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

[ultimatebob]

Not even.

Its more like
1. St Louis
2. Detroit
3. Compton

Don't forget Bridgeport, Connecticut... Family Guy occasionally does a great job of making fun of how bad that city is.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Estimated median household income in 2009: $38,772 (it was $30,078 in 2000)
Baltimore: $38,772
Maryland: $69,272
Estimated per capita income in 2009: $23,267

Estimated median house or condo value in 2009: $168,400 (it was $69,900 in 2000)
Baltimore: $168,400
Maryland: $318,600



Black alone - 395,589 (62.1%)
White alone - 195,628 (30.7%)
Hispanic - 19,275 (3.0%)
Asian alone - 11,926 (1.9%)
Two or more races - 11,696 (1.8%)
American alone - 1,547 (0.2%)
Other race alone - 1,448 (0.2%)
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone - 308 (0.05%)

 

[JD50]

Baltimore isn't really any different from other big cities. I go into Baltimore all the time for Orioles games, Ravens games, taking the kids to the aquarium, zoo, science center, inner harbor area, etc... Like any other city, there's good areas and bad areas, of course movies and TV shows are going to focus on the bad areas.

 

[RocksteadyDotNet]

Yeah but they outlawed boobs and video games so who the fuck wants to live there?

Mmm, that's news to me.

Please tell me more about my country, ignorant American.

 

[Nebor]

Mmm, that's news to me.

Please tell me more about my country, ignorant American.

I think he's referring to your odd rating system for movies\video games, and the belief that Australia is one of the most censored countries in the world in that regard, falling into league with Saudi Arabia and China.

 

[RocksteadyDotNet]

I think he's referring to your odd rating system for movies\video games, and the belief that Australia is one of the most censored countries in the world in that regard, falling into league with Saudi Arabia and China.

Wow. Anyone who believes that is an idiot.

 

[darkswordsman17]

That's "The Block", and it's only a shadow of it's former self. The nancies have done their best to get rid of it, and they've taken a lot of the character in the process.

Is character what Baltimorons call STDs?

Yeah but they outlawed boobs and video games so who the fuck wants to live there?

Don't forget all the fucking creatures there that seem engineered to fucking kill you.

Mmm, that's news to me.

Please tell me more about my country, ignorant American.

Are you trying to be the Australian version of Hal?

 

[RocksteadyDotNet]

Is character what Baltimorons call STDs?



Don't forget all the fucking creatures there that seem engineered to fucking kill you.



Are you trying to be the Australian version of Hal?

I didn't start it.

I'm just sick of dumb Americans making massively hyperbole statements about thing they have no idea about.

They see one thing on Fox News and then they attack us with it.

It would be like me reading something about the Patriot Act, then saying 'Amercia is a facist country. When you get arrested you have no right to a lawyer and they can hold you without charge for 30 days!"

 

[Perknose]

Lol, OP, looks like you've received a fairly good mix of informed portraits about Charm City.

I'll add my perspective. As a PI, I had occasion to go there looking for people who, for one reason or another, didn't want to be found.

Compared to parts of the Bronx or North Philly, no part of of Baltimore seems quite as God forsaken and absolutely hopeless and intimidating to the outsider.

But unlike NYC or Philly, outside of the harbor and one other section, Balitmore also has relatively little to recommend it.

What you do have, more than in either of the two aforementioned cities, is a larger contingent of semi-rural Southern whites who have moved there and brought with them, at their worst, all of the same problems and loser behavior that the worst of urban ghetto blacks exhibit -- I'm talking hard drugs, poor parenting, and violence.

Also, <rabid generalization alert> "rednecks" are like young urban hispanics in that they will take offense and go off on you far quicker and for far less, than, in general, ghetto blacks will. </rabid generalization alert>

At 2 am deep in the wilds of North Philly, I could always count on at least a few minutes grace as the locals tried desperately to figure out just WHO the hell I was.

Once they've been in the penal justice system (incarcerated) most don't really want to go back, and become just a tad more circumspect about fucking with someone unless they know what's up.

Just saying.

