JHU and the Baltimore area

<p>Can anyone give me some information on what the campus and Baltimore area is like?
I am a 32 year old working professional, and had originally applied to their DC campus (which is only for adult students who are attending their Professional Studies program). However, they were all filled up at that location and said that I would be attending at the Homewood campus. Is that the main campus of JHU?
I am searching for off campus housing, so I was wondering what the surrounding area was like.
Any and all input is greatly appreciated...
Thank you.</p>

<p>Yea homewood is the main campus. Surrounding area is ok, can be dangerous at night but just use common sense and lock doors/dont walk alone.</p>

<p>johnkgh,</p>

<p>Well everywhere is safe during the day. Even Red Hook or Queensbridge or South Central is safe during the day...its what happens at night that truly dictates what areas are safe and what aren't.</p>

<p>Baltimore, highest murder, VD and robbery rates in the nation. 15% of the city are drug addicts...FACT. The entire city looks like Coney Island in the 1980's...i.e. Beiruit</p>

<p>Your taking a gable walking around that campus at night...during the day everything is gravy but when the sun sets, thats when every fiend imaginable starts to come out of the woodword :(</p>

<p>Probally one of the more dangerous campuses in the country if not the most.</p>

<p><<Baltimore, highest murder... rates in the nation"</p>

<p>I thought Camden, NJ, home of my alma mater, had that distinction? </p>

<p>I don't really know too much about Baltimore as far as housing. Maybe there is graduate housing available somewhere? </p>

<p>We went to visit this summer, saw JHU and went to Inner Harbor for dinner (yum). In between, we got hopelessly lost due to a ramp closure and really got a "tour de Baltimore." I didn't find it especially scary but it was during the day.</p>

<p>No Camden, NJ is the "Worst City in America"</p>

<p>Baltimore just has the highest murder rate for a city with over 500,000 people...but I'm sure Camden is a steady competitor despite its position as a considerably smaller city</p>

<p><<no camden,="" nj="" is="" the="" "worst="" city="" in="" america"=""></no></p>

<p>No, Camden NJ is the "most dangerous city" in America, I don't think Baltimore is even in the top ten.</p>

<p>Oh, and I just had to add that "King Homicide" was recently found in Brick, NJ - the second safest city in America.</p>

<p>Well Camden was just the most dangerous for 2003...trust me, Baltimore is up there...355 murders in 2004, with a population of about 600,000</p>

<p>New York city had 597...population 8,000,000</p>

<p>So don't give me the sermon about how Baltimore isn't extremely dangerous OK chachi</p>

<p>The homicide rate in Baltimore City last year was 278. Not good, but a far cry from 355.</p>

<p><<so don't="" give="" me="" the="" sermon="" about="" how="" baltimore="" isn't="" extremely="" dangerous="">></so></p>

<p>It might or might not be for your average citizen. But anyway, that wasn't your original contention. You said it was the most dangerous. It's not.</p>

<p>The thing about cities like Baltimore is that they have many positive, redeeming qualities that draw people to go to school, live and work there. That is not true of all so-called "dangerous" cities. </p>

<p>In reading about homicide rates, I thought it was very interesting that many lives are saved each year in Baltimore due to the quality of their trauma centers.</p>

<p>"I thought it was very interesting that many lives are saved each year in Baltimore due to the quality of their trauma centers."</p>

<p>Yeah well the object is not to have to go to the hospital in the first place...you see what I'm saying. Getting stabbed or beaten is not an acceptable occurance just because the Hospitals provide great sevice...</p>

<p>"OK Billy, now I'm sending you off to Hopkins and I know its dangerous there but hey don't worry...even if you do get hurt the hospitals have great staff"</p>

<p>Psshhh...do you even realize the absurdity of your argument? Its dangerous for college students because typically students are going to be viewed as both weak and easy potential targets. How many Hopkins students do you think can hold their own in the inner city? Be realistic pal, Baltimore has an extrememly high murder and robbery rate...and on top of that 15% of the population are drug addicts...so thats about 75,000 crazy's walking around the streets waiting to snap on someone.</p>

<p>But the thing is, a person is much, much more likely to be hurt in an accident than to be the victim of a violent crime. And the perpetrator of that violent crime is much more likely to be someone you know than a stranger on the street. Enter the relevance of top notch trauma centers. </p>

<p>I think that if a student is an "easy target" - that isn't going to change based on his environment. I do think that all college students should take some sort of course in personal safety, especially if they've never been out of their hometown. </p>

