Along its working harbor, Baltimore is gritty, unpretentious and full of personality, a port city with a lot of pride. The Inner Harbor and National Aquarium draw the crowds, but locals steer you toward Fells Point for its old waterfront pubs, Lexington Market, and the quirky galleries of Hampden and Station North. The Baltimore Museum of Art is free, and Fort McHenry is where the national anthem was written. Camden Yards is a great place to see a ballgame.
About 570,000 people live in the city, and the metro area is nearly three million, with Washington about 40 miles away. Costs are close to the national average, and buying a home is affordable compared with nearby DC. Violent crime is high but has been falling, and it clusters in parts of West and East Baltimore. Stick to the busy areas at night and use rideshare. Summers are humid, and the harbor floods at high tide.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
Out of 10. Open any score to see how it’s worked out. “Data-based” scores come from published figures; “Hey! En Route estimate” scores are worked out from what we know about the city; “Hey! En Route rating” scores were set by our editors.
- Known as
- Charm City; Mobtown; B'more; The Monumental City; Birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner
- Founded
- 1729 settled and founded; 1797 incorporated (independent city 1851)
- Languages
- English; Spanish; Korean; Chinese; Russian; French
- Airports
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI), about 10 miles south of downtown with Amtrak and light rail links; Washington Reagan National (DCA) about 40 miles southwest; Washington Dulles (IAD) about 55 miles southwest; Martin State (MTN) for general aviation
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $2-3 per bag; water taxi crews optional
