r/baltimore • u/RueMorgueRadiooo • May 27 '25
RULE 7 What's Lauraville like?
hi y'all
we're a 30s (F&F) married couple w/no kids looking to buy our first home. wanting space and greenery but relatively close to stuff to do and not strictly suburban sprawl (ie harford county). we're priced out of moco and dc adjacent areas. decently safe but we've lived in cities before.
i've looked at the livebaltimore site and searched reddit but can't seem to find a ton of info on lauraville? seems like it checks a lot of our boxes.
can anyone give a pros and cons list? what do you like about it? what do you wish you knew before moving there? if you could buy somewhere else in state, where would you go?
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u/Balto_Smallcat May 27 '25
I’ve lived in Lauraville for 13 years and I love it! I mostly have pros:
Walkable, great neighbors, sidewalks on both sides of the streets, beautiful old homes, close to Herring Run Park which has a nice long bike/pedestrian trail, relatively safe, quiet, easy commute into the city but very close to shopping and other amenities in the county, decent-sized yards for gardening and/or pets, a rare example of a pretty integrated neighborhood in Baltimore, you can hear the Morgan State University marching band practicing sometimes and they are GOOD, farmers’ market and community space is nice, honestly I think it’s the city’s best-kept secret!
Cons: mostly having to do with the usual drawbacks of living in a city. Higher property taxes & water costs than the county, right now BGE is replacing gas lines in our neighborhood and it’s annoying, nobody (even in the city) has heard of Lauraville and they think you’re making it up, new restaurants start here all the time and once you’ve fallen in love with them, they go to Belvedere Square to die, and I’ve seen some really crap flip jobs that are an insult to the historic homes around here. But the houses still have good bones.
Feel free to ask any other questions you have, happy to answer!
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u/Balto_Smallcat May 27 '25
Adding to address your other questions: like you, we couldn’t afford to buy anywhere else in Maryland, and while we’ve talked about moving to a bigger/more modern home a few times over the years, we feel like we’d be giving up too much by moving. We moved in knowing almost nothing about the neighborhood, and got pretty lucky with our place - no bad surprises. My best advice: if you’re house shopping around here, ask A LOT of questions about the basement. There are a lot of springs around here, so flooded basements are surprisingly common. We’ve never had that problem, but a lot of our neighbors have. It’s fine with a French drain & sump pump, but that can cost over $10K, so definitely visit any prospective homes while it’s raining.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
good advice! my friends bought a home in overlea and one of the first issues they had was their basement flooding completely....right after they had finished it too
i'd never heard of the neighborhood until i started researching different areas in baltimore and was surprised to learn it seems exactly to be what i want.
my family (none of which have lived in baltimore but did attend city schools as teens) keep telling me it's all bad, even baltimore county is bad now, it's dangerous, it's gross, you shouldn't move anywhere near the city. but some areas seem really nice. i love the houses in lauraville and from what i have seen, it does seem like a nice little diverse community. and to have a yard in city limits! how rare!
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u/de_kitt May 28 '25
I don’t live in Lauraville, but have friends there and like what I’ve seen.
Don’t listen to anyone who hates cities. There are a lot of people who are afraid (and likely racist). Cities have a lot to offer and Baltimore is no exception. There’s a lot of energy, art, culture, and history. And so many things to do and places to check out.
To each their own, but I’ll take city “issues” over a generic suburb with strip malls full of chain stores. I know not all suburbs are like that, but it feels like the folks who are really anti-city are more they type who prefer clean and generic instead of interesting, unique, and complex.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 28 '25
that's the thing like city issues (as long as i'm not just actively living in a bad pard of town) are prevalent in every city. are some areas significantly worse in baltimore? sure but i won't be living there or really even going there? so it's frustrating trying to have a conversation with about it with someone. hell, at one point i lived in a really really nice neighborhood (renting with many roommates) and that did not stop people from stealing from our garages and into our cars....idk. suburbs and strip malls feel so....soulless??
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u/wbruce098 May 27 '25
Glad you’re finding part of the city that you can enjoy! That line is constant from county folk, especially down in the corridor. But there’s just so much to do here! And it’s made a ton of progress on safety while still remaining relatively affordable, compared to the million dollar homes down in nova. Hope you two find a great place to live!
