85 Interesting Facts About Baltimore

Baltimore, the largest city in Maryland, is known for its high crime rate, as the birthplace of the national anthem, and as the filming location of The Wire.

Find out what else “B’More” is known for with these fun and interesting Baltimore city facts. Also read our fun facts about Maryland, the state where Baltimore is found!

General Baltimore Facts

• Baltimore is the largest city in the US state of Maryland.

• With 576,498 residents, Baltimore is the 30^th largest city in the United States, putting it between Memphis, Tennessee and Milwaukee, Wisconsin in terms of population.

• Baltimore is similar in size to Santa Fe, Argentina.

• The Greater Baltimore Area, which includes Columbia and Towson, has a population of 2.8 million, making it the country’s 20^th largest metropolitan area, between Denver, Colorado and St. Louis, Missouri.

• Around 1 in 5 of all Marylanders live in the Greater Baltimore Area.

• Baltimore is located in the north-central area of the state, about 30 mi (50 km) northeast of Washington DC.

• The city sits at the same latitude as Valencia, Spain.

• The highest temperature ever recorded in Baltimore was 106°F (41°C) in 2011, while the lowest was −7°F (−21.7°C) in 1984.

• The city of Baltimore was named after Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore, the Anglo-Irish founder of Maryland state.

• The official abbreviation for Baltimore is BAL, while the Baltimore/Washington International Airport code is BWI.

• Some common nicknames for Baltimore are Charm City, B’more, and Mobtown.

• Slogans for Baltimore have included “The Greatest City in America”, “Get in on it”, and “Believe”.

• People from Baltimore are called Baltimoreans.

• 62.26% of Baltimoreans are African American, one of the highest percentages in the country, though not quite as high as Memphis, Tennessee (63%) or Detroit, Michigan (80%).

• The Baltimore flag shows the black and gold design of the Calvert family Coat of Arms. The Battle Monument is featured in the center which commemorates the Battle of Baltimore between the British and American forces. 

• Baltimore has 12 sister cities, including Rotterdam (Netherlands), Odessa (Ukraine), Ashkelon (Israel), and Alexandria (Egypt).

Interesting Facts about Baltimore Places

• Lexington Market, founded in 1782, is considered the longest continuously running public market in the United States.

• The University of Maryland School of Dentistry, started in 1840, is considered the world’s first dental college.

• The tallest building in Baltimore is the Transamerica Tower, which has 40 floors and stands 529 ft (161 m) tall.

• The second and third tallest buildings in Baltimore are the Bank of America Building (37 floors) and 414 Light Street (44 floors), standing at 509 ft (155 m) and 500 ft (152.4 m), respectively.

• Other iconic buildings in Baltimore include the Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower, George Peabody Library, the Grand Baltimore, Basilica of the Assumption, and Baltimore City Hall.

• Nearly ⅓ of the buildings found in Baltimore are designated as historic in the National Register, which is more than any other city in the nation.

• It’s easy to see why Baltimore is sometimes called “Monument City”, with the city being home to over 80 monuments and statues.

• The Washington Monument was constructed by Robert Mills in 1815. This monument was the first civic monument in America to pay tribute to George Washington. The iconic marble monument is called “the Stairmaster” by the locals and is 178 ft (54.25 m) high with a staircase of 228 spiraling steps.

• Some of the trendiest neighborhoods in Baltimore are Hampden, Federal Hill, Fells Point, Mount Vernon, Harbor East, Remington, and Station North.

• The Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse may be a small lighthouse, but it has one of the biggest stories. The lighthouse was constructed in 1856 and can be found in the Inner Harbor. It’s also home to a small museum and offers lovely views of Baltimore.

• The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower in Baltimore was inspired by Italy’s Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. It once featured the world’s largest gravity-driven, four-dial clock and was the tallest building in Baltimore when it was built.

• The Baltimore Basilica is a masterpiece of American architecture. Constructed in a neoclassical style, the Roman Catholic cathedral is among the first religious buildings to be constructed in the US.

• The Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport has a unique feature that no other airport in the world has: a hiking and biking trail. The airport is shared with Washington D.C., but is closer to Baltimore.

Baltimore Economy and Society Facts

• The Greater Baltimore area has the 19^th largest economy in the United States, between the Greater Denver area and the Greater Inland Empire Area (Riverside and San Bernardino) in southern California.

• Baltimore is home to one Fortune 500 company: T. Rowe Price.

• There are 13 colleges and universities in Baltimore, with the largest being Morgan State University and Johns Hopkins University.

• Baltimore’s crime rate is about the same as that of Detroit, Michigan, but double that of New Orleans, Louisiana.

• The Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport is the 22^nd busiest airport in the US. It served 26,993,896 million passengers in 2019.

