<p>Alright my whole family is from bmore and i go to jhu as an undergrad and i'm going to tell you like it is:</p>
<p>Baltimore, on the whole, is very dangerous. In terms of homicides per capita for cities > 500,000 residents, only Detroit has more. Illegal drugs, especially heroin, are ubiquitous, and a great amount of people are living below the poverty line. </p>
<p>Homewood campus is in central Baltimore, which is not close to any of the very dangerous parts of the city (west, east, pimlico, druid hill, edmonton village, cherry hill, westport, etc..) but the area all around hopkins still shouldn't be taken lightly. Within the immediate vicinity of the campus, it is not a good idea to go east towards greenmount ave. I was held up just on the corner of 33rd and greenmount by two men in the early evening. Going south towards Charles Village towards North Avenue is not safe, but it isn't as dangerous as people make it out to seem. If you want to go on a run, go through Roland Park (just north of campus, before you hit Cold Spring); it's great for running and very safe. But on the whole, I wouldn't walk off campus too far at any time of day. Anyway, why would you want to?</p>
<p>As for getting around the city safely, i wouldn't advise using the city buses. They cost $1.60 and other than the 11 N/S or maybe the 61 (only runs on weekdays up roland), I don't really see the need. The light rail is safe (except for the recent murder on the train at the cherry hill stop, but that was at 11 at night) and brings you to the airport to hunt valley in the north. The closest SAFEST stops are Mt. Washington and the Cultural Center. Woodberry and N. Avenue are the closest to homewood but they are not safe. The Collegetown shuttle is the BEST option for going ANYWHERE you need to go in the baltimore area. Towson, Inner Harbor, Goucher..I really don't see where else you would want to go. Wish there was a ride to Mondawin mall though.</p>
<p>There is so much to do ON campus and so many student groups / trips etc that will bring you off campus SAFELY that i don't see many reasons to travel alone away from the campus.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Haftred, that all begs the question -- are any students at Hopkins involved with the city in ways other than shopping at Towson, checking out the girls at Goucher, or walking around the Inner Harbor shopping area?</p>
<p>Of course - </p>
<p>I volunteer at an elementary school on St. Paul and 22nd, not in the best of neighborhoods, and a homeless shelter close by. You'll be in a van with others and you won't be walking around excessively. I just wanted people to know that in general baltimore is a dangerous city, and i wouldn't go walking around, even with friends, in the majority of the city. Hopkins students do lots of things outside of the places i described previously (fells point, inner harbor, towson mall, goucher, jhmi, mt. vernon, etc), but it's always done in groups with proper safety precautions in mind.</p>
<p>so, basically, dont go outside past 8 no matter what or who or when?</p>
<p>so what abt night life for jhu students? does it pretty much not exist?</p>
<p>Haha it exists.</p>
<p>For example, every Halloween, many students go to Fells point (a bit east of downtown) and party all night. The inner harbor is home to many night clubs and restaurants that hopkins students frequent as well.</p>
<p>Fells Point is fun but it is wise to be very careful there as well, primarily by knowing where you are going and hanging with the "right" crowds.</p>
<p>Fells Point is an EXTREMELY safe area. In fact, the brownstones, or townhouses there are being renovated at an atronomical pace. The area is filled with young professionals, young parents, and empty nesters who have decided to sell their homes in the suburbs and want a more urban experience.
There are lots of fun venues to visit, and Fells Point is directly on the water, making it really pretty, especially during the warm weather. There are also many nice shops there. The idea that Fells Point is in any way unsafe is ridiculous.
Now this business about Baltimore being unsafe everywhere is getting out of hand. Simply untrue. Especially Fells Point.</p>
<p>Just a block off the main drag, there have been a number of high profile crimes in the past year. But I agree that if you have street smarts, know where you are going, and don't stay out very late going down the side streets you will be fine. It is certainly a "gentrifying" area.</p>
<p>The kids from Hopkins go to Fells Point often, and do come home late at night. They either take taxis, which are not expensive in Baltimore, or call the Hopkins bus, which comes for them. When they go to formals, usually a bus is hired by the group sponsoring the event.
