Baltimore is an independent city located in the state of Maryland in the United
States. As of 2006, the population of Baltimore City was 640,961.[10] The city is a major U.S. seaport, situated closer to major Midwestern markets than any
other major seaport on the East Coast. Once an industrial town with an economic base in manufacturing, Baltimore's economy has now shifted primarily to a service sector-oriented, with its largest employer no longer Bethlehem Steel but The Johns Hopkins University and
The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The Baltimore Metropolitan Area, which includes the city's surrounding
suburbs, has approximately 2.6 million residents. Baltimore is also part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area (CMSA) of approximately 8.1 million
residents. Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland, and its metropolitan area is the
20th largest in the country.
The city is named after the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony,
Lord Baltimore in the Irish
House of Lords. Baltimore himself took his title from a place named Baltimore in Ireland, which is the English
transliteration of the Irish language Baile an Tí Mhoir, or "Town of The Big
House".[11] Baltimore in County Cork was the seat of Lord Baltimore.
[12]
Baltimore became the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States
during the 1800s.
Because there is also a Baltimore County surrounding (but not including)
the city, it is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City when a clear distinction is desired.
History
Battle Monument with Washington Monument in background
Same view in 1906, 2 years after the fire
Downtown Baltimore as seen from the Inner Harbor in 2005
During the 17th century, various towns called "Baltimore" were founded as commercial ports at various locations on the upper
Chesapeake Bay. The Maryland colonial General Assembly created the port (at Locust Point) in 1706 as a tobacco port of entry. The present city dates from July 30, 1729, and is named after,Cæcilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore, who was the first Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland.
Like many early U.S. cities, this name came from a place in Europe. Cæcilius Calvert was a son of George Calvert who was awarded
the Barony of Baltimore in County Cork Ireland in 1625 by King James I of England. George
Calvert hence became the first Lord Baltimore.[13]
Baltimore grew swiftly in the mid- to late 18th century as a granary for sugar-producing
colonies in the Caribbean. The profit from sugar encouraged
the cultivation of cane and the importation of food. Baltimore's shorter distance from the Caribbean, compared to other large
port cities such as New York City and Boston, reduced
transportation time and minimized the spoilage of flour.
Baltimore played a key part in events leading to and including the American
Revolution. City leaders such as Jonathan Plowman Jr. moved the city to join
the resistance to British taxation. Baltimore
joined other cities in protesting Boston's punishment by the British by banding together the
merchants to sign agreements to not import from or export to Britain. Dr. John
Stevenson and Jonathan Plowman Jr. made Baltimore a center for importation
of indentured servants from England during the 1750s
and 60's. Baltimore in 1773 was also the place where a Customs officer Robert Moreton was chased
out of town for trying to seize the ship Speedwell and its cargo. The story is that Mr. Moreton had ordered the captain to wait on
offloading till after he came back. The merchants demanded their cargo and started off loading. When Mr. Moreton returned he
declared the ship seized and went to Annapolis to file the paperwork. Upon his
return the local merchants chased him and tarred and feathered two men who worked
for him. Fearing for his life he first fled to Annapolis and later to Boston.
During the War of 1812, the British declared
Baltimore a "nest of Pirates."[14] The city's
Fort McHenry came under attack by British forces near the harbor after the British had burned Washington, D.C. Known
today as the Battle of Baltimore, American forces won by repulsing joint land and
naval attacks.
In the years that followed, Baltimore's population grew explosively, due to increased commerce not only abroad but more
importantly with points west in the interior of the United States. The construction of the federally funded National Road, now
Pulaski Highway, also known as U.S. Route 40 and the privately funded Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad made Baltimore a major shipping and manufacturing center. As fortunes were made, the city's
distinctive local culture started taking shape, and it started to develop a unique skyline peppered with churches and monuments.
On an 1827 visit to the city, John Quincy Adams purportedly nicknamed it "Monument
City"--a moniker that remained popular for well over a century.
