The City of Baltimore: An Overview
Where is Baltimore?
Located on the banks of the Patapsco River — one of the largest tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay — Baltimore is a historic Maryland city and one of the nation’s most important ports. From this cherry position on the Eastern Seaboard, Baltimore is just 40 miles from D.C., 100 miles from Philly and less than 200 from New York city. If you are looking for a well-connected spot in the Mid-Atlantic region, Baltimore may be a great choice for you.
How big is Baltimore? With nearly 570,000 residents across 81 square miles, this river city has more than 10 times the number of residents of nearby Annapolis and almost twice as many as Frederick County, a popular inland district to the northwest. Unfortunately, the population of Baltimore has been shrinking, but there are still many things that draw us to this historic harbor town.
One unusual thing about this Maryland landmark is that Baltimore city is county-less — there aren’t too many independent metros in the U.S., but the Charm City is among them.
What is Baltimore like?
Historic, complex and endlessly compelling, Baltimore has a Southern side (crabcakes), a northern side (swagger) and a healthy dose of cool pragmatism and rosy idealism. That can only be explained by its proximity to the state and nation’s capitals. Filled with historic sites and fascinating museums, Baltimore residents don’t have to leave town to find cultural amenities. Its oldest streets are still embroidered by granite cobblestones, setting off its signature rowhouses and welcoming residents to shop, dine and gather at popular spots from the Bromo Arts District to Fell’s Point.
With affordable housing, low unemployment and diverse career possibilities, working in Charm City has its advantages, too. Johns Hopkins University is one of the biggest employers in Baltimore, but you’ll find jobs in all sorts of industries here, from the government to finance, trade and creative fields.
Learn more about living in Baltimore below in our moving guide, where we’ll discuss the cost of living, transportation options, the best places to hang out in the city and more. Get a quote now on moving to Baltimore.
Baltimore’s Many Neighborhoods
With over 200 unique neighborhoods from the city center to the waterfront, there are so many nice areas of Baltimore to call home. Expansive greenspaces and loads of architectural appeal give Baltimore an enticing blend of urban, historic and college town vibes. Let us introduce you to some of our favorite pockets of the city before you decide where to live in Baltimore.
If you have your heart set on the harbor, check out Canton. This waterfront charmer adjacent to Patterson Park is within walking distance of bars, restaurants and even grocery stores. Take your morning jog on the Baltimore Waterfront Promenade and settle down at your favorite speakeasy in the evening. Or pop over to nearby Brewer’s Hill, where old industrial outfits have been transformed into modern dining establishments, like Gunther & Co.
If you’re looking for artsier Baltimore neighborhoods, you won’t have to look hard in Charm City. Midtown is home to both the University of Baltimore and M.I.C.A., the Maryland Institute College of Art. The Lyric Baltimore and Meyerhoff Symphony Hall bookend Pearlstone Park, and art galleries and museums can be found here and further south in the Bromo Arts District along Howard, in Mt. Vernon and downtown.
Anchored by the Cross Street Market, Federal Hill is another cherished harborside district on the southwest tip of the Patapsco River. Historic rowhouses in this elevated perch promise great views all around, and the eateries on Charles Street mean you never have to roam far for great food.
In addition to its great in-town districts, Baltimore is surrounded by wonderful suburbs, from Roland Park to Rodgers Forge in Towson.
The Pros and Cons of Living in Baltimore
Pros of Living in Baltimore
A waterfront city with incredible universities and arts institutions, historic architecture and state-of-the-art healthcare, Baltimore checks many of the boxes Americans most want in a city. On top of that, it’s walkable, friendly and close to many major U.S. metros, from Washington, D.C. (1+ hour) to Philadelphia (2 hours) to New York City (4 hours).
Downside of Living in Baltimore
Despite all the things to love about this Maryland city, when you ask locals what it’s like to live in Baltimore, you’re likely to get some negative feedback. Unlike D.C., which has gained 100,000 new residents over the past 15 years, Baltimore has lost more than 50,000. While rapid growth can strain the fabric of a city, rapid population losses come with their own stresses, leaving vacancies in housing stock and commercial real estate that can be hard to revive. And the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024 only added to the infrastructural woes that plague so many American cities.
