akuperma – the first part of your post is 100% accurate 🙂 but we have plenty of frum businesses here already, and except for the niche ones they sell to everyone. And our businesses are run strictly according to Choshen Mishpat, with the oversight of the local Vaad Harabbonim. No shtick – as I occasionally saw in NY. We only want people who will uphold our local values, which are strictly Shulchan Aruch, no finagles allowed.
As for Yiddish in the shuls – probably a majority of the people here don’t speak Yiddish, or don’t speak it well. There are many whose ancestors have been here for generations, many who come from other OOT communities, and many baalei teshuvah. Tthe only people I’ve met who speak only Yiddish are the elderly from Russia, most of whom don’t go to shul.
Baltimore is a great place, and it’s very different from the NY area. Each to his own and all should flourish!