Baltimore became an independent city in 1851, being separated from Baltimore
County at that time.
Though it was a slave-holding state, Maryland did not secede but remained part of the Union during the Civil War. Slavery was outlawed
in Maryland by the state Constitution of 1864. Pro-Southern sentiment led to the Baltimore riot of 1861, when Union soldiers marched through the city. After the riot, Union
troops occupied Baltimore, and Maryland came under direct federal administration — in part, to prevent the state from seceding —
until the end of the war in April 1865. This was considered a necessary move by the Union to prevent Washington, D.C., from being completely surrounded by seceded Confederate territory. The case
Ex parte Merryman, written by Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney (himself a Marylander), dealt with the habeas corpus
rights of Marylanders jailed by the Abraham Lincoln Administration and strongly rebuked
Lincoln for his actions.
The Great Baltimore Fire on February 7,
1904, destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours and forced most of the city to rebuild.
Immediately afterward, Mayor Robert McLane was quoted in the Baltimore News as saying, "To
suppose that the spirit of our people will not rise to the occasion is to suppose that our people are not genuine Americans. We
shall make the fire of 1904 a landmark not of decline but of progress." He then refused assistance, stating "As head of this
municipality, I cannot help but feel gratified by the sympathy and the offers of practical assistance which have been tendered to
us. To them I have in general terms replied, 'Baltimore will take care of its own, thank you.'" (McLane committed suicide on
May 30.) Two years later, on September 10, 1906, the Baltimore-American reported that the city had risen from the ashes and "one of the great disasters of
modern time had been converted into a blessing."
Baltimore's population peaked at 949,708 in the 1950 Census, which ranked it as the sixth-largest city in the country, behind
Detroit, and ahead of Cleveland. For the next
five decades, the city's population declined while its suburbs grew dramatically, bottoming out in 2000 at 636,251. In the 21st
century, the city's population has stabilized and is again rising, mostly due to revitalization efforts in many city
neighborhoods. The mid-July 2006 Census estimate was 640,961.[15]
In recent years, efforts to redevelop the downtown area have led to a revitalization of the Inner Harbor. Up until the late 1970s, the harbor had been merely abandoned warehouses full of rats and
rotting piers. In Baltimore's early days, the harbor was the landing destination for boats and ships bringing cargo such as
bananas, sugar, cocoa, and the like from all over the world. The Baltimore
Convention Center was opened in 1979 and was renovated and expanded in 1996. Harborplace, a modern urban retail and restaurant complex, was opened on the waterfront in 1980, followed by
the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland's largest tourist
destination, and another cultural venue, the Baltimore Museum of Industry in 1981. In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball moved from
Memorial Stadium to Oriole
Park at Camden Yards downtown, and six years later the Baltimore Ravens of the
National Football League moved next door into PSINet Stadium (later renamed
M&T Bank Stadium following PSINet's
bankruptcy).
On October 2, 1996, Baltimore became the first city in the
United States to adopt 311 as a non-emergency "hot line" telephone number, in order to reserve the
use of 911 for genuine emergencies. The concept has been highly successful, and numerous other
American municipalities have since implemented the practice.
In 2003, the Baltimore Development Corporation announced that three
hotel projects were being reviewed. As of September 2006, the 756-room, $305 million Hilton hotel project is currently under construction west of the Baltimore Convention Center. The City of Baltimore hopes to have it finished and opened by
August 2008. (See Baltimore Convention Center Hotel Project for more details regarding
the convention center hotel.)
Also in 2003, Baltimore was affected by Hurricane Isabel from flooding as a result
of tidal surge, affecting primarily the Fells
Point community and the Inner Harbor and surrounding low areas. Many places were flooded, including the sports center
ESPN Zone, the Baltimore World Trade
Center (which remained closed for approximately a month during cleanup efforts), and most of the Inner Harbor. Water
levels rose some 20 feet (6 m) in areas, flooding underground parking
garages and displacing thousands of cubic yards of trash and debris.
