What is Baltimore like?

amother

Emerald

Mon, Aug 07 2017, 9:12 pm

There is a sizeable Yeshivish crowd but I also venture to say quite a few JPF families who don't label themselves. Frum people live all over.... WHat kind of neighborhood are you interested in? Young families? Older families? Heimish? crowded? More spread out? Yes, the girls schools encourage college and girls go into lucrative careers if they wish. Many girls out of HS eventually get degrees to prepare them for careers in nursing, OT, speech, teaching, social work etc.... anything really. I also know quite a few women with doctorates in all sorts of subjects,,, Any other specific questions about baltimore?

amother

Azure

Mon, Aug 07 2017, 9:26 pm

amother wrote:

Thanks for answering! Is there anything between young and older families? lol. my kids are 5, 12, and 16 so I don't think we're young anymore but maybe not old? I don't know lol. I would definitely like a more mixed crowd if that's even possible. I know most circles tend to stick together. How is transportation without a car? Will I eventually have to get my license? You might not know this, but what's the job market like? My husband right now has a city job and he gets good benefits but I'm wondering if he'd be able to pick up something relatively similar? Are there any Baltimore-specific papers or magazines that list jobs?

amother

Cobalt

Mon, Aug 07 2017, 9:51 pm

I dont have the time to answer all your questions but I will say this upfront: do NOT move to Baltimore unless both you and your husband drive. There is NO school bussing so we all carpool. You cannot walk to stores (maybe some depending on where you live but the shopping is pretty spread out). EVERYONE here has 2 cars and they are both needed. Your husband will drive to work and you will drive carpools all day when you are not working and running errands.
Its a great city and you will definitely find your chevra but I had to point out the driving thing upfront.

amother

Emerald

Mon, Aug 07 2017, 10:14 pm

life will definitely be easier with a license here- doable without- but much much much easier on you and your husband if both of you have a license. Yes carpools take up alot of time- but there is also a city bus that does a run to the main schools (only students on the bus and you pay for it) or you could hire someone to drive your children.... in terms of neighborhoods- the neighborhoods in Baltimore county are nice with diverse family ages- Wellwood, Indian Village,Ranchleigh, Beazer, Summit Park....shuls with JPF families close-ish to those areas I mentioned: Ohel Moshe, Shomrei Emuna, Ner Tamid, Rabbi Seidman's shul (cant remember all the shul names so I am naming rabbis....) and I am blanking out on more.

I don't know what your husband does- but there are plenty of people with city jobs and federal jobs with good benefits- I cannot answer how hard it is to get those jobs, worth networking.

amother

Black

Mon, Aug 07 2017, 10:42 pm

The majority of Baltimore is JPF, and as such, even if someone in Baltimore subscribes to a more definitive label (which there are plenty of, and diverse at that), the general vibe in Baltimore is more than just accepting, it's almost like that label is irrelevant most of the time. Because it was a small town for the longest time with one girls school and one super market etc, there's very little divide. People don't focus on the labels here. Most neighborhoods are very diverse, yet connected and cohesive. I think a lot of credit goes to the rabbis who all work together to lead the community. You have all ages and all types here. A lot of people work for the government here, in addition to all sorts of jobs one might find in any other city. Joblink is a non for profit that helps people find jobs locally. Finally, public transportation won't be good enough here. A license and a car are very necessary.

I hope this was helpful.

amother

Azure

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 12:57 pm

Sorry for getting back so late but thank you all for your GREAT replies! My husband does drive. I don't, but it's really out of laziness and not wanting to sit at the DMV lol. So I'll try to learn and get a license ASAP. The only thing I'm concerned about is the lack of schools. My eldest went to 3 different schools before she finally found the one and so I'm a bit concerned that if my girls don't like the two schools that seem to be available, it will be difficult to do anything else.

How far away is Silver Spring? Is it basically the same as Baltimore?

doctorima

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 1:24 pm

Without traffic Silver Spring is around 45 minutes, but depending on time of day, it can take a lot longer. Plenty of adults make the commute for work, though it's not ideal for a child. The community is much smaller than Baltimore, and over the years has moved somewhat more to the left. It's not an entirely MO community, but it doesn't have as much of a right-wing and yeshivish element as Baltimore does.

amother

Slategray

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 7:23 pm

Baltimore is an amazing community. Generally, Baltimoreans don't fit into boxes of MO or Yeshivish. They are generally JPF. It's a great, friendly city that welcomes people with open arms which is why a lot of BT and gerim move here.

Neighborhoods are generally mixed. We are very happy on our street. There are kollel families, yeshivish families, MO, JPF, Israelis and every type. My dc's friends are diverse too.

In terms of education, the girls have Bais Yaakov and Bnos; Ohr Chadash is another option but the school is mixed. The majority of students in every grade goes on to college. Degrees are very varied. There are teachers, secretaries, morahs, nurses and therapists. But, there are also lawyers, doctors and PhDs. And despite our differences, we are all friends.