The kids need to watch out for themselves, just as they do right here in New York. I asked my son to stay away from a particular gentrifying area not too far from our home, in a relatively upscale, generally very safe area of the city. Why? Because a few nights ago, there were 5 shootings, most fatal, in that neighborhood. Very scary. But its a city. One must always be aware in a big city. Let's not make Baltimore unique when it comes to crime. Believe me, I wish there were none. But you are not going to find that, even here, in New York, one of America's safest large cities. Philly, as far as I am concerned, is far worse because the lack of security at Penn is glaring to a parental eye. The area around Columbia still has its issues, as does New Haven. The message to all kids, everywhere, is please be aware of your surroundings.</p>
<p>Small communities can be dangerous, too. Some years ago, there was a mass murderer who lived very close to Vassar's campus. It seems that he was murdering young girls in Poughkeepsie, whom he thought to be prostitutes. This man lived at home with his mother, yet was burying the bodies in the backyard. While this man was at large, my daughter and her friends were terrified. Ironically, when the man was picked up, it was discovered that he lived right around the corner from my daughter's house. Talk about scary.
Not too long ago, 2 professors were murdered in cold blood, in their homes at Dartmouth...There are many, many stories of the like. The reality is, that kids must be conscious of their surroundings, and where they are hanging out, everywhere...Not just in Baltimore. I might add, that no school that I have seen goes to the lengths that Hopkins does to secure its students.</p>
<p>Agree with the above advice. The worst is actually Cambridge - <a href="http://www.stalcommpol.org/data.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.stalcommpol.org/data.html</a></p>
<p>Also, remember that the risk of death by car accident is statistically about 100-200 times worse than the risk of random violence. That means an urban school is typically many dozens of times "safer" on an overall basis than a suburban/rural one where students are more often driving at speeds above 30MPH. Which of course doesn't mean you shouldn't take precautions if you're just walking around, but you need to take those no matter where you are - urban or not.</p>
<p>Speaking of killings, some sobering news today:</p>
<p>Man fatally shot in Baltimore: City's 190th homicide victim this year is also fourth within 24 hours</p>
<p>8:00 AM EDT, August 3, 2007</p>
<p>Baltimore police reported that a man was fatally shot early this
morning in East Baltimore, the city's fourth homicide victim within 24
hours, and another man was seriously wounded in an unrelated shooting.</p>
<p>Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe that these incidents happened anywhere near Hopkins. I could look up the crime blotter for any city and provide these stats, but to what end?</p>
<p>Hopkins is in a very safe area of Baltimore which is well-lit, well-supervised and patrolled.</p>
<p>Yeah, my parents are ridiculously scared about JHU and safety b/c they're only listening to the bad. any ideas on convincing them otherwise? im a very logical guy, and i would go anywhere without friends....and i do wanna enjoy a life off-campus! so going to JHU wont restrict any "outgoingness" would it? grazie.</p>
<p>visit, it's the best way for people to see how JHU really is.</p>
<p>Also, order a copy of Baltimore Magazine. You can also peruse old copies online. But the magazine, itself, is an excellent resource. Your parents will be amazed at what a wonderful city Baltimore really is: <a href="http://www.baltimoremag.com%5B/url%5D">www.baltimoremag.com</a></p>
<p>Additionally, no one is more "outgoing" and fun-loving than my son, and he has a blast. You will, too.</p>
<p>I have never ever felt unsafe in Homewook Campus or the areas surrounding it near the dorms. There's a ridiculous amount of security running around all the time.</p>
<p>cool. sounds awesome. is ti a good idea to own a car or is it better to just use pub transport? how is public transport there? ive heard its not that great to JHU...</p>
<p>I am currently having this debate with my son who will be living off campus this year, in a building that has parking. I still vote no because it is really not necessary, and could be a pain to find parking in other areas around Hopkins. As I said, taxis are very inexpensive, and the Hopkins bus/shuttle is available until 3 or 4 in the morning, and comes pretty quickly when called. It is easy to get to DC on Amtrak. In fact, a ride on the train can be had for about $7. On the train, you can be in Philly in about one hour, and into Manhattan in about 2 hrs. 15. I think a car could be more of an annoyance than a help.</p>
<p>No need for cars. In the immediate area (Mt. Vernon, Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Canton) taxi's are just fine.</p>
<p>Beyond that, Hopkins has Flex Cars.<br>
<a href="http://www.flexcar.com/about/press/pressReleases/pr031907.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.flexcar.com/about/press/pressReleases/pr031907.html</a></p>