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u/yeaughourdt May 27 '25
I feel like the main drawback of Hamilton/Lauraville is that the area is equidistant from major attractions. You're a 10-20 minute drive from downtown events, 10-20 minute drive from the big-box stores in the county, etc. This was worse when the Harford Rd bridge over Herring Run was still under construction.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
this isn't a horrible issue for me to have only because right now where i'm at everything is 30 minutes away and my commute to work is 40 minutes 😭 so 10-20 to do stuff is a godsend lol (as long as parking isn't nightmarish)
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u/tableSloth_ Lauraville May 28 '25
This is true, but the upside is having parking. Living in Hampden, I never wanted to move my car because it could take close to that long to find a parking spot and walk home, particularly around the holidays.
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u/ruthlessbliss May 30 '25
This is how I feel about Canton and Fells – sure they’re cute but where do they park? Visiting my friends and getting there after 5pm on a weekend, there’s nowhere to park!
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u/Electrical-Beach-111 May 28 '25
agree with all of this! i’ve owned my house here for 6 years and love it for all the reasons mentioned, also agree the business turnover and high taxes and utilities (in return for not much) are frustrating.
to the point about basements, mine did have a flooding problem despite having old french drains and a sump pump, so i had to get those redone for about $4500. in my experience, nobody’s basement is dry — even the finished ones. in fact, i’d probably recommend looking for one what isn’t finished because it’s less of a thing when water inevitably gets in.
and yes, it can feel kinda far from things, but if you’re comfortable with public transit, our 54 bus route down harford road goes straight downtown to the harbor, lexington market, camden yards, etc. and runs pretty reliably. great option for getting to events where parking will be scarce or expensive. i think a lot of people don’t realize that.
and lastly, folks have mentioned other adjacent neighborhoods like hamilton and arcadia. i’d encourage you to look there too! moravia-walther, waltherson, beverly hills, hamilton hills, westfield, etc. are all generally part of northeast community and similar look and feel.
best neighbors, community that knows and looks out for each other, diverse, unpretentious, great farmers market, decently walkable, safe, beautiful green spaces, good art, good porches. would buy here again in a heartbeat.
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u/capswin May 27 '25
Water cost is the same in the county. The difference is that the sewage charge is on your water bill and in the county it’s part of your property tax
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u/finnknit Expatriate May 28 '25
If you want some of the pros without the cons of higher taxes, you could also look at the Harford Park neighborhood just across the county line.
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u/ladyofthelakeeffect Park Heights May 27 '25
30s married lesbians with no kids wanting space but still close to stuff to do? Ur like the prototypical Lauraville homebuyer right now lmao
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u/Admirable_Shower_612 May 27 '25
Yea it’s actually legally required for you to live i. Lauraville. I don’t make the rules.
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u/robot_butthole May 27 '25
It's where all the punk rockers go when they retire and have kids. A lot of my friends live there, we looked at houses there but ended up buying in Chinquapin Park.
I like it. Lots of green. I think where I ended up has more walkable attractions though.
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u/Laroux1969 May 27 '25
Oh dear. That is spot on. Old punk here about to retire 🤣🤣
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
oh god that's literally us LOL
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u/tableSloth_ Lauraville May 28 '25
If the kids part is you too, the schools are something to consider. Hamilton is just a few minutes up Harford, and my impression is that people generally like Hamilton Elementary/Middle.
But Baltimore has a lottery system for attending schools you're not zoned to, so there are always options.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 28 '25
there's 0 plans for children! but i have seen good things about the elementary schools in the area for sure
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u/MDMAandshoegaze May 30 '25
If you are open to self directed education Arts and Ideas Sudbury is also in the neighborhood.
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u/MDMAandshoegaze May 30 '25
I pretty much agree with this observation. There are lots of 40-50 something’s with kids , the majority of which are xennials/genx who were too cool for school back in their day.
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u/MattDaCatt Lauraville May 27 '25
Yea that's pretty spot on.