While living in Baltimore puts you close to D.C., commuting between these two cities isn’t quick. Without traffic, you can count on at least an hour-long commute by car or public transportation if you’re coming from the heart of the city. This can be a strain if you’re required to be in-office five days a week, but the trade-off may be worthwhile for hybrid workers looking for better deals on homes.
Aspects of Baltimore Life You Should Know About
Cost of Living
One of the biggest selling points of this Mid-Atlantic city is affordable real estate. The median home value in Baltimore is $219,300. That’s less than half the cost of living in Annapolis or Frederick County; one third of the cost of homes in D.C. and a mere fifth of the value of the median home in Bethesda. At $397,700, Maryland homes already top the U.S. median by nearly $100,000, so home prices in the city of Baltimore can be appealing to anyone looking for a better value in the state.
Renters, too, will find less money leaving their accounts each month. The median gross rent in Baltimore is $1,290/month — living in any of the other cities could cost you anywhere from $400 – $1,100 more each month, and that’s not even on the higher end.
But the news on the cost of living in Baltimore isn’t all good. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Baltimore area residents spend considerably more on other common household expenditures than their U.S. counterparts do, so expect the cost of food, transportation, healthcare and miscellaneous items to be higher here than elsewhere in the nation.
Economy and Jobs
With a low unemployment rate (3.2%) and a diverse array of industries, greater Baltimore’s economic portfolio has a lot to recommend it. With several colleges and universities in the area, education and health services is the largest — and one of the most important — sectors in the Baltimore economy, supplying 295,700 jobs in the region. Professional and business services; trade, transportation and utilities; and the government are all in a close tie for second, with each of these supporting upwards of 245,000 positions. The leisure and hospitality industry is also a significant job-generator, employing 136,700 residents in this much-visited area of the country.
Johns Hopkins University and its hospital and health systems employ more than 44,000 individuals in the Baltimore area, and 9/10 of the biggest employers in Baltimore are education or healthcare-related organizations. But there are plenty of corporate titans in the Baltimore region, including Fortune 200 Exelon, Mariott International, H&S Bakery, Under Armour and T. Rowe Price, as well as the longstanding newspaper The Baltimore Sun.
It’s also worth noting that not all of Washington’s public sector employers are in D.C. The U.S. Social Security Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are both based in Baltimore, so you’ll likely know some federal employees if you move here.
Thinking of commuting to D.C.? Before you put down roots in the Charm city, you should know that few Baltimore residents commute to the capital, and even fewer working in Baltimore commute from D.C. The D.C. Policy Center estimates that just 4-7% of Baltimore residents commute into D.C. and virtually no residents of the nation’s capital venture into Baltimore for in-person work. The commute is an hour under the best of conditions, and the costs add up quickly, so most residents opt to live closer to where they work.
Education
If there’s one thing Charm City isn’t short on, it’s educational institutions. Johns Hopkins, MICA, the University of Baltimore, Goucher and Towson University are just four of the 12 Baltimore colleges and universities that make this Mid-Atlantic city such a stand-out. Not to mention the other schools in the immediate vicinity — Georgetown, GW, Howard University, American University and many more.
Primary and secondary education in Baltimore is also at the forefront, though. Five of Baltimore’s public high schools make the state’s top 50 list, and the Baltimore Design School and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute are both in Maryland’s top 20. Always looking toward the future, the city announced the goals for its 2025 $1.9 billion budget, which includes support for early learning, summer programs and personalized instruction to boost student achievement.
Private schools abound in the Baltimore region, encompassing numerous religious and secular options that date back to the city’s early days, from the Bryn Mawr School — founded in 1885 — to the Friends School of Baltimore, which was established way back in 1784.
