders but couldn’t shake its top-five ranking.
...
For overall violent crime, Baltimore appeared to trail only Flint, Detroit, St. Louis, New Haven, Conn., Memphis, and Oakland, Calif.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2011/05/fbi_data_baltimore_retains_top.html

So 3X the national average in STDs like CLAP, top 5 murder rate, and 7th in violent crimes. On the bright side, there are 226 "houses" there for $10,000 or less. Hop on it, ATOTers!
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Baltimore_MD/price-1-10000/?source=web

Check this one out, it's one of the classier homes @10K:
http://p.rdcpix.com/v04/l654b6a42-m0x.jpg

The spray point on the door and broken window seem to be great selling points! hehe

 

[davestar]

Whoa that sucks. Not everyone sells crack in a stabby area, but everyone (not including Trident) has sex.


Just wait for it. Someone will quote you and say
"oh yeah well if you use protection it's not a problem"
"stay out of crime areas and it's not a problem"
"you wouldn't get raped if you didn't dress like a slut"
and so on

We can site statistics all day:

Cities with comparable (or worse) chlamydia infection rates to Baltimore (483.0 in 100,000):
Austin, TX (511.7)
Chicago, IL (486.0)
Dallas, TX (430.8)
Denver, CO (470.9)
New York, NY (441.4)
Philadelphia, PA (521.5)
San Diego, CA (472.1)
link

all of them unredeemable shitholes, obviously.

some people understand the realities of cities and enjoy the advantages that cities offer, and some people don't so they demonize and generalize.

 

[Chess]

Sp33d i love you man me love you long time

they dont call me dirty for nuttin

 

[x26]

So, what are America's crappiest shitties?

Let's start a list:
Detroit
Washington D.C.
Baltimore
???

What do all those cities have in common??

 

[ShawnD1]

All are incredibly valid arguments. If you dress like a slut, your chances of being raped skyrocket. If you have unsafe sex, your chances of contracting an STD skyrocket. If you are hanging around a high-crime area, your chances of being the victim of crime skyrocket.

What's your point?

I just wanted to start an argument. I don't have a point :whiste:

 

[SP33Demon]

We can site statistics all day:

Cities with comparable (or worse) chlamydia infection rates to Baltimore (483.0 in 100,000):
Austin, TX (511.7)
Chicago, IL (486.0)
Dallas, TX (430.8)
Denver, CO (470.9)
New York, NY (441.4)
Philadelphia, PA (521.5)
San Diego, CA (472.1)
link

all of them unredeemable shitholes, obviously.

some people understand the realities of cities and enjoy the advantages that cities offer, and some people don't so they demonize and generalize.

And you fail at statistics. Baltimore metro region doesn't mean Baltimore city which is at a rate of 1221.3, straight from MD DHMH.

Let's see if you can read this graph.
http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/CT-Rates-Graph-2000-2009.pdf

Yes, Baltimore city is a cesspool regarding STD's like CLAP.

http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/GC-Rates-Graph-2000-2009.pdf
Gonorrhea, which is dropping but still way higher than the state and US.

http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/Syp_Rates_Grap-2000-2009.pdf
Syphilis, while much rarer, still way higher as well.

 

[ShawnD1]

And you fail at statistics. Baltimore metro region doesn't mean Baltimore city which is at a rate of 1221.3, straight from MD DHMH.

Let's see if you can read this graph.
http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/CT-Rates-Graph-2000-2009.pdf

Yes, Baltimore city is a cesspool regarding STD's like CLAP.

http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/GC-Rates-Graph-2000-2009.pdf
Gonorrhea, which is dropping but still way higher than the state and US.

http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/cstip/pdf/Syp_Rates_Grap-2000-2009.pdf
Syphilis, while much rarer, still way higher as well.

It blows my mind that some people have unprotected sex with people they just met even when stats like this are known.

Ladies, birth control pills do not protect you from The AIDS