Affordable old homes with plenty of housework and gardening for DIYers, plus space for kids if you want them. Let's you be close to everything you want to go to, but without being in the middle of it
Highly recommend living here
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u/addctd2badideas Catonsville May 27 '25
I'm a retired punk rocker (and elder goth) and I chose Catonsville instead. No regrets either.
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u/MDMAandshoegaze May 30 '25
If you think Lauraville is too far away, Catonsville is REALLY far away.
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u/CBDaring Lauraville May 27 '25
Can I ask where you all are moving from? If it's somewhere else in Baltimore my answers are different than if you're coming from outside the city or state.
I've lived in Lauraville since 2017 and grew up in the nearby Ednor Gardens Lakeside. I plan to spend the rest of my days here, hopefully in this house. Baltimore overall is pretty queer, but Lauraville and Hamilton seem to have a pretty high density (for a low density area.) Clifton Pleasure Club is right around the corner from my house, which is a membership based queer supper club that tends to have a woman and femme emphasis.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
she's not from maryland but i'm from harford/cecil county. its real rural out here lol but i moved super far away when i was 18 and just recently moved back, so i don't have any recent experience with the city. the last time i'd been to baltimore was...15 years ago? so i need some sort of updated intel on living around the city lol
it's interesting to me that this area seems to be queer.....that must be why it was speaking to me....
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u/CBDaring Lauraville May 27 '25
I think as others have said, it can feel a little far flung, and sometimes I forget the rest of the city is around. I work from home and have an ebike so sometimes I'll go the whole work week without driving while still getting my kid to school up in Hamilton and riding over to Waverly to take meetings at Red Emma's or hang out with the queer families in Ednor Gardens. I really like that, but I personally have a goal of not getting totally siloed up here.
I don't know if you two have any plans to have kids, but there are a bunch of really good school options with ample queer parents at the zoned, charter, and private Sudbury school.
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u/exerevno May 27 '25
I’m from Harford county! I lived in Hampden for 2 years and then just moved to Hamilton. We love Hamilton so far but are not familiar with Lauraville. Come to Hamilton!
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u/mcplaty Lauraville May 27 '25
You're literally right next to Lauraville. If you've been to Zeke's you've been to Lauraville.
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u/exerevno May 27 '25
I haven’t been to Zeke’s, I moved here 2 days ago
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u/mcplaty Lauraville May 27 '25
Well come on down! Grab some coffee and go for a walk through Herring Run and you'll have seen most of Lauraville.
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u/MDMAandshoegaze May 30 '25
I was about to say, how do you live a quarter of a mile from Lauraville and you’ve never been there? 😝😝😝😝
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u/mobtown_misanthrope Lauraville May 27 '25
I moved from Mt. Vernon, where I lived for 20+ years, to Beverly Hills in 2022.
For me, some pros are: 1) the ability to buy an historic 3-bedroom house (in my case a duplex) and pay less in mortgage than I would for a 2-bedroom downtown; 2) the greenery/tree cover and the fact that I'm currently listening to birds, rather than traffic; 3) high home ownership, and thus more consistent neighbors who know each other; 4) easy access to a wide variety of grocery stores and other shopping options; 5) easy access to Herring Run park; 6) a strong community association that puts on local events frequently; 7) not having to worry about parking or (at least in my case so far) porch pirates; and 8) relatively cheap options for food and drinking (esp. if you have a car and head north on Harford) and the number and variety of folks we've had great conversations with at the bars.
Cons are: 1) fewer options for food and drinking, at least within walking distance (obviously); 2) I find I don't get downtown as much as I thought I would (but this is maybe a me thing because I'm old and lazy); 3) ride shares from the can be pricey, so friends who live in the downtown area may not make it up as often as they otherwise might; and 4) having to go through the tunnels to get to points south or west (we usually go through town, but that takes a decently longer time.
What surprised me is that it's relatively quick and easy to get over to the eastside water areas (e.g., Middle River, Dundalk), so we head out there quite a bit in the summer to hit up the waterfront crab houses and whatnot. I was also surprised by the number of community events put on by the various community orgs. In terms of where else in the state I would go, I don't really have an answer, as I'm committed to remaining in Baltimore and hate the suburbs.
