Comparing Omaha to Baltimore

[Big E]

This is the development going on a few blocks from where I live:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/re ... eadlines-1

(or go to baltimoresun.com and search "McHenry Pointe")

This is an interesting read to put some perspective on what is going on in Omaha. I've lived in Baltimore for three years now, and have considered it the "Omaha of the East Coast". For a long time, it's been blue-collar, under-appreciated and a little ashamed of itself. In the last decade, there has been a gentrificiation along the waterfront in all parts of the city, culminating in this project. This may be the single highest-profile rehab project the city has ever seen.

Obviously, Omaha doesn't benefit from the proximity to DC, but the pattern is nearly the same. Aging boomers, empty nesters and younger workers are all sick of the suburbs, and moving back where there is something to do. Baltimore's growth was initially spurred partly by the building of Camden Yards downtown, which is the model nearly every urban stadium project has followed since it was built. The waterfront development (Inner Harbor vs Missouri River) is on an entirely different scale, but it's parallel none-the-less. The growth has expanded like a wheel from the downtown hub.

Mayor Fahey would do well to contact Baltmore's Mayor O'Malley to discuss similarities of the cities and how they can learn from one another. It really is remarkable what has happened in this city in the last decade.

It's nice to see the same foresight in Omaha.

-Big E

[DTO Luv]

That's sad a place that big wants to double their DT population to 10,000. If Omaha doubled ours we'd be at around 12,000. Go Omaha!

Another similarity, Baltimore has John Waters, we have Alexander Payne.

[Big E]

Downtown in Baltimore and downtown in Omaha are kind of different animals.

Downtown Baltimore is a small geographic area, full of mostly offices, whereas downtown Omaha would include SoMA, Riverfront Place, and everything in that area. In Baltimore, SoMa would be considered "South Baltimore" - where about 12,000 people live. Whereas Omaha will count the population of homes on 20th west as "downtown", Baltimore calls that "Mt. Vernon" - another region entirely. And there are about 40 Mt. Vernons in Blatimore. Downtown Baltimore is JUST downtown... downtown Omaha is downtown PLUS immediate surrounding neighborhoods.

Think of it this way... there's X-thousand people living in downtown Omaha. but how many of them live in the Woodmen and FNB towers?

In Baltimore, you can live in very urban areas and say "I live in the city", but you're nowhere near downtown. Cross the interstate in Omaha, and it looks nothing like an urban area.

-Big E

[icejammer]

Man, I can't believe it's been nearly 18 years since I was in Baltimore. Best darn onion rings I've EVER had were at some tavern a block or two from the waterfront. Loved the waterfront and the National Aquarium. Of course, back then, you didn't have to go very far north or south of the convention center to get into areas that most midwest farmboys would be quite out of place. It's nice to know that the "renewal" effort that started in the 80's has expanded all along the waterfront. I think I can remember where this project was, but too many tavern visits for onion rings may have blurred my memory slightly.....

[Big E]

It's south of downtown, kind of off by itself near Fort McHenry on the peninsula. if you remember where the giant, red neon Domino Sugar sign was, it's just a bit further past that from downtown.

I'll try to get some pictures together this weekend and post them. I was actually just up in this building a month or so ago for a tour, and like a moron forgot my camera. You can see ALL of the Baltimore metro from the top. It's a stunning view. It's probably tacking on $100 sq ft alone to the highest level condos.

-Big E

[projectman]

I was in Baltimore on business back in 2001 and stayed at the Waterfront Marriott. I think it had just opened. The Waterfront was nice with a lot of choices to eat and drink. Ate at a seafood restaurant, can't remember the name, but it was right off the Waterfront. Pretty good food. I did notice that the channel got full of garbage every morning and the old garbage barge would make it's round and try to get all the trash out of the water. Lots of it flying around. A thunderstorm also rolled in on the night we were going to watch the Orioles at Camden Yards needless to say I was disappointed that I missed the game.

Overall I was impressed.

[Finn]

I have done a few projects in Baltimore and agree that there is a lot of improvement and investment going into the city. However, I do not see the similarities with Omaha other than an underutilized downtown being infused with new life. Omaha was not nearly as blue collar or depressed as Baltimore before the resurgence in either city. Baltimore has nice areas but also has large areas of run-down, abandoned housing, vacated storefronts, etc. I know Omaha has its pockets of the same, but depressed areas of Baltimore are in the scale of Cabrini Green, heck's Kitchen, etc. Omaha had Asarco but nothing like the factories and refineries that line the Harbor and pollute the air/ground/water away from downtown (still in business). Omaha was continually growing, just not the downtown. Baltimore, on the other hand, has suffered from being encapsulated by suburban communities (a la our annexation discussions). Nonetheless, it is great that both are seeing revitalization and place definition of downtown.

[Richard]

Based on a recent visit there myself, I'd have to agree with you Finn. I don't think Omaha would ever really want to compare itself with Baltimore! The inner harbor is kinda cool...but Omaha has got a ton more going for it as a whole!