• Some of Baltimore’s best shopping malls and centres are Harborplace Mall, Towson Town Center, White Marsh Mall, Laurel Lakes Centre, Westfield Montgomery and The Shops at Iverson.

• Baltimore has 4 billionaires with a combined net worth of over 10 billion USD.

• The richest person in Baltimore is Stephen Bisciotti, owner of the Baltimore Ravens (NFL), with a net worth of 5.7 billion USD.

• 1 in 5 people in Baltimore live below the poverty line, one of the highest rates in the country.

• 65.36% of Maryland residents voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

• Baltimore’s major newspapers include the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Weekenders, and Owings Mills Times.

• Baltimore is home to many firsts, including the first carrier railroad, the first gas utility company, and the first gas light.

• Movies filmed in Baltimore include 12 Monkeys, Along Came A Spider, The Social Network, Every Day, Body of Lies, and Runaway Bride.

• TV shows filmed in Baltimore include The Wire, House of Cards, Veep, The Corner, and Homicide: Life on the Street.

Baltimore Sports Facts

• Baltimore has two major professional sports teams: Baltimore Ravens (NFL) and Baltimore Orioles (MLB).

• The Baltimore Ravens’ name was inspired by a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, which is titled “The Raven”.

• The first game played by the Baltimore Ravens was on September 1, 1996.

• Quarterback Vinny Testaverde scored the first touchdown ever for the Ravens.

• The Baltimore Ravens have played in 5 playoffs: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, and 2012.

• The Ravens also won two Superbowls to date (2000 and 2012).

• The Baltimore Orioles originally began playing as the St. Louis Browns in the early 1900s. They became the Orioles after moving to Baltimore in 1954.

• The Orioles won the World Series in 1966, 1970, and 1983. They have also won several league championships.

• The Orioles play their home games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

• The Baltimore Marathon events, collectively known as the Baltimore Running Festival, have been taking place each mid-October since 2001.

• Baltimore made a bid to be one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup- but lost its bid to Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, and LA.

Famous Baltimore People

• Actors Penn Badgley, David Hasselhoff, Mark Rolston, and Ben Bass were born in Baltimore.

• Actresses Jada Pinkett Smith, Bess Armstrong, Felicia Pearson, Anna Faris, Julie Bowen, and Stacy Keibler were born in Baltimore.

• Singers Tori Amos was born in North Carolina but moved to Baltimore when she was 2. Likewise, Billie Holiday was born in Philadelphia but moved to Baltimore when she was young.

• Singers Cass Elliot and Sisqó were born in Baltimore.

• Authors from Baltimore include Sheri Booker, Jen Michalski, Ed Burns, Megan Boyle, and Aaron Becker.

• The incredibly decorated and famous Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, is a native of Baltimore. Phelps even earned himself the nickname of “The Baltimore Bullet”.

Baltimore History Facts

• The original inhabitants of Baltimore were the Algonquian Native Americans, whose ancestors first moved into the area over 10,000 years ago.

• Remains dating to 9000 years ago have been found in Baltimore’s Herring Run Park.

• When Europeans first arrive in 1634, there were few (or perhaps no) Native people living in what is now Baltimore.

• The Port of Baltimore was created in 1704 for tobacco trade. Baltimore town was founded in 1729.

• Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser newspapers began publication in 1773.

• In 1782, Lexington Market was established. Today it is one of the oldest continuously running markets in the country.

• In 1796, the city of Baltimore was incorporated.

• The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered in 1827.

• In 1840, The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, now the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, became the first dental school in the world.

• The world’s first telegraph line was established between Washington DC and Baltimore in 1844.

• By 1850, Baltimore had a population of 200,000.

• Baltimore became an independent city in 1851 (before that it was part of Baltimore county).

• The Baltimore horse-drawn trolley line began in 1859.

• In 1875, Baltimore’s City Hall was built.

• In 1885, Baltimore became the first city in the country to have a commercially operated electric streetcar.

• Baltimore had a population of 508,957 people in 1900.

• In 1911, Baltimore completed its sewerage system.

• In 1926, pay was equalized for black and white teachers in Baltimore.

• The trackless trolley was a new form of transportation that arrived in Baltimore in 1938.

• In 1950, Friendship International Airport (now known as Baltimore/Washington International Airport), began its operation.

• Baltimore reached a peak population of around 1 million in 1950, but has been declining ever since.

• In 1992, the Baltimore Light Rail began operating.

• In 1993, Baltimore recorded 353 homicides, the highest number to date.

• The Baltimore Metro extension was opened from Charles Center to Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1995.

• In 2006, Sheila Dixon became the first female mayor of Baltimore.

• In April 2015, a state of emergency was declared in Baltimore when riots erupted after African American Freddy Gray was killed by police.