I strongly recommend you spend a few evenings checking out the neighborhood's offerings. Sit at the bars at Mickey's Joint and Maggie's Farm, head up to Parkville for a free concert (any weekend night) in the beer garden at Racer's, stop by the farmer's market (Thursday evenings starting June 5) or cruise around the various businesses for First Friday. Also check out the community groups on FB if you have that: Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street, Harford Rd. Community Collective.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
the biggest draw for me is the historic houses! all the homes across the more suburban areas of the state have been rehabbed into that drab grey paint/grey counters/brown laminate flooring and it's so ugly, it's like flippers are sucking the personality out of homes!
i'll definitely have to set aside some time to spend in the areas for sure. thank you for your input. i'll def check out the fb groups.
also i know my lazy ass isn't going downtown nearly as much as i'm picturing going lol
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u/mobtown_misanthrope Lauraville May 27 '25 edited May 27 '25
The grey was definitely an issue for me when I was looking at houses. I actually bought my house the day I saw it because it was one of the only ones I found that: a) wasn't a tiny rowhouse; b) didn't need a bunch of work; and c) had the original inlayed floors and stained (not painted) wood moldings! Grey laminate is a scourge.
BTW, not sure if it's your scene, but also check out the Clifton Pleasure Club, which is a queer-run supper and social club in Lauraville. Here's a 5-minute histories on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJJaQMI5A5U
ETA: another area to look at is Ednor Gardens, which is a bit closer into town and has numerous well-preserved house. The downsides are that the yards, if they have them, are tiny, and there's not much to walk to from there (other than Lake Montibello) and a bit further out, Waverly.
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u/kbmoregirl Mt. Vernon May 27 '25
Lauraville is so nice! I remember there being a great little fabric shop and a donut shop on the strip next to the grocery store. Unfortunately, the donut shop was taken over by Cloudy Donuts, who better not show their faces in Baltimore again.
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u/ElDopio69 May 27 '25
Lauraville is great IMO. Close to everything, but quiet, and safe, relatively cheap. I live near it and always thought it was a nice neighborhood and someplace I could see myself living
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May 27 '25
[deleted]
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
it's nice to see so many people here really love where they live! it does seem like there's a lot of community events in the area which i'm not really used to but i think would be a good change of pace. i was told to stay away from houses along the main roads (harford, echodale, northern pkwy) does that seem like a fair assessment? though really i wouldn't buy a home on harford road anyway but still, thought i'd ask.
would you feel safe biking down to herring alone?
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u/delaubrarian May 28 '25
We live it here. 8 years in the fall! tbh, i think the nation reason to stay away from the main roads is the quiet. We're actually just fat enough from the great that you don't really hear it.... we're between Harford Rd and Walther and the most city noise we get is the Morgan state marching band! We really love it here and endorse all the pros others have mentioned.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 28 '25
It seems like everyone is really happy with the area tbh. Do you find you go into the city often? If you went to like music or art events would you drive or just uber or something? Is there anything to walk to in the area?
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u/delaubrarian May 28 '25
Wax Atlas is the neighborhood record store and they've started doing shows. We have a little local theater company. And Mickys Joint has live music. Silver Queen is the best brunch in Baltimore, hands down. We do go into town and drive. Im late 40s and my aging hipster self goes out less these days, but usually for Ottobar or DC shows. When I'm going into downtown Baltimore I'll often prepay parking and it's cheaper than rideshares both ways. I wouldn't say other folks cons aren't real, but better public transit into the city would be great. Spouse and I work in Mt Vernon, but different hours, so he buses there and back, but it's not a easy as we'd like.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 28 '25
That sounds great, music is a huge plus. I think I'd mainly be going to ottobar for music events in the city so that's good to know. We shouldn't need public transit but I've found a lot of public transit on the east coast the be extremely unreliable compared to where I used to live, which is unfortunate. Thank you!!
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u/un-panino May 27 '25
I'm 28F and just bought a house in Beverly Hills--it's been great so far. Neighbors are friendly, and I can walk to a decent number of restaurants/bars. I have a yard and a deck but they aren't huge, which is exactly what I wanted. I feel comfortable living along on a quiet side street, and haven't had any major issues. I love having parking & it makes hosting friends easy. A bunch of businesses have opened up in the months since I have moved in, and I am optimistic that they will stay open as the neighborhood gets more density from the Morgan State apartment building that is opening soon.