I have an advanced degree, and I work for the federal government. There are great benefits and good salaries. But, I do commute every day which can be hard. But, it makes my salary go very far. There are many federal employees here. I love my job.

I do agree that driving is a necessity. There is an MVA a few minutes drive from the community and, if you get there as soon as they open, you usually don't have to wait very long!

Silver Spring is more MO but the cost of living is close to double.

bigsis144

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 7:32 pm

amother wrote:

Do you mind if I ask where you live and where you commute to?

My husband recently finished his PhD and many of the jobs he's looked at are in the Alexandria, VA area. So I'm also looking into the Baltimore/Silver Spring communities.

I was under the impression that Silver Spring is significantly closer to the DC/Pentagon/Alexandria area (as confirmed by google maps). My husband finds driving rather stressful, so cutting commute time in half would be great -- unless, like you said, it's literally twice as expensive to live in Silver Spring.

What is public transportation like from both Baltimore and Silver Spring? We already have two cars, so DH could drive to a train station if they're not in convenient walking distance from frum areas.

amother

Jetblack

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 8:00 pm

Just because houses are almost double, doesn't mean that everything else in SS is double. Of course, it isn't. So, living is SS is very expensive, but no, it isn't double.

in terms of the above claim to be MO, there are so many new ppl there, it has lots of types - many yeshivish ppl, kollel couples, etc. Claiming it is MO is kinda of, well, 90s.

The Torah School is amazing! The High School isn't as organized and you need to call someone with girls in the school now to know if they would fit in... some families (not many) send their HS girls to Baltimore. I think finding out if you like the HS is a big consideration to you.

SS is definately closer, but if you want some place that is sizable, Baltimore is your place. SS is getting pretty big, but it still isn't Baltimore.

You really need to visit both for shabbos and also go and see the schools - when they are in session. I realize the timing of that isn't so great for you.

amother

Slategray

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 8:13 pm

bigsis144 wrote:

I commute to the Silver Spring area daily. It's a 40 minute drive there and a 50 minute drive home with traffic. Commuting to VA from Baltimore is hard. It's further than the DC area with no direct train from Baltimore and tons of traffic. It's easier to commute to North VA from Silver Spring. If your dh works there, I'd strongly suggest SS. It's a truly amazing community with an amazing girls school. I have never met a person with a grievance about the schools there. They are amazing and have dedicated staff. I know many well.

I would also suggest not jumping the gun. Unless your dh already has a government job, they are hard to come by. The hiring freeze was just lifted so there are now more applications submitted than before and the application to start date can be months long. We are talking anywhere from 2-6 months from submission to start date. I'd also suggest taking a class on USAjobs. It can be hard to get an application through. The government is very slow.

Housing costs, schools and daycare are more in Silver Spring.

amother

Slategray

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 8:18 pm

amother wrote:

It isn't double, but it's close to it. 12th grade in Baltimore is 11K and in Silver Spring 20K. Housing costs are about 1.5Xs Baltimore.

SS really is an amazing community with great schools. YGW is an amazing place. I can't say that enough times!

amother

Beige

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 9:21 pm

Baltimore is a great community.

It is divided between Baltimore City and Baltimore County. In the City you will pay a lot more in taxes and water bills but you can find a cheaper home. In the County you will pay more to own a house but your taxes will be less and so will your water bills.

There is a shul that fits every type.

The community is mostly just plain frum and yeshivish but there is a small modern orthodox crowd.

For girls there is Bais Yaakov and Bnos. Bnos is hard to get into and not as academic. Bais Yaakov is where most of the community goes. There is also Ohr Chadash which is coed and geared more for the modern orthodox crowd.

You must must must learn how to drive to move here. It is really hard to not have two cars in Baltimore.

As far as jobs, everyone is talking about Federal jobs. Realistically, it can take years before you get a federal job if you get one at all. I work for the government and it took years of applying to finally get in. There are many other places to work though. I wouldn't even seriously consider moving here until you have good jobs lined up especially since your husband already has a job where he is now.

amother

Cobalt

Wed, Aug 09 2017, 9:32 pm

To echo what others (including myself) have said: Bais Yaakov really does work for almost everyone. In my daughters grade there are about 120+ girls and they range from the daughter of the the most yeshivish chashuva Rav in town to the daughter of a mother who doesn't cover her hair and wears pants at times. The school is very accepting and will work with girls of all backgrounds. Bnos is by design a smaller school so its hard to get in because most grades are full, but they are a good option if your daughter needs some more TLC (they are not a school for kids with "issues" but because of their size they can sometimes take kids that don't thrive in the bigger BY environment). The Yeshiva of Greater Washington is also an option and they have a van (bus?) that goes every day from Baltimore for both girls and boys.
So you have 3 solid options.