Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest city in the state of Maryland, the 19th largest in the United States, and the only city in the state that is not part of any county. It is part of the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area.
Baltimore was settled in the early 17th century and founded as a town in 1729. It was named after Lord Baltimore, the founder of Maryland.
The 2005 population is estimated as: 635,815.
Contents
People
The city's s population is nearly 60% black and also includes many people of Italian, German, and central European ancestry. From the 1840s to the 1950s the citry was dominated by German Americans.
Higher culture
Baltimore is the site of the Johns Hopkins University (1876), a premier research institution best known for its medical school. Other notable schools are the College of Notre Dame of Maryland (1873), Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University (formerly the Peabody Conservatory of Music; founded 1857), and Goucher College (1885) in suburban Towson. Much of the work of higher education is done by the University of Maryland-Baltimore, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the University of Maryland, and Towson State University. The Baltimore Museum of Art, the Peale Museum, and the Walters Art Gallery have notable collections of art, and the B & O Railroad Museum houses an impressive collection of railroad memorabilia. The Morris Mechanic Theater, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, and Fort McHenry (its successful defense against the British in 1814, inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner") are other major attractions. Nearby Pimlico Race Track is the site of the Preakness Stakes, a major event in horse racing. Druid Hill Park contains the city zoo and a natural history museum. The U.S.S. Constellation, launched in Baltimore in 1797 and today the oldest U.S. warship afloat, is a major tourist attraction in the harbor.
Scandals
Mayor Sheila Dixon, a Democrat, was forced to resign in 2010 as part of a plea bargain; already convicted of a misdemeanor for stealing donated gift cards intended for poor children, she was facing yet another trial on perjury charges.
Famous sons and daughters
- David Hasselhoff
- Edgar Allan Poe (born 1809 in Boston) died and was buried in Baltimore in 1849.
See also
Further reading
- Rockman, Seth. Scraping By: Wage Labor, Slavery, and Survival in Early Baltimore (2009), 368 pp. social history online review
