Rachamim

Hi, I’ve lived in Baltimore for 40+ years. From the majority of comments here, it’s clear that many of the posters have either moved to Baltimore recently or have only visited Baltimore but don’t have a real knowledge or understanding of the community.

So to address some of the misinformation, there are 3 main areas where the frum yidden reside. Park Heights, Greenspring, and Dundalk.

Greenspring is the very upscale, posh neighborhood. Most homes sit on a minimum of 2 acres. The houses are all 7-8 bedrooms and every family has live-in help. The men in that neighborhood wear top hats to shul on Shabbos and the women all have a different sheitel for each day of the week. Many of the families there speak with a sort of upper-class, British accent.

Park Heights is pretty much the opposite of that. Most of the families there live in wooden shacks or tents without running water or electricity. They speak in somewhat of a “pidgin” English and they rarely go on vacations. Baltimore also has a thriving coal mining industry and the majority of frum Jews who live in Park Heights work in coal, either as miners or shift leaders.

Dundalk is the neighborhood that is probably most similar to Brooklyn. Huge thriving community. Shuls on every corner. Multiple minyan factories and pizza stores open till 3 AM. When you walk around on Erev Shabbos, its rare that you would even see non-frum yid. Everyone there wears the newest fashions, drives nice cars, and goes on upscale vacations. Most NYers who settle in Baltimore end up feeling most comfortable in Dundalk.

Happy to share additional info for anyone interested.