Beginning in the early part of the 21st century, Baltimore has undergone a major building spree in the downtown area,
specifically in the Inner Harbor East district. The skyline has extended and will continue to do so well into the next decade.
ARC Wheeler, a Philadelphia-based
developer has been approved to build a new hotel/condominium complex that will be the city's new tallest building, dubbed
"10 Inner Harbor," approved at 60 stories and over 700 ft tall. Other proposals for
downtown skyscrapers are twin 65-story towers at sites on E. Saratoga Street and Guilford Avenue, an 800 ft (240 m)+ tower and complex located on the banks of the Patapsco River's middle branch area, and a 40-story condo and hotel tower at 300 E. Pratt
Street.[citation needed]
On January 17, 2007, Sheila Dixon became the first woman to
hold the office of Mayor of Baltimore.[16] The city's
charter states that if the Mayor resigns, as Martin O'Malley did that day to become Governor of Maryland, the President of the City Council shall assume the remainder of the term.
Thus, Dixon will serve as mayor through December 2007. With her win over Democratic challengers in a primary election on
September 11, 2007, Dixon will also most likely be the next
elected Mayor of Baltimore.[17][18]
A nighttime
panorama of Baltimore's Inner Harbor from Federal Hill
Geography
Topography
Baltimore is in the north central part of the state of Maryland, on the Patapsco River, 40 miles (60 km) northeast of Washington DC, very close to the Chesapeake Bay. The
fall line of the Piedmont Plateau where it meets the western edge of the Atlantic
Coastal Plain cuts through the western portion of the city, with low hills rising in the western and northern parts of the
city. Baltimore's City Hall lies approximately 34 feet (10.4 m) above sea
level, with elevations in the city ranging from sea level to over 400 feet. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a
total area of 238.5 km² (92.1 mi²). 209.3 km² (80.8 mi²) of it is land and 29.2 km² (11.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is
12.240 percent water.
Baltimore's climate, with plentiful precipitation and a relatively long growing season, supports the presence of many
different types of trees. Many species of trees thrive here and can be spotted throughout the city, including white oak, elm, maple, sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), bradford pear,
poplar, southern magnolia (Magnolia
grandiflora), several species of Hardy palms[19][20] and
crepe myrtle. The city lies mostly in Plant Hardiness
Zone 8, with a small portion of the northern and western city in zone 7.[21] The average date of first freeze in Baltimore is November 13th, and the average last freeze is
April 2nd.[22]
The Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area is the 4th largest
Combined Statistical Area in the United States, with an estimated population
of 8,052,496. The Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area is the
19th largest MSA, with a population of 2,655,675.
1888 German map of Baltimore
Climate
Baltimore has a humid subtropical climate, according to the Köppen
classification, due to a moderating influence from its relative proximity to the ocean. It gets relatively hot, humid summers and
cool, moist winters.
July is typically the hottest month of the year, with an average high temperature of 88 °F (31 °C) and an average low of 67 °F
(19 °C). Summer is also a season of very high humidity in the Baltimore area, with afternoon thunderstorms occurring regularly. The record high for Baltimore is 108 °F (42 °C), set in 1985. January is
the coldest month, with an average high of 41 °F (5 °C) and an average low of 24 °F (-4 °C). However, winter warm fronts can
bring periods of springlike weather, and Arctic fronts can drop nighttime low temperatures into the teens. The record low
temperature for Baltimore is -7 °F (-22 °C), set in 1934. Baltimore rarely experiences temperatures below 5 °F or above 100 °F.
Due to an urban heat island effect in the city
proper and a moderating effect of the Chesapeake Bay, the outlying, inland, and
higher elevation parts of the Baltimore metro area are usually several degrees cooler than the city proper and the coastal
towns.
