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Salisbury has had crime stats through the roof for years now. Having been on the shore for 6 yrs and living near and working in Salisbury I would NEVER recommend this area for a young professional individual. REAL Jobs here are few and the majority of the young persons born here are leaving for better opportunities elsewhere. Im not sure where all these friendly people are but I havent encountered very many. This area, as a whole, is mostly a dead end. There are opportunities here but they are few and with the amount of favoritism and "clanishness" that is ever present you will likely find it difficult to get started.
There are numerous sites that I could post that show a year by year breakdown of crime in Salisbury. Its old news. Just this past year Salisbury was the 2nd most dangerous city for smaller metro areas.
With all the false info Ive read just in this topic alone I wonder if anyone that has responded actually lives or has lived in any of the areas that have been discussed. Its in poor taste to give advice to someone about something and have nothing more than a guess to back it up.
Salisbury has had crime stats through the roof for years now. Having been on the shore for 6 yrs and living near and working in Salisbury I would NEVER recommend this area for a young professional individual. REAL Jobs here are few and the majority of the young persons born here are leaving for better opportunities elsewhere. Im not sure where all these friendly people are but I havent encountered very many. This area, as a whole, is mostly a dead end. There are opportunities here but they are few and with the amount of favoritism and "clanishness" that is ever present you will likely find it difficult to get started.
There are numerous sites that I could post that show a year by year breakdown of crime in Salisbury. Its old news. Just this past year Salisbury was the 2nd most dangerous city for smaller metro areas.
With all the false info Ive read just in this topic alone I wonder if anyone that has responded actually lives or has lived in any of the areas that have been discussed. Its in poor taste to give advice to someone about something and have nothing more than a guess to back it up.
I think you bring up a good point that the Lower Eastern Shore and other rural areas in Maryland that are outside of the commuter loop are not places to relocate for those looking for career advancement. The positives these communities offer are in cheaper prices, quality of life (again, you are right about statistics showing Salisbury city being a high crime location, but the county is much more than just Salisbury), and less chances your piece of open space will end up being next to a 1,000 home community as the exurbs keep stretching out.
I think you are also right that anyone who moves to a rural or rural/transitioning exurban area is moving into the hometowns of multi-generational communities that have existing social and family structures. Integrating into these communties is not impossible, but it has to be done on the terms of the locals. If you move into these areas expecting them to reach out to you as you are with open arms, you will probably be disappointed. It is up to the newcomer to integrate themselves into the existing social structure. This doesn't mean complete compliance with the way things are, but it does mean accepting that the natives are going to have a sense of "ownership" of their communties that you don't find in the 'burbs. Open defiance of the status quo, insulting the community or its values, or being too outspoken on unpopular issues, can get you on the "outs" very quickly.
For every poster like Oncesir, that wasn't a good fit for rural communties, they are numerous posters that did relocate and acculturated themselves into their new communities to the point where they are now confused as "natives" and self-ID themselves with their new homes.
For every poster like Oncesir, that wasn't a good fit for rural communties, they are numerous posters that did relocate and acculturated themselves into their new communities to the point where they are now confused as "natives" and self-ID themselves with their new homes.
My question for you is, since you don't live on the eastern shore how is it that you know so much about living here? I've read a post by you in the past stating that you could never live here based on the flat nature of the landscape for the reason that you were fearful of being lost.
I only post my real experience about things I've seen or encountered when I ACTUALLY live in the area being talked about. Regardless of how much you think you know, its hearsay when you live 5 hours from the region being discussed.
I don't respond to other forum members questions about Cumberland. Why? Because I don't live there.
If you look closely at my post that you are referring to, you will see that I don't mention anything specific about Salisbury or any other part of the Eastern Shore except to agree with you that the crime rate is high, economic opportunity is limited, and the locals stick together.
The rest of my post is an "Op Ed" statement about rural areas in general and what I know about newcomers to traditional communities. I stand by that statement based on what I have learned from people I know from the Eastern Shore, posters on this board, and my experience in my own rural area. Some people can fit in and make a great life in these places, others don't. I try to explain why.
If you feel my comments don't specifically apply to Salisbury, MD, then by all means, let me know where I misspoke.
Even though I live 5 hours away, I do frequently stand up for the rural communities on the Eastern Shore and other rural places in Maryland because I do think there is a commonality that all rural communities in the state share, which is being misunderstood and frequently maligned by newcomers that come with their own personal standard and expectation of "the way things should be" only to be disappointed when they find something different than what they expected.