Local Culture
The Charm City’s history runs deep, and the robust cultural scene of contemporary Baltimore reflects its roots and its newest visionaries. Perhaps this is why there’s no shortage of famous Baltimore people — From the inimitable John Waters and Parker Posey to Jada Pinkett Smith, Nancy Pelosi, and Babe Ruth.
One of the hallmarks of Baltimore culture is its literary heritage, earning it the appellation The City that Reads. Among its many luminaries are F. Scott Fitzgerald, W.E.B. Du Bois, Adrienne Rich, H. L. Mencken, Lucille Clifton, Upton Sinclair, Gertrude Stein and Edgar Allen Poe. Even the Baltimore Ravens are named after the bird that Poe immortalized. Historic markers across the city mark the most popular haunts to learn about these culture-makers, from house museums to watering holes like The Owl and The Horse.
The Baltimore Book Festival brings the city’s living legends into the light, just as Artfest and the Maryland Film Festival showcase the breadth of Baltimore’s creative scene. Throughout the year, you can see live music, dance, and dramatic performances at the Baltimore Theater, the Symphony Hall and at jazz clubs throughout the city. Baltimore’s music stars burn at least as bright as its bookish legacies, with the city giving rise to everyone from Billie Holiday to Frank Zappa.
Visualists will enjoy the numerous art spaces around the city, from indie spots like Area 405 and Goya Contemporary to the Baltimore Museum of Art, The Contemporary and the Walters Art Museum. Catch a glimpse of works by future art stars made by MICA students at the campus’ many galleries — don’t miss their end-of-year shows in the spring.
Things to Do in Baltimore
Baltimore may wade deep in the waters of high culture, but this is also a city that really knows how to have fun. Here are some of our favorite Baltimore activities and diversions.
When the kids are in tow or you need to please a crowd, why not take them out to a ballgame? Oriole Park at Camden Yards has all the hotdogs, peanuts and popcorn you can handle, plus an excellent collection of murals by Baltimore-based artists.
You can get to know your coastal neighbors on a trip to the National Aquarium. Early risers can help serve breakfast to the marine animals on a guided sunrise tour or even scuba dive in the aquarium’s coral reefs.
History buffs will surely want to see the Fort McHenry National Monument — the site of the Battle of Baltimore, which inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the poem that would become our national anthem. Or set those historic sails on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, where you can step onto sloops like the USS Constellation and marvel at one of the region’s oldest beacons — the famous Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse.
When you just want a night (or an afternoon) out, Fell’s Point is one of Baltimore’s favorite destinations for shopping and dining. In the early fall, the Oyster Fest in this waterfront district highlights one of the area’s favorite catches (the other being its famous blue crabs). In the winter, Fell’s Point rolls out the red carpet for the man in the red suit, hosting all kinds of celebrations, from a cookie crawl to a lighted boat parade. On Saturdays all year long, you can stock up on local produce and specialties at the Fell’s Point Farmer’s Market. We’re pretty sure that Santa picks up some of the goodies for his Nice List here.
Getting Around
Whether you plan on driving, cycling or taking public transportation in Baltimore, you’ll find Charm City to be a well-connected one, with Amtrak, light rail services, a subway, commuter buses, the free Charm City Circulator, bike shares and more. Three major airports serve this region, including BWI, which is just 15 minutes from downtown and easy to access by car or train.
Traffic is heavy in this popular region, so commuting in Baltimore can eat up a considerable part of your day, depending on where you work and how often you must put in face time at the office. Whether living in the city or Baltimore County, the average Baltimore commuter spends just 30 minutes getting to work — longer than the average American does, but probably less time than it will take you to enter and exit Dupont Circle.
So, Should You Move to Baltimore?
Is Baltimore, Maryland, a good place to live? Well, with a robust cultural scene, excellent connectivity to the whole Eastern Seaboard and diverse career options, there are certainly dozens of reasons for relocating to Baltimore. If you’re looking for a historic waterfront city with lots of character that’s close to the nation’s capital, Baltimore fits the bill.
Wherever you decide the best place for your family to move is, United Van Lines will be here to help you get there. Get a quote on moving to Baltimore.
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