As is typical in most East Coast cities, precipitation is generous,
and very evenly spread throughout the year. Every month usually brings 3-4 inches of precipitation, averaging around 43 inches
annually. Spring, summer, and fall bring frequent showers and thunderstorms, with an
average of 105 sunny days a year. Winter often brings lighter rain showers of longer duration, and generally less sunshine and
more clouds. Light to moderate snowfall occurs occasionally in the winter, with the average annual snowfall around 21 inches (53
cm). In the northern and western suburbs, the climate begins to change to a continental, and thus winter snowfall amounts are usually higher, with many towns annually
receiving 24-36 inches (61-91 cm).[23] Freezing rain
occurs a few times each winter in Baltimore, but major ice storms are very rare.
The city lies in between two peculiar physical features that protect it from extreme weather and account for the relatively
tempered seasons. The Appalachian Mountains protect central Maryland from much of the harsh northern winds and accompanying lake
effect weather that bring subfreezing temperatures and heavy snows to the Great Lakes
region, and the Delmarva Peninsula protects Baltimore from many of the
tropical storms that affect the immediate coast.
-
-
-
-
- Average Monthly Temperatures and Precipitation for Baltimore, MD
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Avg high °F (°C) |
41 (5) |
44 (7) |
53 (12) |
65 (18) |
74 (23) |
83 (28) |
88 (31) |
85 (29) |
79 (26) |
68 (20) |
56 (13) |
45 (7) |
65 (18)
|
| Avg low °F (°C) |
24 (-4) |
26 (-3) |
34 (1) |
43 (6) |
53 (12) |
62 (17) |
67 (19) |
66 (19) |
58 (14) |
46 (8) |
37 (3) |
28 (-3) |
45 (7)
|
| Rainfall inches (mm) |
3.48 (88.4) |
3.07 (78.0) |
4.12 (104.6) |
3.06 (77.7) |
4.18 (106.2) |
3.28 (83.3) |
3.96 (100.6) |
4.05 (102.9) |
4.06 (103.1) |
3.19 (81.0) |
3.45 (87.6) |
3.60 (93.7) |
43.59 (1107.1)
|
Source: Weatherbase[24]
Cityscape
Inner Harbor of Baltimore
A view of downtown from the Northeast
Architecture
Baltimore possesses samples from every period of architecture for over two centuries, and work from many famous architects
such as Benjamin Latrobe, John Russell Pope,
Mies Van Der Rohe and I.M. Pei.
The city has architecturally important buildings in a variety of styles. The Baltimore Basilica (1806-1821) is a
neoclassical design by Benjamin Latrobe, and also the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the
United States. In 1813 Robert Cary Long, Sr. built for Rembrandt Peale the first substantial structure in the United States
designed expressly as a museum. Restored, it is now the Municipal Museum of Baltimore, or popularly the “Peale Museum”.The McKim
Free School founded and endowed by John McKim, although the building was erected by his son Isaac in 1822 after a design by
William Howard and William Small. It reflects the popular interest in Greece when the nation was securing its independence, as
well as a scholarly interest in recently published drawings of Athenian antiquities.The Phoenix Shot Tower (1828), at 215 feet (65.5 m) tall, was the tallest building in the United States until the time
of the Civil war. It was constructed without the use of exterior scaffolding. The Sun Iron Building designed by R.C. Hatfield in
1851, was city’s first iron-front building and it was a model for a whole generation of downtown buildings. The Johns Hopkins
Hospital, designed by Lt. Col. John S. Billings in 1876 was a considerable achievement for its day in functional arrangement and
fire proofing.
I.M.Pei's World Trade Center (1977) is the tallest equilateral pentagonal building in the world at 405 feet (123.4 m) tall.
Future contributions to Baltimore's skyline include plans for a 717 foot (218.5 m) tall structure known as "10 Inner
Harbor". The building was recently approved by Baltimore's design panel and will be completed around the year 2010. It
will include luxury condominiums, a hotel, restaurants, and shopping centers.
