How do you know when you've reached Baltimore City limits? Just look for the snow...

I've talked about living in the suburbs vs. the city on a number of occasions. It's a subject relevant to me, as someone who works in Baltimore City and lived there for several years before buying a house in Baltimore County.

Sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off buying in the city - if, as a single guy I'd be happier in a hipster area surrounded by bars and people my own age instead of in the 'burbs, surrounded by families and the occasional retiree. Given the fact that I get tired after two beers, I'm guessing probably not. For the most part, the advantages of living in the 'burbs - close to shopping, low crime, easy parking, peace and quiet, newer housing stock - outweigh the advantages of a shorter commute and more social opportunities.

But I've realized there is one more advantage to county life - better city services. My commute takes me down Perring Parkway, a 6-lane divided highway with a few traffic lights that runs east-west across Baltimore City and County. My drive to work this morning, during a light snow with some accumulation, was pretty clear - until I crossed over the line from Baltimore County into Baltimore City. Soon after, the right lane was literally filled with snow. I moved left, into the middle lane, which was clearer - not because of any plowing or sanding, only because of the tire tracks from previous cars driving on it. The rest of my drive was pretty much the same - city streets that looked like they hadn't been touched. And most of these were pretty main roads that bring lots of people into work.

As a young, single, guy, I don't demand a lot of services from local government. I've been in the library in my county once. I've needed the police once while living in the city, when I called the cops because someone stole the wheels off my car in college (I wasn't impressed with the dispatcher, who laughed and asked me if I knew who did it - if I did I would be beating them with a baseball bat, not calling the cops). Besides trash pickup (which where I live is done while I'm still in bed, so I can't complain). I don't have a whole lot of frames of reference for quality of service. But if road-clearing is any indicator, the services provided by the county are considerably better than those of the city.