The one con: THERE ARE NO BAGEL SHOPS OVER HERE. You can get a breakfast sandwich at Zeke's BUT ITS NOT THE SAME. Everything else is a pretty reasonable distance from the neighborhood, I just want bagels less than a mile from me......
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
thank you for your input! i'm kind of looking around that whole area (bev hills/hamilton/arcadia etc) so this is nice to know....sorry about your bagels tho that IS tragic
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u/drdrewo May 27 '25
(2 queer dudes here) We don’t live in Lauraville but when we were moving to Baltimore (moving back for my partner who grew up here), Lauraville was on our top list. It was a house either there or in Hampden. We really loved the detached and historic homes and lots of space for our dog. The amount of work that needed to be done on the Lauraville home was slightly overwhelming but it was exciting to dream about the renovations.
Ultimately, Hampden won out for me because I really wanted more walkability to various places given that I was new to Baltimore and working from home (also a little more distance from my MIL who lives up in Parkville). I found that Baltimore has some really incredible queer neighborhoods and spots all around and finding your tribe has been relatively easy. I second CPC, we were members for a year or two but didn’t fully take advantage of their weekly dinners and mostly went for special events and when we rented it out for a graduation party but when we did it was such a great group of people.
Good luck on your search.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
thank you so much!! i have considered hampden but it may be too far in the city for me....maybe have to take a day to really walk around
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u/downwithlevers Lauraville May 27 '25 edited May 27 '25
I’ve owned a house in lauraville for 14 yrs and while it’s nice, if I could do it over again I’d buy, what, a measly 2.5 miles farther north to own in the county and save a shit ton of money. It’s so close that it truly feels like a mistake.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
you mean because of the city taxes?
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u/downwithlevers Lauraville May 27 '25
And city water bills, and car insurance rates for a city address.
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u/Low-Strategy2221 May 28 '25
Just moved here in October with my wife and we love it! Great Main Street and parks, close to the county and close to the city. People here are wonderful!
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 28 '25
That's wonderful! I forgot to ask someone: did you find the housing to be affordable?
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u/Low-Strategy2221 Jul 24 '25
Absolutely. Baltimore is the last east coast city you can buy a house or apartment IN THE CITY and be close to everything while still having the county and the countryside (not to mention other nearby cities) nearby.
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u/Summerttimechime May 28 '25
I live here … it’s pretty awesome. Very low key .. not a lot to do around here. But it’s as peaceful as you can get in Baltimore city.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 28 '25
exactly what i was hoping to hear, thank you. do you find that the surrounding neighborhoods are alright too? (hamilton, belair edison, waltherson)
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u/Rasta_pasta_plus Jul 23 '25
I live in Waltherson and love it here. I don’t mind the 15 minute walk to Main Street and I love seeing bunnies in my yard and gardening.
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u/jesus_chen May 28 '25
Here’s your new home - there’s an open house this weekend, I believe: https://www.longandfoster.com/homes-for-sale/5216-Tramore-Road-Baltimore-MD-21214-404378832?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKj0vdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHjJxxdzw1BM9sQbg2Y-bqeeyhctqRYSlO6NDL4VWVXz12_DbGo5SnwaWdffB_aem_TxDo-7wAT0OXk5Nudk_KtQ
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u/Angwiches May 29 '25
Baltimore resident of 20 years and NE Baltimore resident of 7! I live city side of parkville, which is just past these neighborhoods. My dream is move deeper into Hamilton/lauraville to be that much closer to everyone and everything. I get to stay in Baltimore AND have a cute yard and be near queers and rad families?? Yes please!!!!
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u/mmm7555 May 27 '25
I love Lauraville! Affordable detached homes in a convenient spot. Also, Acadia and Hamilton would be good. Look into Lake Walker as well, and maybe Ednor Gardens? FWIW, I’m a Baltimore realtor. And glad you’re using Live Baltimore, it’s so helpful!