The streets of Baltimore are organized in a grid pattern. The streets are lined with tens of thousands of brick faced
rowhouses. Many consider the rowhouse the architectural form most closely associated to the city. Some rowhouses are dated as far
back as the 1790s.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is considered by many to be the most
beautiful ball park in Major League Baseball, and has inspired many other cities to build their own versions of this Retro-Style
Ballpark.
Camden Yards along with the National Aquarium have helped revive the
Inner Harbor from what once was an Industrial zone full of dilapidated warehouses, into a bustling commercial district full of
bars, restaurants and retail establishments.
Neighborhoods
Downtown Baltimore from the northwest
- Further information: List of Baltimore neighborhoods
Baltimore is divided into nine geographical regions-Northern, Northwestern, Northeastern, Western, Central, Eastern, Southern,
Southwestern, and Southeastern all patrolled by a respective Baltimore Police
Department district. However, it is not uncommon for locals to divide the city simply by East or West Baltimore, using
Charles Street, North and South are divided by Baltimore Street, I-83 and the Downtown area as dividing lines.
The Central region of the city is the Downtown area and location of Baltimore's
main commercial area. Home to Harborplace, The Camden Yards Sports Complex (Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank
Stadium), the Convention Center, and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the area also includes many nightclubs bars and
restaurants, shopping centers and other attractions. It is also serves as the home to many of Baltimore's key business such as
Legg Mason. The area, especially in the downtown core, has mainly served as a commercial
district with limited residential opportunities. However since 2002 the population in the downtown has doubled to 10,000
residents with a projection of 7,400 additional housing units coming available by 2012.[25]
The Northern region of the city lies directly north of downtown and is bounded on the East by The Alameda and on the West by
Pimlico Road is a suburban residential area home to many of the city's upper class residents in neighborhoods such as the
Roland Park-Homewood-Guilford area. The Northern region is home to many of Baltimore's notable universities such as
Loyola College and The Johns
Hopkins University.
The Southern Region of the city, a mixed industrial and residential area, consists primarily of the area of the city below the
Inner Harbor east of the B&O railroad tracks. It is a mixed socio-economic region comprised of working class ethnically mixed
neighborhoods such as Locust Point; the now gentrified Federal Hill and Canton areas, home to many working
professionals, pubs and restaurants; and low-income residential areas such as Cherry
Hill.
The Eastern part of the city consists of the Northeastern, Eastern, and Southeastern regions of the city. Northeastern
Baltimore is primarily a residential neighborhood home to Morgan State
University bounded by the city line on its Northern and Eastern boundaries, Sinclair Lane, Erdman Avenue, and Pulaski
Highway on its southern boundaries and The Alameda on its western boundaries. It has undergone demographic shifts over many years
and remains a diverse but predominantly African American region of the city. The
Eastern region is the heart of what is considered "East Baltimore" and is home to Johns
Hopkins Hospital. Located below Erdman Avenue and Sinclair Lane above Orleans Street, it is almost an exclusively
African American area home to low-income residential neighborhoods, several of which
constitute as many of Baltimore's high crime areas. The Southeastern region of the city located below Orleans Street bordering
the Inner Harbor on its western boundary and the city line on its eastern boundaries and the Baltimore harbor on its southern
boundaries is a mixed industrial and residential area. Home to many young professionals and working class people, It is an
ethnically rich section of Baltimore home to many Polish Americans, Greek Americans, Italian Americans, African Americans and is also the center of the city's steadily growing Hispanic population.
