News Article: What's causing Baltimore's population loss?

Displaced Bama Fan · Apr 2, 2018

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-op-baltimore-census-20180330-story.html

With the U.S. Census Bureau reporting yet another year of population loss for the city, it doesn’t take an investigator to determine the causes.

The city’s scary record of 343 homicides in 2017 affirms the city’s well-known reputation as a dangerous place to live. Even if 2018 has fewer homicides, it doesn’t take a fortune teller to predict that this year’s homicide rate will be high. Until the city substantially reduces its homicide and other crimes rates, people will continue to view the city as dangerous and be reluctant to stay or move here.

The city’s outrageous property tax of $2.248 per $100 of a property’s assessed value is more than double of its surrounding jurisdictions: Baltimore County, $1.10, and Anne Arundel 90.7 cents. The city’s burdensome property tax on homeowners explains why the city has more renters than homeowners. The city’s high income tax is 3.2 percent, the maximum allowed by law. Baltimore County’s is 2.83 and Anna Arundel’s is 2.56. The city’s tax message is clear: Move here and pay higher taxes. People have figured out how to avoid the city’s taxes and still enjoy the city. They live in surrounding counties and take reasonably priced ridesharing services into the city.

Hmmm.

uafan4life · Apr 2, 2018

The general consensus is that the whole place is a crap-hole, so maybe that's why?

AlexanderFan · Apr 2, 2018

I'm thinking it's bullets, knives, and other objects.

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4Q Basket Case · Apr 2, 2018

Hmmmmm.....let’s see.....unsafe streets, substandard public schools, high taxes, questionable ability to sustain property values, a city government more interested in pandering than fixing....other than that, I can’t think of any reason at all.

Tidewater · Apr 2, 2018

I had a colleague, an African-American gentleman who took his PhD at the University of Maryland, who was from inner-city Baltimore originally.
He hated what was happening to his home town. It was just too dangerous to live in his old neighborhood any more.
I'd say that would be a significant reason for emigration.

CajunCrimson · Apr 2, 2018

What's the main industry in Baltimore? I'm guessing that most jobs are from Retail, Medical and Government...... there are no jobs for most taxpayers..... When the jobs leave, people leave.

Intl.Aperture · Apr 2, 2018

CajunCrimson said:
What's the main industry in Baltimore? I'm guessing that most jobs are from Retail, Medical and Government...... there are no jobs for most taxpayers..... When the jobs leave, people leave.

I think they have a decent shipping industry. They are sort of boxed in between Norfolk and NY so that doesn't help but they have a pretty big harbor.

Tidewater · Apr 2, 2018

Intl.Aperture said:
I think they have a decent shipping industry. They are sort of boxed in between Norfolk and NY so that doesn't help but they have a pretty big harbor.

Yeah, but you have to go almost all the way down to Norfolk to get out of the Chesapeake Bay.

Intl.Aperture · Apr 2, 2018

Tidewater said:
Yeah, but you have to go almost all the way down to Norfolk to get out of the Chesapeake Bay.

Exactly, so why pass it? Still, they manage to pull in some business. I had a bud who worked for CMA CGM and talked about the volume of shipping in and out of Baltimore.

92tide · Apr 2, 2018

Intl.Aperture said:
Exactly, so why pass it? Still, they manage to pull in some business. I had a bud who worked for CMA CGM and talked about the volume of shipping in and out of Baltimore.

we only move reefer cargo and we primarily use norfolk or newark for our east coast exports. we have options to use reefer service through philly but it's never made sense for us. i don't think baltimore does much in the way of reefer containers, at least our line reps never talk about it with us. wiki says they do a lot of bulk cargo and roll on/roll off cargo

Bamafaninco1 · Apr 2, 2018

92tide said:
we only move reefer cargo and we primarily use norfolk or newark for our east coast exports. we have options to use reefer service through philly but it's never made sense for us. i don't think baltimore does much in the way of reefer containers, at least our line reps never talk about it with us. wiki says they do a lot of bulk cargo and roll on/roll off cargo

Reefer Madness is strong with this one.

92tide · Apr 2, 2018

Bamafaninco1 said:
Reefer Madness is strong with this one.

someone has to move the cargo

Bamaro · Apr 2, 2018

Intl.Aperture said:
Exactly, so why pass it? Still, they manage to pull in some business. I had a bud who worked for CMA CGM and talked about the volume of shipping in and out of Baltimore.

Saves on ground transportation to many areas.

92tide · Apr 2, 2018

Bamaro said:
Saves on ground transportation to many areas.

that's our primary concern when loading off of the east coast.

TIDE-HSV · Apr 3, 2018

Tidewater said:
Yeah, but you have to go almost all the way down to Norfolk to get out of the Chesapeake Bay.

Every summer, we stay at a friend's beach house which is located a few hundred yards from the park at the point dividing the Atlantic from the Bay. I honestly have no way of weighing relative amounts of traffic, but there's continual traffic up and down bay there. Frequently there are ships meeting coming and going in front of the house...

Bamabuzzard · Apr 3, 2018

4Q Basket Case said:
Hmmmmm.....let’s see.....unsafe streets, substandard public schools, high taxes, questionable ability to sustain property values, a city government more interested in pandering than fixing....other than that, I can’t think of any reason at all.

You could take Baltimore out of that article and put Shreveport, La and it would fit like a glove. When crime and an incompetent local government is what the city becomes known for, you get people leaving in droves. Then we have a mayor who gets behind every microphone she can and chastises "the people" for not supporting the city. LOL! Yet when "the people" tell her why they don't support the city it falls on deaf ears.

Bamaro · Apr 3, 2018

Tidewater said:
Yeah, but you have to go almost all the way down to Norfolk to get out of the Chesapeake Bay.

C & D Canal is at the north end.

TIDE-HSV · Apr 3, 2018

Bamaro said:
C & D Canal is at the north end.

What size ship will the canal take?

Bamaro · Apr 3, 2018

TIDE-HSV said:
What size ship will the canal take?

Depth is 35'

Displaced Bama Fan · Apr 3, 2018

Tidewater said:
I had a colleague, an African-American gentleman who took his PhD at the University of Maryland, who was from inner-city Baltimore originally.
He hated what was happening to his home town. It was just too dangerous to live in his old neighborhood any more.
I'd say that would be a significant reason for emigration.

So what does he think needs to be done?

News Article: What's causing Baltimore's population loss?

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