Is Cumberland, MD any good? Its so affordable for Maryland!

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by upland

I started a profile on this so that I could reply. First time visiting the page and first post.

I grew up in Cumberland, have hated it and have loved it both. I recently (with in the month) have moved back from a large city and am loving it. If crime is the main concern for someone moving here, I would say not to worry about it at all. After seeing the amount of drug use and blatant crime happening in most cities I've visited and after living in large cities, Cumberland is down right clean. I would however agree to research which neighborhood you would want to live in because like all cities, there is some.

There is a negative vibe about Cumberland... and it is about 6 years out of date. We do have shops and jobs and a really great line up of entertainment for the summer. We have schools and parks just like every other city, and the people here are great. I do think that the local government must have been playing SimCity or something in the past, but they have recently been working very hard to promote the city for new business and small industry. We have thousands of visitors every year from our medium sized Amtrak stop, the interstate, and what Bicycling magazine just touted as a world renowned bike path (A proud moment when I read that)

Housing ranges every where from luxury apartments, Victorian homes, nice neighborhood homes to "fixer uppers" and down to "should be torn down-ers".. and the price is low for all of them . The city will never be a DC, Atlanta, or Seattle. Cumberland is on the Upswing with new commercial and small industry and has finally stopped talking badly about themselves!

Welcome home.

[gypsyartist]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Your welcome, it is really my pleasure. There are good neighborhoods outside of West Side too. Heck, I live in one. Don't tell anyone, but "Westside" boy has become "SouthEnd"man!

That is too funny!

[gypsyartist]

Originally Posted by upland

I started a profile on this so that I could reply. First time visiting the page and first post.

I grew up in Cumberland, have hated it and have loved it both. I recently (with in the month) have moved back from a large city and am loving it. If crime is the main concern for someone moving here, I would say not to worry about it at all. After seeing the amount of drug use and blatant crime happening in most cities I've visited and after living in large cities, Cumberland is down right clean. I would however agree to research which neighborhood you would want to live in because like all cities, there is some.

There is a negative vibe about Cumberland... and it is about 6 years out of date. We do have shops and jobs and a really great line up of entertainment for the summer. We have schools and parks just like every other city, and the people here are great. I do think that the local government must have been playing SimCity or something in the past, but they have recently been working very hard to promote the city for new business and small industry. We have thousands of visitors every year from our medium sized Amtrak stop, the interstate, and what Bicycling magazine just touted as a world renowned bike path (A proud moment when I read that)

Housing ranges every where from luxury apartments, Victorian homes, nice neighborhood homes to "fixer uppers" and down to "should be torn down-ers".. and the price is low for all of them . The city will never be a DC, Atlanta, or Seattle. Cumberland is on the Upswing with new commercial and small industry and has finally stopped talking badly about themselves!

You've confirmed many reasons why I'm moving to Cumberland. Every city has a dark side, but Cumberland is a lightweight compared to major urban areas. Having grown up in NYC and spent the majority of my adulthood in L.A., I've seen a lot worse. I've spent the last decade in North Adams MA (much smaller than Cumberland, and yet still a city) and I'm looking forward to being in a "real" city again.

There's something to be said about people who grew up there moving back. My friend grew up on the PA side and never went to Cumberland back then. Now that she's moved back, she's thrilled how much Cumberland has grown and spends most of her time there. Her new friends are people who grew up in Cumberland, went out into the world, and who now have come back to raise their families. It seems to me that the people of Cumberland are at the heart of its revitalization.

By the way, North Adams just had a major blow when the regional hospital and health system closed its doors abruptly 2 weeks ago after 130 years of service. It was a major employer and 530 people lost their jobs. The community has been reeling and, even though state officials have been working hard on a resolution, it will take quite a bit of time to bounce back. I don't get the sense that something like this is going to happen to Cumberland any time soon.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by gypsyartist

You've confirmed many reasons why I'm moving to Cumberland. Every city has a dark side, but Cumberland is a lightweight compared to major urban areas. Having grown up in NYC and spent the majority of my adulthood in L.A., I've seen a lot worse. I've spent the last decade in North Adams MA (much smaller than Cumberland, and yet still a city) and I'm looking forward to being in a "real" city again.