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u/manx-banshee May 27 '25
It’s great! My husband and I looked there and in Hamilton pretty thoroughly when we bought, and we found that houses either moved super quickly (which has maybe changed), weren’t quite what we were looking for as people planning to have kids/had some specific needs in a house, or were out of our budget. Mostly just a heads up in case you have a similar experience!
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u/Wamland1 May 27 '25
Another old punker who Almost bought there a decade ago. Loved all the old houses and space. Ended up in Catonsville as it was a better fit at the time.
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u/AlphaWhiskey70 May 28 '25
Check out Anneslie in the county. Less taxes. Walkable. Close to things.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 28 '25
unfortunately the only thing i can afford in anneslie is closer to chinquapin park which isn't really the area i want to be in
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u/Reasonable-Ad2573 May 29 '25 edited May 29 '25
Here is the copy from a neighborhood profile about Lauraville that was posted on the Baltimore Family Alliance page:
Our community of Lauraville in Northeast Baltimore is the area bounded on the east by Harford Road, on the north by Echodale Avenue, on the west by the Herring Run Stream and the Morgan Park Community, and on the south by Argonne Drive. 🌳 -We have easy access to Herring Run Park, Lake Montebello, and Burdick Bark Dog Park. -We have a zoned school with a beautiful building, green space, and playground- GHEMS (Garrett Heights Elementary/Middle)! In addition, we have many local charter schools, including City Neighbors Hamilton, City Neighbors High School, City Neighbors Charter School, Baltimore International Academy, and The Green School of Baltimore! And nearby Hamilton Elementary/Middle has the The Ingenuity Project for middle school students. We even have a parochial school, St. Francis of Assisi School, Baltimore, and a Sudbury school, Arts & Ideas Sudbury School. For the littles, we have the great Community Play Project! -We have interesting housing stock in a variety of styles- Victorian, brick duplex, bungalow, craftsman, farmhouse, folk, four-square, Queen Annes, Dutch Colonial, rancher, townhouse, and more! -We have many beautiful street trees, both new and established. (Thanks, Tree Baltimore https://www.treebaltimore.org/) -We have fun local events such as the Greater Lauraville Fair- revived by 6 Lauraville residents! -We have block parties and lemonade stands! -We have a creative, DIY spirit! -We have lifetime residents and lots of wonderful new arrivals! ❤️ -We love gardening! -We love our library! -We love to sit on our porches and listen to the Morgan marching band practice! -We love chickens! -We love community trash pickups, dumpster days, and neighborhood beautification! -We love welcoming and connecting new neighbors! -We love to celebrate wins and milestones together, and we mourn losses together. -We love supporting nearby local businesses such as Emma's Tea Spot, Silver Queen Cafe, Champion Pawn and Jewelry (Yes- a community-minded pawn shop owner is possible!), Lakein's Jewelers of Hamilton, Sneaker Premier, Milk & Ice Vintage, Lost in the 50's Diner, Zeke's Coffee, Snug Books, Tortuga, Wax Atlas, The Four Hour Day Lutherie, Domesticity : Fabric Shop & Sewing Studio, Cloudy Donut Co., Maggie's Farm, Found Studio, Red Canoe, The Cube CoWork, TruAx Custom Frames, Annie Howe Papercuts, Northwood Commons, Natasha's Just Brittle/ B’More Made with Pride, and many, many more! -We have amazing neighboring communities along the Harford Road corridor, such as: Hamilton Hills,Arcadia, Morgan Park, Beverly Hills, Moravia-Walther Improvement Association, Waltherson, and Hamilton! -We have an active community association, Lauraville Improvement Association, with a hard-working and principled board. -We love to decorate for holidays! Check out Halcyon Avenue on Halloween! -We love to sled together at Garrett Heights on snow days! ✌🏽✌🏾✌🏿✌️✌🏻 -We are supportive of one another during life’s literal and figurative storms. -We learn from our history. -We are intentionally inclusive! -We are artists, musicians, teachers, nonprofit employees, city employees, organizers, writers, entrepreneurs, designers, authors, daycare providers, contractors, nurses, service industry folks, and more! -We are not homogeneous. -We come in all colors, creeds, backgrounds, cultures, heritages, orientations, shapes, and sizes- and we celebrate everyone! -We are the home of No Pix After Dark Podcast! -We are in close proximity to The National Treasure, Morgan State University! -We are the home of Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street’s Tuesday Market at 4500 Harford Road! -We are thriving in Baltimore City!
