This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. For other meanings of the word, please see: Baltimore (disambiguation)


Baltimore is an independent city located in the U.S. State of Maryland. As of 2000, the population is 651,154. It is the largest city in Maryland, named after the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony, Lord Baltimore. This city is a major part of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area.

Because there is also a Baltimore County adjacent to (but not including) the city, it is sometimes referred to when a clear distinction is desired as Baltimore City.

Table of contents
1 History
2 Law and Government
3 Geography
4 Transportation
5 Demographics
6 Colleges and Universities
7 Schools
8 Sports Teams

History

Baltimore was founded on July 30, 1729.

Baltimore's harbor is the location of Fort McHenry, which came under attack by British forces in the War of 1812 and whose defense inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," which furnishes the lyrics to the United States national anthem.

Baltimore became an independent city in 1851, being detached from Baltimore County at that time.

The Great Baltimore Fire on February 7, 1904 destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.

In the last few decades Baltimore has become a model of urban decay. The mass exodus of the middle class has left Baltimore with a steadily declining population. Crime is a serious problem and heroin addiction is prevalent.

Baltimore is the location of the Baltimore World Trade Center, the world's tallest five sided building.

Baltimore is also the location of Pimlico Race Course, the home of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The Preakness has been been run since 1873.

In recent years, efforts to redevelop the downtown area have led to a revitilization of the Inner Harbor. In 1979, the Baltimore Convention Center was opened and was subsequently 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, in 1981. In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball moved downtown to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and in 1998 the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League moved next door into the newly renamed M&T Bank Stadium, formerly known as PSINet Stadium until PSINet went bankrupt.

A 60-car train derailment occurred in a tunnel in Baltimore on July 18, 2001. The derailment sparked a fire that raged for six days and virtually shut-down the downtown area. Weeks after the train derailment, traffic in downtown Baltimore was totally gridlocked and most major streets were closed. A convention occurred on July 26-28, 2001 in the Baltimore Convention Center most of the major streets in downtown Baltimore still remained closed and traffic was still gridlocked, on the early morning hours of July 26-27, manhole covers flew into the air and there were underground explosions along West Pratt Street. West Pratt Street was subsequently closed and the fire department came and opened fire hydrants which virtually turned West Pratt Street into a gushing river to flush out the chemicals in the sewer lines.

In 2003, the Baltimore Development Corporation announced that three hotel projects were being reviewed. The hotel is expected to be built near the Baltimore Convention Center. The City of Baltimore hopes to have it finished and opened by 2005 or 2006. To see more detailed information and the latest information regarding Baltimore's convention center headquarters hotel, go here: Baltimore Convention Center Hotel Project.

Also in 2003, Baltimore was affected by Hurricane Isabel from flooding as a result of tidal surge, the hard hit areas of Baltimore was in the Fells Point community and the Inner Harbor and the areas surrounding the Inner Harbor. Many places were flooded including the ESPN Zone and the Baltimore World Trade Center that remained closed for several days after the hurricane moved out of the area. The Baltimore Convention Center came extremely close to being flooded due to Hurricane Isabel as most of Pratt Street was closed off because it was totally impassible by vehicles due to flooding.

Law and Government

Baltimore is an independent city; in other words, not part of any county.

Mayor or City Executive

The current Mayor of Baltimore is Martin O'Malley. For a full list of mayors that served the city, see: List of Baltimore Mayors

Geography

Baltimore is in the north central part of the state of Maryland, on the Patapsco River.

According to the United States 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 12.24% water.

Transportation

Baltimore City uses Maryland Transit Administration for its public transit system. Baltimore City has many bus routes, a single light rail line, and a single Metro subway (heavy rail) line. Additionally, MARC commuter rail connects Washington DC's Union Station with the city's two rail stations, Camden Station and Penn Station.

Airports

Demographics

In the
1830, 1840, and 1850 censuses of the United States of America, Baltimore was the second largest city in population. It has been among the top 10 cities in population in the U. S. in every census up to the 1980 census.

As of the census of 2000, there are 651,154 people, 257,996 households, and 147,057 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,111.5/km² (8,058.4/mi²). There are 300,477 housing units at an average density of 1,435.8/km² (3,718.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 31.63% White, 64.34% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 257,996 households out of which 25.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.7% are married couples living together, 25.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% are non-families. 34.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.16.

In the city the population is spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,078, and the median income for a family is $35,438. Males have a median income of $31,767 versus $26,832 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,978. 22.9% of the population and 18.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 30.6% are under the age of 18 and 18.0% are 65 or older.

Colleges and Universities

Private

Public

Schools

Sports Teams

Defunct (or moved) Sports Teams

Football

Basketball

Soccer

Hockey