<p>I think it's a little silly to view drug addicts as predatory "crazies." Most of them are probably content with harming themselves. (that's paraphrasing a line from a movie) </p>

<p><<"I thought it was very interesting that many lives are saved each year in Baltimore due to the quality of their trauma centers."</p>

<p>Yeah well the object is not to have to go to the hospital in the first place...you see what I'm saying. Getting stabbed or beaten is not an acceptable occurance just because the Hospitals provide great sevice...</p>

<p>"OK Billy, now I'm sending you off to Hopkins and I know its dangerous there but hey don't worry...even if you do get hurt the hospitals have great staff"</p>

<p>Psshhh...do you even realize the absurdity of your argument? Its dangerous for college students because typically students are going to be viewed as both weak and easy potential targets. How many Hopkins students do you think can hold their own in the inner city? Be realistic pal, Baltimore has an extrememly high murder and robbery rate...and on top of that 15% of the population are drug addicts...so thats about 75,000 crazy's walking around the streets waiting to snap on someone.>></p>

<p><<but the="" thing="" is,="" a="" person="" is="" much,="" much="" more="" likely="" to="" be="" hurt="" in="" an="" accident="" than="" victim="" of="" violent="" crime.="">></but></p>

<p>So your saying you'd feel perfectly compfortable walking through the South Bronx with a pocket full of cash based solely on the fact that you are more likely to die of a car accident than from a gunshot wound?</p>

<p>Let me ask you this. Have you ever lived in the inner city? I'm originally from Maine, but I went to High School in New York City and have actually lived in Baltimore. The only one you can rely on at 3AM in such places is yourself and if you can't run very fast your going to be in a world of trouble.</p>

<p>Unlike a car accident, where the probability is relatively the same everywhere in the country, murders occur almost unanimously within a few specified areas. The likelyhood of getting into a car accident in Compton, California is similar to the likyhood of getting into a car accident in Concord, New Hampshire. I think you'd agree that you can't say the same for the likelyhood of being murdered.</p>

<p><<but the="" thing="" is,="" a="" person="" is="" much,="" much="" more="" likely="" to="" be="" hurt="" in="" an="" accident="" than="" victim="" of="" violent="" crime.="">></but></p>

<p><<so your="" saying="" you'd="" feel="" perfectly="" compfortable="" walking="" through="" the="" south="" bronx="" with="" a="" pocket="" full="" of="" cash="" based="" solely="" on="" fact="" that="" you="" are="" more="" likely="" to="" die="" car="" accident="" than="" from="" gunshot="" wound?="">></so></p>

<p>Well, no. But I wouldn't walk through the South Bronx with a pocket full of cash. Nor would I walk around Baltimore sporting a hefty gold necklace like your friend did. Nor would I antagonize someone who was drinking a bottle of beer in broad daylight. I never said I lacked common sense. </p>

<p>My point was it's nice to live near a trauma center b/c it's more likely for someone to have an accident than it is for someone to be a victim of a violent crime.</p>

<p><<let me="" ask="" you="" this.="" have="" ever="" lived="" in="" the="" inner="" city?="" i'm="" originally="" from="" maine,="" but="" i="" went="" to="" high="" school="" new="" york="" city="" and="" actually="" baltimore.="" only="" one="" can="" rely="" on="" at="" 3am="" such="" places="" is="" yourself="" if="" can't="" run="" very="" fast="" your="" going="" be="" a="" world="" of="" trouble.="">></let></p>

<p>Never lived in one but did go to school in Camden, like I said. And I don't make a habit of wandering around at 3 am alone, never really did. And I agree, you have to rely on yourself. But I think that reliance begins with having some common sense.</p>

<p><<unlike a="" car="" accident,="" where="" the="" probability="" is="" relatively="" same="" everywhere="" in="" country,="">></unlike></p>

<p>Uh, no. Check the insurance rates. </p>

<p><< murders occur almost unanimously within a few specified areas.>></p>

<p>Again, no. Most murders are between people who know each other. Random murders are a lot rarer than the media leads you to believe. Only 14% of murders are committed by someone unknown to the victim.</p>

<p><the likelyhood="" of="" getting="" into="" a="" car="" accident="" in="" compton,="" california="" is="" similar="" to="" the="" likyhood="" concord,="" new="" hampshire.="" i="" think="" you'd="" agree="" that="" you="" can't="" say="" same="" for="" being="" murdered.="">></the></p>

