Baltimore

Baltimore, also known as Baltimore City, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the 30th-most populous U.S. city with a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, while the Baltimore metropolitan area at 2.86 million residents is the 22nd-largest metropolitan area in the nation. The city is also part of the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area, which had a population of 9.97 million in 2020. Baltimore was designated as an independent city by the Constitution of Maryland in 1851. Though not located under the jurisdiction of any county in the state, it forms part of the Central Maryland region together with the surrounding county that shares its name. The land that is present-day Baltimore was once used as hunting ground by Paleo-Indians. In the early 1600s, the Susquehannock began to hunt there. People from the Province of Maryland established the Port of Baltimore in 1706 to support the tobacco trade with Europe and established the Town of Baltimore in 1729. During the American Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress briefly moved its deliberations to the Henry Fite House from December 1776 to February 1777 prior to the capture of Philadelphia to British troops, which permitted Baltimore to serve briefly as the nation's capital before it returned to Philadelphia. The Battle of Baltimore was pivotal during the War of 1812, culminating in the British bombardment of Fort McHenry, during which Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that became "The Star-Spangled Banner", which was designated as the national anthem in 1931. During the Pratt Street Riot of 1861, the city was the site of some of the earliest violence associated with the American Civil War. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the nation's oldest, was built in 1830 and reinforced Baltimore's status as a transportation hub, giving producers in the Midwest and Appalachia access to the city's port. Baltimore's Inner Harbor was the second-leading port of entry for immigrants to the U.S. after New York Ellis Island making Baltimore a major manufacturing center. After a decline in heavy industry and restructuring of the rail industry, Baltimore has shifted to a service-oriented economy. Johns Hopkins Hospital and University are now the city's top employers. Baltimore is also home to the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball and the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. It is ranked as a Gamma−world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The city is home to some of the earliest National Register Historic Districts in the nation, including Fell's Point, Federal Hill, and Mount Vernon. Baltimore has more public statues and monuments per capita than any other city in the U.S. Nearly one third of the buildings (over 65,000) are designated as historic in the National Register, more than any other U.S. city. Baltimore has 66 National Register Historic Districts and 33 local historic districts.

Infobox

Country

United States

State

Maryland

City

Baltimore

Historic colony

Province of Maryland

County

None (Independent city)

Founded

August 8, 1729; 296 years ago (August 8, 1729)

Incorporated

1796–1797

Independent city

1851

Named after

Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore

• Type

Mayor–council

• Body

Baltimore City Council

• Mayor

Brandon Scott (D)

• City Council

Council members Zeke Cohen (President)Mark Parker (1)Danielle McCray (2)Ryan Dorsey (3)Mark Conway (4)Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer (5)Sharon Green Middleton (6)James Torrence (7)Paris Gray (8)John T. Bullock (9)Phylicia Porter (10)Zac Blanchard (11)Jermaine Jones (12)Antonio Glover (13)Odette Ramos (14)

• Houses of Delegates

Delegates Marlon Amprey (40) (D)Frank M. Conaway Jr. (40) (D)Melissa Wells (40) (D)Dalya Attar (41) (D)Samuel I. Rosenberg (41) (D)Malcolm Ruff (41) (D)Regina T. Boyce (43A) (D)Elizabeth Embry (43A) (D)Jackie Addison (45) (D)Stephanie M. Smith (45) (D)Caylin Young (45) (D)Luke Clippinger (46) (D)Mark Edelson (46) (D)Robbyn Lewis (46) (D)

• State Senate

State senators Antonio Hayes (40) (D)Jill P. Carter (41) (D)Mary Washington (43) (D)Cory V. McCray (45) (D)Bill Ferguson (46) (D)

• Independent city

$61.954 billion

• Land

80.95 sq mi (209.65 km2)

• Water

11.10 sq mi (28.76 km2) 12.1%

Elevation

0–492 ft (0–150 m)

• Estimate (2024)

568,271

• Rank

83rd in North America30th in the United States1st in Maryland

• Density

7,235.8/sq mi (2,793.74/km2)

• Urban

2,212,038 (US: 20th)

• Urban density

3,378/sq mi (1,304.1/km2)

• Metro

$259.690 billion

Demonym

Baltimorean

Time zone

UTC−5 (EST)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

ZIP Codes

ZIP Codes 21201–21231, 21233–21237, 21239–21241, 21244, 21250–21252, 21263–21265, 21268, 21270, 21273–21275, 21278–21290, 21297–21298

Area codes

410, 443, and 667

Congressional districts

2nd, 7th

GNIS feature ID

597040

Website

www.baltimorecity.gov