Michael Dykes and his family aren?t sold on Baltimore just yet, but they?re keeping an open mind.
“I had some co-workers who didn?t make the trip who said, ?Baltimore City, I don?t know,? ” the management analyst said as he toured a row house in Canton Heights in Southeast Baltimore. “But I thought I?d bring my family down and take a look.”
Dykes, his wife, Anita, and their three children are among tens of thousands of New Jersey residents who are Maryland-bound as part of the Army?s Base Realignment and Closure plan. They joined more than 500 others Saturday at Greenlight Baltimore, an event organized by Live Baltimore, a nonprofit group that markets Baltimore City living.
The day included a community fair and four bus tours showing off different parts of the city. The event was an opening pitch by city boosters hoping to entice some of the new arrivals away from homes near Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County and Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County.
“We?re all such distinct jurisdictions, each has its own qualities,” said Anna Custer, Live Baltimore executive director. “The thing we have is our affordability. A majority of the people coming here are looking to buy.”
Custer said the majority of the event?s attendees fell in the 40-54 age bracket, followed by the 25-39 age bracket.
Mayor Sheila Dixon told attendees they would be “pleasantly surprised” by the city.
“Baltimore is really a secret to most people,” Dixon said. “Whatever you heard about Baltimore before coming here, clear it away.”
Dixon said that Jenna Bush, the president?s daughter, will call Baltimore City home after purchasing a Federal Hill residence with her husband-to-be. “For that to happen, that shows the kind of community we have.”
Sterling Clifford, the mayor?s spokesman, said media sources indicated that Bush?s fiance, Henry Hager, had landed a job with Constellation Energy Group.
Among the BRAC arrivals were Gary McPhee and his wife, Debra, who works in logistics at Fort Monmouth, N.J., and was considering relocation to Aberdeen Proving Ground. The couple said they were looking for a single-family home but hadn?t committed to an area yet.
“We?ve been looking at the city and the counties; we?re keeping our options open,” Gary McPhee said.
Working a booth for the Southeast Community Development Corporation, Amy Birmingham and Ashley Scott said attendees may have been a bit overwhelmed by all the information but got a broad look at the city and what it has to offer.
“They?re not moving for three years, they have time to do some research,” Scott said.