<p>I'm not famililar with Compton, CA. But I'm quite sure that car accidents are more likely to occur in CA than in NH. </p>

<p>Anyway, I hate think of all those people living in places like Cambridge for their whole lives b/c their parents taught them it was too dangerous to go anywhere else.</p>

<p>Illmaticmindstate, the area surrounding JHU is not bad. You are describing the entire city of baltimore as bad which is certainly untrue. JHU especially the medical campus has taken tremendous steps to improve the surrounding area. Incidents are now rare at the medical campus due to the upgraded security system. And no, not all "fiends" come out at night. You say it is "probably" one of the most dangerous campuses in the country if not the most but you are not in a positon to judge as you are not a student based on your post. Parts of baltimore are dangerous but not everywhere. Hopkins in general is quite safe.</p>

<p>You got it all wrong...your crazy if you don't think murder is more prevelant in a few specified areas of the country.</p>

<p>For instance my friend use to live in Queensbridge (public housing near the Queensborough Bridge in NYC) where there was a body being found about once every month. Population of Queensbridge...about 10,000. So thats about 12 murders a year in a six block radius.</p>

<p>The entire state of Maine where I grew up has fewer than ten murders a year...population 1.2 Million</p>

<p>And your not familiar with Compton? Where have you been the last 20 years...thats like one of the most famous spots in America.</p>

<p>Car accidents happen everywhere...murders don't. And murders happen in Baltimore, lots of them. 355 a year in 2004. Thats alot of friggen bodies for such a small city (600,000)...NYC had only 597 (8,000,000) doesn't that say something to you?</p>

<p>But I'd agree its a tragedy to isolate yourself into a place like Cambridge...its good to experience a little bit of blood curdling fear every now and them :)</p>

<p>I <em>HAVE</em> lived in Baltimore for 4 years, DC for 5, and Manhattan and Brooklyn for 3. I was never assaulted or harmed in any way in any of these cities, not even at 3am. I have taken public transportation and even traveled alone after dark in these cities. With awareness and an air of self-confidence, there is generally no need for paranoia.</p>

<p>Fear-mongering is not a worthwhile use of one's time. Common sense, alertness, and more common sense are worth encouraging.</p>

<p>illmaticmindstate: do you have a vendetta against baltimore? did you have a really bad experience, like homer simpson and new york where he got chased down the street by the pimp?</p>

<p>FACT IS: most of these statistics that are being thrown around do not even reflect hopkins. here is the homewood security page that reports all crimes on campus:<a href="http://www.jhu.edu/%7Esecurity/stats_Homewood.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.jhu.edu/~security/stats_Homewood.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>In 2002, there were 38 total offenses. out of a student body of ~4100. of the top of my head....isnt that less that 1%? </p>

<p>please.....quit the balto bashing.</p>

<p>Well where did you live in Brooklyn and Manhattan? To be sure it all depends on where you are, but don't tell me you hopped off the train in Brownsville at 3AM and everything was all gravy...please</p>

<p>And obviously some of these homicides ARE inflicted upon Johns Hopkins university students. Two homicides in one year! In a school with 4,000 people those aren't very good odds if you ask me.</p>

<p>And read the front page of the New York Times for today February the 9th, 2005...on the front page theres an article proclaiming that Baltimore is in fact the murder capital of the United States....granted its not the Gaza strip but still</p>

<p>ok, first only the first homicide at hopkins was random. second, we dont live in a perfect world. people do die at college...its a fact of life. you can go out into the country where there are no gangs and no ghettos and still die. take cornell for instance...I dont know the exact numbers, but it seems i hear reports of drunk kids walking off of gorges every month or so. so the point is...again, you just have to be aware.</p>

<p>**as an additional point, i dont really understand the benefit for the thugs of jumping college kids. i mean, arent college students normally strapped for cash?</p>

<p>Baltimore may be the murder capital of the United States, but it is actually better than it once was. I believe there was a ten year streak where the murder rate was over 300, which it has not been since for at least four years. Of course, it's not looking very good for this year. I think the important thing to remember is that most of these murders are in connection with drugs and gangs and are not entirely random. If you look up the murder rate in Baltimore (a quick search on Google is easy enough) it becomes quite obvious that the murder rate last year was 287. Illmaticmindstate, where in the world are you getting your statistics?</p>