Baltimore 8th most livable?
So Baltimore came in a solid 8th on Forbes.com's annual list of the 15th most livable cities. Whaddyaknow?
My colleague Jamie Smith Hopkins has already taken note of this over on her blog, The Real Estate Wonk.
But I couldn't help noticing how the biz mag's Web site credited Charm City with high income growth, low cost-of-living and unemployment, a stellar culture index and (gasp!) a modest crime rate.
How's that, you say? Actually, the ranking is of metro areas, so Towson's lumped in with the city.
But hey, Forbes didn't get into quality of life or environmental factors. Of course, Baltimore only came in 42nd out of 100 on Men's Health's ranking last year of greenest cities.
You be the judge, though, of Forbes' judgment. Portland, Maine topped it as most livable city in the US, with Bethesda MD coming in second. Two cities in Oklahoma also ranked higher than Baltimore.
At least we wound up ahead of Pittsburgh - take that, Steelers fans! And Chicago came in at #3 - but on Forbes.com's "most miserable cities" list, published earlier this year. Check that one out here.
(Photo of Baltimore's 4th of July fireworks last year by Doug Kapustin of The Baltimore Sun.)
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I report on the environment and Chesapeake Bay. A native of West Virginia, I have focused mainly on Maryland's environment since moving here in 1983. Along the way, I've crewed aboard a skipjack in the bay, canoed under city streets up the Jones Fall from the Inner Harbor, and gone deep underground in a western Maryland coal mine. Recently, I have been covering the growth and development transforming the landscape. I love seafood, rambles in the country and good stories. I hope to share some here.
Comments
This list has no credibility whatsoever with the Baltimore and the metropolitian area on it as the 8th most liveable city in all of America. Especially laughable is that we supposedly have a low cost of living in this area. Everybody with half a brain knows this area has one of the HIGHEST cost of livings in all of the US.
Posted by: Steve | April 9, 2009 8:37 PM
Thanks for jumping in, Steve. I'm not defending this list, but what's your source for saying that the Baltimore area has one of the highest costs of living in the US?
Posted by: Tim Wheeler | April 9, 2009 9:33 PM
Having lived in and around the city for the past decade, I feel the people who made this list never lived here. I love parts of Baltimore and really hate other aspects of the city.
Posted by: Fells Point Craig | April 10, 2009 8:20 AM
I don't know where Forbes is getting their information but it is terrible. Baltimore should be nowhere near the top 10 on anyones list of the best cities to live in. There are anywhere from 20,000-25,000 prostitutes roaming the streets of Baltimore at one time. The crime rate might be top 10 but certainly not the living conditions.
Posted by: Brendan Magarity | April 14, 2009 10:32 PM
Baltimore Rules. I love it here. It IS super affordable compared to DC, and it has all the same amenities. Plus its more of a sports town than DC, which is AWESOME.
Posted by: Eduardo | June 22, 2009 12:43 PM