[RockHarbor]

I grew up in Omaha, and I went to Baltimore a couple of years back. I'm trying to compare them in my head, but it is kind of hard, as they are really different. It is so much easier comparing Omaha to Des Moines, or Omaha to KC, etc. I'm mainly into comparing the "vibes" of cities, so here I go:

Baltimore is hard for me to put my finger on. In some ways, it feels like an overlooked city lost in DC's, Philly's, and NYC's shadows. In other ways, it feels really ultra-authentic USA and a real part of the American "show" (i.e. It made sense to see it used in "The Sum of All Fears", Des Moines or Omaha probably would have not made sense in a movie like that). In some ways, Baltimore feels like a depressed "dark" city, in other ways, it feels almost Oxford-preppy, elite, and vibrant. I guess it can be all those things, as all cities are made up of different layers.

From growing up in Omaha, I can put my finger on the town, and truly know its charms. However, if I didn't grow up there, I think I might not. Omaha is definitely a more humble, hard-working town shaped by struggle and hardship on the challenging plains -- freezing winters, hot summers, tornadoes, blizzards, drought, no ocean/mountains, etc. It finally is coming of age, and starting to sparkle. However, it still is learning "how to act" with its new identity, and with more people starting to notice. It isn't used to all the stares really, and the town probably "blushes" with its newly-earned attention. For years and years, it basically has lived with the fact that most people overlook it, and has kind of been like the "frumpy sister." However, that is quickly changing. Omahat has been shaped and molded by influence from the east, and from the west, yet isn't bound completely by either. It truly is the "Heartland" and only places like Omaha, KC, and Wichita give that certain feel.

[projectman]

I think Big E was referring to the Downtown/Waterfront redevelopment in both cities can be compared. The fact that Baltimore has been losing population like St Louis is another post.

[DTO Luv]

Baltimore is hard for me to put my finger on. In some ways, it feels like an overlooked city lost in DC's, Philly's, and NYC's shadows..

I know that's how someone had put it with Omaha and Baltimore before. They were both overlooked because they were next to bigger cities. Whoever it was came up with a cool little diagram that was like NYC=Chicago, Boston=St. Louis, Philadelphia=Minneapolis, DC=Denver or something like that. I know a guy who was interning with me and he was from Balitmore and he said that Waterfront part you guys are talking about was cool but the rest of the city was pretty run down. He thought about staying here but he moved back and still visits though.

[Swift]

Isn't Baltimore's rate of violent crime one of the highest in the nation?

[nativeomahan]

Baltimore does have an absolutely terrible homicide rate. It has a terrible drug problem...worse than NYC or D.C. That said, I have been to Baltimore several times and absolutely fell in love with the place. A stunning turn around to the Inner Harbor...great new museums and the ballpark that started the whole revolution we have seen in ball parks nationwide...a charming Mount Vernon neighborhood...Fells Point...some of the best seafood anywhere in the world! D.C. is prettier, but Baltimore is more mainstream America. A martini and Perrier city vs. a beer and a shot town. That diversity makes America great.

[Big E]

Please don't compare the "vibe" of Baltimore to the vibe of Omaha. Don't compare the streets, don't compare the architecture, don't compare the stores, don't compare the airport, don't compare the sports. No one will ever get off the plane, train or automobile in Baltimore and say "Wow, this is a lot like Omaha."

What I was getting at is the where we've been/where we're going atmosphere. Baltimore, at one time, was a thriving port and trade town. The Star Spangled Banner was written less than 1.5 miles from where I call home, because the British considered it a target. Omaha, at one time, was THE thriving rail town of the midwest.

Both had their moments. Both, in my opinion, failed to capitalize.

Yes, the ghettos of Baltimore make the "ghettos" of Omaha look like Candyland. No, Omaha will not have MLB and NFL stadiums downtown in the next 10 years.

Many years later, both are witnessing an ubelievable renaissance in their downtowns - along with an unprecendented upswing in civic pride. That civic pride is allowing both cities to look at themselves; not from the perspective of "what went wrong?", but from the perspective of "what else can we do right?"

Look at today and look at ten years ago. I left Omaha in 1994, and I never thought I'd come back. Within the last 2-3 years, Omaha has given me a reason to return, and I'll be there in a few months.

Now, look at the NEXT ten years.

-Big E

[Swift]

We should become sister cities and build a bullet train from one city to the other.

[Big E]

LOL... yeah, Omaha, Baltimore, and whatever that city is in Japan. ;)

$4 all day pass.

-Big E

[Swift]

$4 ALL YEAR PASS! SNAP!

[Finn]

I see your point but I think the similarities about new investment/development are only related to the downtown core as Omaha has had other growth. Although the losing population/suburban annexation thing is another post, Baltimore is a perfect example of why Omaha doesn't want to get hemmed in by suburbs. The growth in Baltimore is due to functional obsolescence and renovating historic structures for other uses. Baltimore growth started with the conversion/clean-up of the American Can Company (a Brownfields pilot project). The development of Camden Yards and conversion of the adjacent warehouses into baseball offices, harbor retail development, etc. helped. Now, growth emanating from DC is a huge factor and there has been a plethora of residential development. But, the point is that Baltimore sat dormant for years. The tax base suffered while suburbs thrived (Columbia, Owings Mill, etc.). Omaha did not have the same problems as its tax base continued to grow with fringe growth thanks to annexation. Omaha's downtown suffered because it is on the state line and westward growth took the people and money away from downtown. That is why it is important for Omaha to be able to annex and important to see Council Bluffs making strides in development and investment (so the state line is no longer a hindrance). Growth for the entire area is good for all!

Icejammer:

we all need to remember a rising tide raises all ships

That is why I think our situations/histories are different. It is good to see both cities returning to downtown, an area forgotten in both.