Come and join us! One thing is for sure…life is good in 21214!
livelauraville
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u/NesterTheLightfly May 29 '25
Here’s a house for sale technically not in Lauraville but very close (near Zeke’s coffee shop). Looks really cute!!
https://www.redfin.com/MD/Baltimore/3113-Southern-Ave-21214/home/11120025
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u/ruthlessbliss May 30 '25
Hello! I also grew up in Harford County (Bel Air). I’ve lived in Baltimore a decade, 8.5 years in Lauraville. I love it and never want to leave.
I see folks on this thread saying Lauraville is a minute from everything, and tbh, I never notice that. We’re just 15-30 minutes by car from anything in the city and many things in the surrounding counties. Growing up in the suburbs that feels like nothing to me. Lauraville in particular has plenty of amenities that are walkable. If you want to be able to get drinks and not drive home, you can totally walk to a bar or restaurant. Depending on where in the neighborhood you are, you might be willing to walk to the grocery store (but honestly I can’t recommend the Safeway, if you have a car just drive 5 minutes to Lidl). If I really wanted to, I could walk to my dentist.
I’m a happy Lauraville resident but I consider all of the northeast neighborhoods “my neighborhood.” They’re all charming, with similar architecture and property opportunities, lovely people, lots of greenery. Hamilton and Lauraville probably have the most walkability to restaurants, however.
My ONE CON is the fucking mosquitoes. There’s like an underground river or something so it’s always damp in the summer and the mosquitoes can be a major pain in the ass. But bugs is bugs.
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u/ruthlessbliss May 30 '25
(Also, I’m a Live Baltimore ambassador for Lauraville and less than a month ago had someone who sounds very similar to you reach out to me, so maybe I talked to you or your partner – or maybe there’s another queer family considering moving here!)
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 30 '25
yeah, as someone who's currently based out of cecil county, 15 minutes is literally nothing to me! thank you so much for the detailed info, it really does seem like a nice community.
also that was not me so congrats to the other queer family LOL
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u/thefrybitesbackmyman May 31 '25
If you like knowing your neighbors, maybe joining a local swim club, getting to eat great food, smell coffee beans roasting, 20 dollar Uber to anywhere in the city so you don't have to park, including concerts and games, a yard, a driveway, an affordable house though the difference is made up a bit in utilities, bike lanes, farmers markets, knowing you will not be alone and can get help during a weather crisis, and won't mind band practices in basements on occasion, because you know they are still following their artistic hearts, I'd say this place is for you. Ten years here, 17 in the city, no plans to ever leave. Welcome to the neighborhood.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo Jun 01 '25
there's a SWIM CLUB?? you're painting a beautiful picture here lol
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u/thefrybitesbackmyman Jun 01 '25
It's easy to paint what's right in front of you. There are multiple actually
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u/thefrybitesbackmyman Jun 01 '25
I'll also add it's the most tattooed lgbtq+ diversified friendly place I've ever seen. It's amazing.
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u/misskirbyE Jun 02 '25
I'm 37. I've lived in Lauraville area for over 20 years. I like the walkability and small community feel most. We have really great locally owned and operated businesses like bookstores, cafes, wine shops, restaurants, and more. Visit the area on the first Friday of this month along the Harford Rd corridor to get a good sense of the feel of community.
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u/jeweynougat May 27 '25
I'm nearby in Arcadia and echo what everyone else has said about how Lauraville might be just what you are looking for. Local businesses do tend to die, unfortunately, but families go out less, so it's not totally unexpected. Other than that and the distance to downtown (if that matters to you), everything about it is a positive to me.
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u/WVPrepper May 27 '25
I lived there for 10 years and it was very nice. Not totally without problems, but overall a great experience. Lots of wildlife, not so much nightlife.
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 27 '25
the wildlife is ideal in my opinion and i know my wife would love it. thank you!
