Cumberland MD Pros/Cons? (Baltimore, Frederick: houses, income, homeless)

[GunsMass]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

We have one supermarket

What's the story with that?

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by GunsMass

What's the story with that?

It's a large Martin's supermarket. When it opened, the last of the smaller neighborhood markets and most of the discount markets closed. I think two discount markets are still open, I had forgotten about them.

There is a similar sized Martin's supermarket, a full Walmart supermarket, and an Aldi's over the mountain in LaVale, about a 10 minute drive or less from most spots in the Cumberland city limits. Keep in mind the total population of the Cumberland is less than 20k people, the entire county is less than 70k.

[GunsMass]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Keep in mind the total population of the Cumberland is less than 20k people.

That is the only thing I had in mind, i.e., how can one supermarket support 20,000+ people.

But, presumably many people are driving over a mountain to get to other stores.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by GunsMass

That is the only thing I had in mind, i.e., how can one supermarket support 20,000+ people.

But, presumably many people are driving over a mountain to get to other stores.

Right, the other way to think about it is 3 full sized Supermarkets, an Aldi's, and two discount markets within about a 10 minute drive of each other.

I know lots of people in the city limits that go to the LaVale Martin's because they work out that way, or Walmart because of prices.

[DubyaM]

I see they are converting the Baltimore Street pedestrian mall back to a street. I hope they put in angled parking. I think the additional parking will be helpful. There is a lot of traffic on the canal Parkway; where are they going, beautiful downtown Wiley Ford?

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by DubyaM

I see they are converting the Baltimore Street pedestrian mall back to a street. I hope they put in angled parking. I think the additional parking will be helpful. There is a lot of traffic on the canal Parkway; where are they going, beautiful downtown Wiley Ford?

The Canal Parkway is an easier way south from Cumberland into WV than going through Ridgeley or going "under the subway" as we say, meaning going under the CSX mainline and through the little Egypt neighborhood. This is even more true coming north into Cumberland, much easier to slip through Wiley Ford, then get on the Parkway than crawling through Ridgeley.

Parking is coming to Baltimore St. I can't recall if it is angled or not. I believe it might be since the street is going to be opened one way traffic. Either way, money is being invested in the big buildings there, so improvement is coming, it's pretty exciting.

[Boothwynman]

I guess the pedestrian mall (which I walked along on my visits to Cumberland in 2008 and 2012) was deemed a failure by Cumberland's powers that be, thus it is going the way of the Market Street mall in Wilmington, DE 30+ years ago.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Boothwynman

I guess the pedestrian mall (which I walked along on my visits to Cumberland in 2008 and 2012) was deemed a failure by Cumberland's powers that be, thus it is going the way of the Market Street mall in Wilmington, DE 30+ years ago.

Yeah, we are about 3 decades behind the trend to open back up these malls to traffic. City government was behind market forces in deciding it was time to tear up the pedestrian mall.

[ki0eh]

What about the area from Hill Top Dr east, north of Oldtown Rd, south of Williams St.?

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by ki0eh

What about the area from Hill Top Dr east, north of Oldtown Rd, south of Williams St.?

That's Johnson Heights, my hood actually. It is the best neighborhood in South End. A mix of upper working class - upper middle class housing, most early 20th century. I highly recommend it.