The Western part of the city consists of the Northwestern, Western, and Southwestern regions of Baltimore. The Northwestern
region of the city bounded by the county line on its northern and western boundaries, Gwynns Falls Parkway on the south and
Pimlico Road on the East is a predominantly residential area home to Pimlico Race
Course, Sinai Hospital and several of Baltimore's Synagogues. Once the center of
Baltimore's Jewish community, it has undergone white flight
since the 1960s and has became an almost exclusively African American area. It is home
to many suburban residential areas primarily located above Northern Parkway and several lower-income areas below Northern
parkway. The Western region of the city located west of downtown is the heart of "West Baltimore" bounded by Gwynns Falls
Parkway, Fremont Avenue, and Baltimore Street. Home to Coppin State University
and Pennsylvania Avenue, it has been the center of Baltimore's African American culture
for years home to many of the city's historical African American neighborhoods and
landmarks. Once home to many middle to upper class African Americans, over the years,
the more affluent African American residents have since left migrating to other
sections of the city in addition to areas such as Randallstown and
Owings Mills in Baltimore
County and Columbia in Howard County. The area now constitutes a deprived
socio-economic group of African American residents and like "East Baltimore", it is
known for its high crime rates. Many of the television series concerning Baltimore's crime problems have been based upon events
that have taken place in West Baltimore. The Southwestern region of the city is bounded by Baltimore County to the west,
Baltimore Street to the north, and downtown and the B&O railroad to the east. A mixed industrial and residential area, it has
gradually shifted from having a predominantly White to a predominantly African American
majority.
Culture
-
Historically a working-class port town, Baltimore has sometimes been dubbed a "city of neighborhoods," with over 300
identified districts[26] traditionally occupied by
distinct ethnic groups. Most notable today are three downtown areas along the port: the Inner
Harbor, frequented by tourists due to its hotels, shops, and museums; Fells
Point, once a favorite entertainment spot for sailors but now refurbished and gentrified (and featured in the movie
Sleepless in Seattle); and Little
Italy, located between the other two, where Baltimore's Italian-American community was based–and where current U.S. House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi grew up. Further inland, Mt.
Vernon is the traditional center of cultural and artistic life of the city; it is home to a distinctive Washington
Monument, set atop a hill in a 19th century urban square, that predates the monument in Washington, D.C. by several decades.
Washington Monument, in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore
The traditional local accent has long been noted and celebrated as "Baltimorese" or "Bawlmorese." One thing outsiders quickly
notice is that the locals refer to their city as "Bawlmer" or "Ballmer," dropping with the "t" for the most part. The dialect is
similar to that of many Marylanders and Pennsylvanians; it may reflect the region's roots in Cornwall and the English West
Country, as many of the original settlers of the Chesapeake Bay area came from this area in colonial times. (Traditionally, many
Marylanders call their state "Merlin"--and likewise, many Pennsylvanians call their state "Pennsavania," dropping the "l".)
However, Baltimore's local accent also reflects the rich mix of ethnic groups from Ireland, Germany, and southern and eastern
Europe who immigrated to the city during the industrial era. (For a more in-depth discussion of the Maryland dialect, click the
"Culture of Baltimore" link above.)
As Baltimore's demographics have changed since World War Two, its cultural flavor and accents have evolved as well. Today,
after decades of out-migration to suburbs beyond its corporate limits and significant in-migration of African-Americans from
Georgia and the Carolinas, Baltimore has become a majority African-American city with a significantly changed, but still
regionally distinctive, dialect and culture. Recently, neighborhoods such as Federal
Hill and Canton have undergone extensive gentrification and have proven to be popular places for young professionals and college students to
reside. In addition, new immigrants from Latin America are making their mark, notably in neighborhoods near Fells Point.
Much of Baltimore's African-American culture has roots that long predate the 20th century "Great Migration" from the Deep South. Like Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C., Baltimore has been
home to a successful African-American middle class and professional community for centuries. Before the Civil War, Baltimore had
one of the largest concentrations of free African-Americans among American cities. In the twentieth century, Baltimore-born
Thurgood Marshall became the first African-American justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Baltimore's culture has been famously celebrated in the movies of
Barry Levinson, who grew up