Everybody is entitled to their opinion of a place they have lived. Your opinion of the Eastern Shore is negative, that is fine, you make some good points about why it didn't work for you. I agree with most of those points, but I feel it is unfair to blame and talk negatively about the community alone for your failed relocation, when it should be clear that there are two partners in the relationship, the town and you.
I have lived in other parts of the state too. Those places didn't work for me, I don't choose to blame the communities, they were fine places to live. They were just not the best fit for me. I wouldn't waste my time bashing those places for their shortcomings. I understand them instead for what they are and take the responsibility on myself for why "it didn't work out between us." I post positively about these places frequently, they are what they are and could be good fits for other people. Don't worry Frederick, Towson, Westminster, it wasn't you, it was me
Last edited by westsideboy; 06-21-2011 at 01:46 PM..
I'm not sure if the OP is still looking for any feedback, but here are my thoughts (based on living in the area for 17 years).
Cambridge's offerings are pretty thin when it comes to places like bookstores, coffee shops, markets, etc. You'll have better luck in Easton, and I would definitely suggest looking in the Talbot county area as a place to live instead of Dorchester county given what you have written. Easton has a small community college nearby (Chesapeake college in nearby Wye Mills), more in the way of upper-scale eateries and galleries, and access to a wealthier, better educated population around St Michaels and Oxford. Most significantly, it puts you closer to got shopping and cultural opportunities available across the bridge on the western shore.
Regarding recreational activities: if you like to boat, fish, or hunt this area is excellent. Bird watching can be some of the best on the east coast. Hiking is limited but available, you can bike the rural roads of southern Dorchester county and have a good time if you use bug spray. The seafood is indeed very good, as can be the waterfowl, muskrat, and deer if you're so inclined! During the summer I think there's a big boat race near Cambridge that you might want to check out. Not sure if it's still around, though, it's been years since I went.
The beach is probably an hour or a bit more from where you're likely to live, so you can go but it's not that convenient.
Despite what many of these posts are sharing, in regards to Salisbury, I would be REALLY worried if I had a daughter in this area. In fact, I am relocating my family to take a job in VA. I have two small children, and we are leaving the area for this reason. The crime rate is VERY high, and the local media represses this fact, which is shocking to say the least and says a lot. Out of sight, out of mind should be the mantra for this area. The local school system is in serious trouble, with more than half of the schools not making the grade in regards to the state testing, and this also says a lot about the clientelle. Having lived here for nearly 10 years, I am seeing many business ventures fail, and two large supermarket chains have pulled out of the area. The local mall ( The Centre at Salisbury) has lost nearly all of its more upscale shops, with Macy's, Sears and JCPenny hanging on. The stores that closed have been replaced with "Ghetto" types of stores, with one beng called (I kid you not) "Man Alive" - needless to say that the new stores there cater to an urban mindset (saggy pants, hats on sideways, etc.). Housing shoudl not be a problem as far as the dollar value you quoted, but saftey all the way around is definately an issue. I would suggest that she commute from Annapolis (which is very easy to get to) to be in safer surroundings as both Cambrige and Easton are quickly falling into the same mess Salisbury is in. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's the truth - I would strongly encourage your daughter to look elsewhere. In addtion, there is nothing to do but the beach, and a handful of resturants, none of which is what I'd call fine dining....
The crime in Salisbury is very bad, but if I had a compelling reason (eg a good job offer) to be in the area that factor alone wouldn't discourage me. The city itself is awful, but surrounding rural areas have pretty average baseline levels of crime, at least as far as I've ever been able to observe. That said, if the three main options are Easton, Cambridge, and Salisbury, the latter would be the last one that I'd suggest for the OP. Easton would definitely be at the top of this particular list.
I agree that from a recreational standpoint the offerings in the area are limited if you're not the outdoors type, but perhaps that's what the OP is looking for. Annapolis is of course a huge upgrade from the eastern shore towns, but a daily commute across the bridge would get to be a real pain, especially in the summer.