Of course, in any city, it depends where you live and who you know, but, crudely, yeah, Baltimore can be characterized as a shithole.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I didn't start it.

I'm just sick of dumb Americans making massively hyperbole statements about thing they have no idea about.

They see one thing on Fox News and then they attack us with it.

It would be like me reading something about the Patriot Act, then saying 'Amercia is a facist country. When you get arrested you have no right to a lawyer and they can hold you without charge for 30 days!"

Its not from Fox news. I've seen a ton of complaints about censorship (especially video games) from Australia.

I'm just going to ignore the analogy.

Americans are hardly the only ones that do that, and well, saying ignorant Americans is kinda exactly the same thing.

He was joking any way, or maybe not, he might just be a dick. I took more as a joke, and my comment to it was also a joke.

 

[Vic Vega]

Watching The Wire at the moment, it looks like a terrifying place.

It reminds me of London.

 

[RocksteadyDotNet]

Its not from Fox news. I've seen a ton of complaints about censorship (especially video games) from Australia.

I'm just going to ignore the analogy.

Americans are hardly the only ones that do that, and well, saying ignorant Americans is kinda exactly the same thing.

He was joking any way, or maybe not, he might just be a dick. I took more as a joke, and my comment to it was also a joke.

2 video games got censored, how is that tons? And the law is being changed soon to introduce an R rating so no more banned games. It was just an anachronistic law, doesn't mean we have an issue with censorship.

And I wasn't have a go at you, I got your joke about our dangerous creatures.

Ignoring my analogy doesn't make it any less right.

 

[CZroe]

So, what are America's crappiest shitties?

Let's start a list:
Detroit
Washington D.C.
Baltimore
Compton
Oakland
St Louis
???

Updated

 

[ichy]

Baltimore is a deeply troubled city, but there are nice parts of it in places other than the harbor. I own a house in Fells Point, and despite all of the city's drawbacks I love my neighborhood. Things are close and you can actually walk to them, unlike out in the suburbs. Plenty of people in my neighborhood are friendly and involved in the community, and are actively trying to make it a better place to live. I wouldn't live here if I had children, but since I don't want kids issues like crappy schools don't matter to me.

 

[SP33Demon]

It's a shithole. Protip: If you see the blue rapelight at the top of the telephone pole, do not park your car in that area.

 

[Geocentricity]

It's a shithole. Protip: If you see the blue rapelight at the top of the telephone pole, do not park your car in that area.

RAPELIGHT? WTF? Explain!

 

[sunzt]

It's a shithole. Protip: If you see the blue rapelight at the top of the telephone pole, do not park your car in that area.

What's a blue rapelight? Google doesn'thelp me.

 

[PimpJuice]

I didn't start it.

I'm just sick of dumb Americans making massively hyperbole statements about thing they have no idea about.

I'm sick of whiny Australians so I guess we're even.

 

[NFS4]

RAPELIGHT? WTF? Explain!

What's a blue rapelight? Google doesn'thelp me.

It's a Police camera that's mounted at the top of street lights in high crime areas. It flashes blue when in operation.

 

[Tristicus]

It's better than Australia or England.

 

[purbeast0]

outside of the inner harbor and fells point, baltimore is a shithole.

 

[Deeko]

I didn't start it.

Your memory is very short. You threw the first stone, sport.

Anyway, Baltimore isn't great, but I've seen worse.

 

[SP33Demon]

That's "The Block", and it's only a shadow of it's former self. The nancies have done their best to get rid of it, and they've taken a lot of the character in the process.

Holy sht, the Block. That brings back some memories. The strippers there can't be topless so they have lookouts at the door to alert them to put their tops back on. Not sure if it's still like that, but dam those women are dirty. They'll do anything for a buck, and I'll leave it at that.

 

[shocksyde]

outside of the inner harbor and fells point, baltimore is a shithole.

Locust Point and Federal Hill are very nice as well. Quiet (if you're not next to a bar) and low crime.

Baltimore is like ANY other big city in the country. If you're in an area where you don't feel safe, you probably shouldn't be there.

 

[AstroManLuca]

St. Louis, especially East St. Louis.
Gary, Indiana.
South side Chicago.
Detroit.