Expat from MoCo here. Been in Balt city 39 yrs.

Thinking of moving to Balt City? Great, there are a number of things you should to prepare yourself so as not be thrown off

- Forget comparing your present experiences, in NoVa, to what you will find in Baltimore. Baltimore is not a good fit for people who are expecting a lot of city services or up-to-date amenities. People who are looking for resort like accommodations are often disappointed. There are neighborhoods which have a more suburban vibe or sheik city vibe, but still not what you have come to expect in the DC burbs.

Baltimore is more gritty, more old 1950s working class, and has much history, with many firsts for the US, though much is not gentrified or sanitized.

Your bio fits many who are here, but those in the professional class and those who are always climbing the corporate or social ladder are fewer in number.

There is an image problem which the city has. Much has to do with outsiders reading into and exaggerating what they hear others saying. Many of the problems are within certain neighborhoods and within certain communities.

The best way to know Baltimore is to move here, rent, and spend time actively visiting neighborhoods. Far more people here are local with long family ties to the city. There is a friction between the city and the surrounding counties, with many outside the city having relatives who live in the city or once did.

Unlike the DC area Baltimore is more real, and less about mining the riches of the area, though many outsiders do mine our riches and never give back.