The best of the worst of American cities.

Highest incidents of violent crimes.
Highest rates of stds.
Heroin capital of the US.
Mayor tries to campaign on getting the murder rate under 300.
The third worst dressed city.
The fourth worst city for urban youth behind Detroit and Atlanta.
Ranks 192 out of 193 for best drivers.
Some of the worst schools in the state.

Locals will try to convince you that the whole two blocks of the Inner Harbor, which was a last ditch attempt to save the city, is a redeeming quality.

It is funny to watch Raven's fans try to talk smack about established franchises like the Steelers and Redskins, though no one went to a game till the Raven's went to the Superbowl.
What is even funnier is that Poe might have been a Giant's fan, considering he spent more time in New York.

The second arguement is that every city has crime. Every city has a deli too, doesn't mean you want to eat there.

Baltimore has JHU, the most prestigious medical school in the world, and the med students and interns get mugged on their way to class. The city should consider itself damn lucky the school hasn't moved.

What is going for Baltimore?

Good Food
Camden Yards

Baltimore is the greatest city on earth. Sure its a little dirty, but thats a city for ya. What's there not to love. Going north on 95 at night there isnt a prettier sight. The neon Nati Boh, Domino sugar, and Philip's signs are great. The inner harbor and power plant live. There has to be something great about the city for row houses to sell for upwards of 300,000. And whats not to love about patterson park. And sure theres crime. But it's concentrated. Its not smart to wander onto north ave or greenmont street at night. All i can say is i love baltimore and anyone who bashes Bmore has probably never been here.

A city (not in Baltimore County, Baltimore City is entirely separate) in central MD.

I moved here when I was in 6th grade. It's becoming very, very hard for me to remember life before then. Germany, basically. So for all intents and purposes my existence as I know it started when I moved to Baltimore.

What makes this so ironic is that I began my life by migrating to a dying city.

I don't mean that in a bad way. Baltimore is a great city, of course, but there is no question that it's dying. Many cities have peaks, then depressions, peaks, depressions... has Baltimore ever had a peak? Not in this century, at least. We've had a steadily dropping population (300 thou now compared to 1960's 600 thou), consistent rises in crime, bad economy, etc. Things have been getting worse in Baltimore for so long now that it's become an essential part of the city's history. The culture is, in many ways, defined by a strange sense that it's pointless to hope for some future based on capitalist dreams. Baltimore isn't going to become a beautiful, booming, sky-rise metropolis anytime soon.

It is for precisely this reason that it has its charm.

I mean, when you think of what makes Baltimore appealing, it really is odd, isn't it? Anne Tyler described any entrance to Baltimore as initially jarring, as one will notice grease, grime and oil absolutely everywhere, covering the tiny rowhouses, the cracked streets, the run-down venues... unless, of course, you live here, in which case it's all very comforting.

You like the grime, you like the fact that everything, absol...

One of the best party cities in the world... Well, not if you are: A.) Under 21 and obsessed with letting sweaty yo boys dance all over you; B.)Scared to sit in a cab and have a friendly conversation with your foreign cab driver; or C.)Looking for some sort of "celebrity encounter".
I have lived here my whole life, and I can't imagine being anywhere else. I like to sit at Kisling's and drink a beer while watching the O's kick some Yankee ass on TV. I like walking around the Square (Canton) and jumping into a stool at one of the first bars with their windows open. I LOVE sitting in the cheap seats at Camden Yards cheering on the most underrated team in baseball (just because our payroll isn't ridiculous doesn't mean we aren't good). And I can't imagine missing Sunday night karaoke at Fletcher's with all of my friends.
Most of these definitions are bashing Baltimore. But if you have lived here, you appreciate all of the little things. So we aren't the safest city... Don't be an idiot and wander into West Baltimore after dark. We might not be the cleanest, but the Inner Harbor collects all of the trash that floats through the freaking bay. But we have history. We are extremely cultured. We are Baltimore, and you aren't going to change that.

most awsome city ever!!!!
seriously

The city in Maryland that's bashed repeatedly on this site by those who have never been there before. One can easily travel through the East Side of Baltimore with no problem at all: black, white, man, woman. What's more, bands frequently play in the neighborhoods that you fear the most, and they manage to lug their instruments back and forth without any mugging/robbing attempts whatsoever.

We do have the STDs and weed, though.

home of the best people in the world! i love bmore! filled with the best people and places in the world!