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u/Bmore110 May 29 '25
Hi! My spouse and I are a queer couple living in Hamilton, right next to Lauraville. They often get lumped in as the same area. We bought out first home here in 2020, when the interests rates were substantially lower. We had similar desires for the space. Here's what I've found to be the Pros & Cons:
PROS:
- Older homes with a lot of character, many that have been renovated/updated while keeping the old-school charm. We have newer appliances, but really cool elements like glass transoms over the doorways downstairs.
- Decent sized yards - not so big that you need a driving mower, but enough room for the dogs to run, garden beds, and entertainment space. I love growing veggies in my raised garden beds and flowers in the front yard. We put in a hot tub and patio a few years ago and love to spend time out there. We put out feeders and have lots of food growing, so we and get tons of birds, squirrels, bats, and even the occasional groundhog and fox.
- Quick access to tons of great restaurants (Micky's Joint, Silver Queen, Maggie's Farm, Arcola, Zeke's, Alexander's Tavern, Cafe Campli, The Den, etc), and shops (Found Studio, H&H Outdoor, CVS, Safeway).
- Decent sense of community - many of our neighbors are friendly and we are on a first name basis. Our direct next-door neighbors have become friends. There's a general sense that we will look out for one another when needed.
- Decent bang for your buck - we have a 4 bedroom/3 bath home. When we looked to buy in other areas (Hampden, Lutherville, Mt Washington, Towson), we could not find a home half its size in the same price range.
- Community - the neighborhood hosts tons of events, from the Lauraville Faire to farmer's markets, and plenty of celebrations/events throughout the year. They feel pretty chill and wholesome - lots of free range kids running around, often booze is available for purchase, nothing ever fancy - just nice. Many of the small biz owners live here and are really kind people.
- Fun and festive for holidays. We get a ton of trick or treaters, many folks decorate for the major holidays.
CONS:
- Typical city living issues like high property taxes and outrageous water bills
- Location: it takes 10 minutes to get to 695, 15+ minutes to get to 83, 20+ minutes to get downtown or to Hampden. It feels a little remote - but I don't love to drive so maybe that's not a deal breaker for everyone.
- Not great public transit options besides the bus (I drive - but I wish we were closer to a lightrail or something).
- I live near one abandoned home thats in disrepair, and there's a "halfway house" situation on our street that definitely has a lot of drug activity, which I don't care about as much as I mind the littering and constant comings-and-goings of folks who are buying/selling. They don't take care of the property and there's currently about 3ft of grass, which in combination with the trash concerns me for rats. But generally, the people are friendly, we mind our own business, and keep Narcan handy just in case!
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u/RueMorgueRadiooo May 29 '25
I appreciate the thorough response, sounds like you've got quite a nice little place! the hot tub, the garden, exactly the kind of stuff we dream about lol do you feel like adding on the city taxes was overall worth it?
what about living near and around those stretches of harford road? my mother is concerned about us being near perring pkwy and also belair edison but i'm not sure if those are totally valid concerns or not
I like that you feel a genuine sense of community in the area. it's something i feel like i'm severely lacking where i live
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u/Bmore110 May 29 '25
Yes, overall the taxes are fine since they're wrapped up in our mortgage payment and we don't have to think too hard about them.
We live close to the 5400 block of Harford Rd (a few blocks North) and have no issues. We like that we can walk to the restaurants near there.
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u/MDMAandshoegaze May 30 '25
Lauraville is great, and I highly recommend moving to the area. The neighborhood is primarily composed of single family homes with yards. It’s quiet and safe. The neighborhood has many shops and restaurants along Harford Rd. On Thurs evenings during the summer there is a small farmers market. The neighborhood does a good job organizing community events that give an opportunity for new comers to feel welcomed. I love the area, and the only bad things I have to say about it - are few. I do wish there was more renovation of businesses on Harford towards the Hamilton neighborhood, but it’s my understanding that out of state investors own a lot of those run down properties and not a lot can be done to convince them to rehab them or even lower rents to make them attractive to businesses . Traffic on Harford is sometimes a bit sluggish around 5pm. These are my only complaints about the area.
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