There's something to be said about people who grew up there moving back. My friend grew up on the PA side and never went to Cumberland back then. Now that she's moved back, she's thrilled how much Cumberland has grown and spends most of her time there. Her new friends are people who grew up in Cumberland, went out into the world, and who now have come back to raise their families. It seems to me that the people of Cumberland are at the heart of its revitalization.

By the way, North Adams just had a major blow when the regional hospital and health system closed its doors abruptly 2 weeks ago after 130 years of service. It was a major employer and 530 people lost their jobs. The community has been reeling and, even though state officials have been working hard on a resolution, it will take quite a bit of time to bounce back. I don't get the sense that something like this is going to happen to Cumberland any time soon.

At the risk of offending my friend WestsideBoy I would tell you that, if you're moving due to retirement, to go a few miles north or south and get out of MD. This state is really not retiree friendly (there are those who believe it's on purpose to force retirees out to be replaced by workers. I don't believe that but sometimes I do wonder) as it taxes any and all retired pay/pensions (unless you're retired enlisted military and even then many of those guys get hit with taxes due to terminal rank) and even, in some circumstances, Social security.

We're wrestling now with the decision to by a place in PA when I/we retire and keep our MD house for the winter and summer up there. The issue becomes residency, stay in MD, where there are civic things I do which require residency, and get hit with pension taxes or declare PA residency and be exempt but not able to do the civic stuff. That would also mean our house here would no longer be Homesteaded and would be subject to market increases in assessments and property taxes rather than be limited.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

At the risk of offending my friend WestsideBoy I would tell you that, if you're moving due to retirement, to go a few miles north or south and get out of MD. This state is really not retiree friendly (there are those who believe it's on purpose to force retirees out to be replaced by workers. I don't believe that but sometimes I do wonder) as it taxes any and all retired pay/pensions (unless you're retired enlisted military and even then many of those guys get hit with taxes due to terminal rank) and even, in some circumstances, Social security.

We're wrestling now with the decision to by a place in PA when I/we retire and keep our MD house for the winter and summer up there. The issue becomes residency, stay in MD, where there are civic things I do which require residency, and get hit with pension taxes or declare PA residency and be exempt but not able to do the civic stuff. That would also mean our house here would no longer be Homesteaded and would be subject to market increases in assessments and property taxes rather than be limited.

Don't scare folks away?!?!?!?!

But seriously, if rural living is what you are looking for as a retiree, then the outlying regions in other states probably will save you some money. If you want small city living though..........it is pretty much Allegany County or bust. Cumberland and Frostburg are the only towns in the region of enough size to have the density to be walkable and hit the midpoint between cool small town "everybody knows your name" and awkward small town "Hey, let's stare at the new person" I guess you could throw Keyser, WV into the mix. But I would recommend Cumberland over it as the problems are largely the same, but WV has far less resources to combat them.

[gypsyartist]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

At the risk of offending my friend WestsideBoy I would tell you that, if you're moving due to retirement, to go a few miles north or south and get out of MD. This state is really not retiree friendly (there are those who believe it's on purpose to force retirees out to be replaced by workers. I don't believe that but sometimes I do wonder) as it taxes any and all retired pay/pensions (unless you're retired enlisted military and even then many of those guys get hit with taxes due to terminal rank) and even, in some circumstances, Social security.

We're wrestling now with the decision to by a place in PA when I/we retire and keep our MD house for the winter and summer up there. The issue becomes residency, stay in MD, where there are civic things I do which require residency, and get hit with pension taxes or declare PA residency and be exempt but not able to do the civic stuff. That would also mean our house here would no longer be Homesteaded and would be subject to market increases in assessments and property taxes rather than be limited.

Good to know, but I'm not retiring any time soon... I'm a relocating artist. I plan to retire to a small desert island and be the eccentric ex-pat american, lol!