Its funny you would choose Wilmington Delaware over Cambridge than say you are concerned about crime ok coming here is a far cry from moving into the jungle we do have crime but its not like we as any race race are worrying about being mugged and rapped for riding our bikes and no fresh market I believe you have a Banana Republic at the outlet about an hour from Cambridge and your Barnes and noble is located in Salisbury about 45 minutes a way we have the seafood if if you want to pay that kind of money just rent an apartment right there on on the Hyatt's property maybe get it including your offer but its sounds to me like you would enjoy being In St Micheal/OXFORD about 20 minutes from your job if that small rich town on the water all right on the water great seafood outdoor pubs dog friendly 10 minutes from your star-bucks you walk your dog and ride your bike at night thats the atmosphere of the town
Even though I live 5 hours away, I do frequently stand up for the rural communities on the Eastern Shore and other rural places in Maryland because I do think there is a commonality that all rural communities in the state share, which is being misunderstood and frequently maligned by newcomers that come with their own personal standard and expectation of "the way things should be" only to be disappointed when they find something different than what they expected.
The problem is the broad generalizations that you make. You cant tell me that an area that has high crime, low income and generally horrible education standards is a good place to live. I didnt think this kind of thing happened here until living here due to the overwhelming amount of energy the locals put into hiding anything bad about the shore. If you want to say its my fault that I cant accept that this is "the way things should be" then so be it. Most others with any amount of sense would want these local problems solved. Here its happens year after year and continuously gets worse with few actions taken to make it right. That is not a sense of ownership, thats denial. Having visited rural areas not in this state I can tell you that the sense of ownership you speak of is alive and well here, albeit in a defensive ignorant way. There is NOTHING wrong with loving your hometown but having trash in your yard, littering and denying your hometown has flaws is NOT claiming ownership. I can tell you that there were far more houses in my previous home that were well groomed and with pride taken than there are here on the shore. Any person with decent vision can see this on a short drive through Salisbury, Pittsville or any neighboring community. Its not the rural poor either, its local people that just dont care about their homes and community. Salisbury's local elections have dismal voter turnout which also goes against a true sense of ownership. Things arent normal here and until you live here there is no way of knowing. Are these problems my fault? No. Dont talk about them or people will tell you if you dont like it, then leave. Would anyone else feel the same way about this area knowing what really goes on? If you had an ounce of sense, yes.
The problem is the broad generalizations that you make. You cant tell me that an area that has high crime, low income and generally horrible education standards is a good place to live. I didnt think this kind of thing happened here until living here due to the overwhelming amount of energy the locals put into hiding anything bad about the shore. If you want to say its my fault that I cant accept that this is "the way things should be" then so be it. Most others with any amount of sense would want these local problems solved. Here its happens year after year and continuously gets worse with few actions taken to make it right. That is not a sense of ownership, thats denial. Having visited rural areas not in this state I can tell you that the sense of ownership you speak of is alive and well here, albeit in a defensive ignorant way. There is NOTHING wrong with loving your hometown but having trash in your yard, littering and denying your hometown has flaws is NOT claiming ownership. I can tell you that there were far more houses in my previous home that were well groomed and with pride taken than there are here on the shore. Any person with decent vision can see this on a short drive through Salisbury, Pittsville or any neighboring community. Its not the rural poor either, its local people that just dont care about their homes and community. Salisbury's local elections have dismal voter turnout which also goes against a true sense of ownership. Things arent normal here and until you live here there is no way of knowing. Are these problems my fault? No. Dont talk about them or people will tell you if you dont like it, then leave. Would anyone else feel the same way about this area knowing what really goes on? If you had an ounce of sense, yes.
Normal by whose standards? YOURS obviously. There in lies my point. You come to the table with your own standard of what should and shouldn't be. The Eastern Shore didn't match YOUR standard and you spend your time slamming the community on the internet for not dealing with their problems in the way YOU think is appropriate. I wonder why the locals would tell someone like you to go somewhere else
As for my "broad generalizations" you don't seem to disagree with them, do you? You agree the locals are insular? You agree that people in the community don't like it when outsiders come in and critisize their way of doing things? Do you agree that there are people that are better able to "go with the flow" and end up integrating and enjoying their new community?
Sorry, not every community is patrolled by an HOA to make sure every house is covered in pristine prefab siding and every yard is de-cluttered. Sorry, not every rural place is Mayberry country kitche. Not every community needs 60% voter turnout to get their chosen officials in office. Traditional communities are often loathe to advertise their problems and short comings to newcomers or the world at large for fear of being judged, and out of a sense of being able to deal with it themselves rather than advertizing their shortcoming in that self-loathing sort of PC way that is now so popular.
BTW, where was your former home, since that is your basis for comparison.
Last edited by westsideboy; 07-04-2011 at 10:56 AM..
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Stay away from Salisbury
