Since that time, the northwest suburb seems to have done nothing but grow.
As the outlying end of the line for the Baltimore Metro and with easy access to the Beltway via I-795, Owings Mills provides a connection to Baltimore that made it an ideal target for development. Typical suburban enclaves of townhouses, condos and single-family homes envelope the main hub of activity -- Owings Mills Mall and its surrounding movie theater and restaurant parks, as well as the adjacent developing town center at the Metro station.
Reisterstown Road cuts through the area, offering almost every chain imaginable for the diverse, mostly white-collar populace. The New Town community, built in the early 1990s, helped spawn a population boom that led to the construction of a new elementary and high school. When New Town High opened in 2003, it was the county's first new high school in 25 years.
Around the same time New Town was sprouting up, Owings Mills got another influx of citizens. The Baltimore Ravens arrived and took up residence in the Colts' old facility on Owings Mills Boulevard before moving to palatial new headquarters a few miles away. Many of the team's players live in the area as well, at least during the season.
Owings Mills Boulevard is far from deserted, however. Villa Julie College expanded its campus there, and an influx of restaurants and shops keep students and residents occupied. Like the rest of Owings Mills, the growth is evident.
Location: Northwest Baltimore County
Highlights/Landmarks: Baltimore Ravens training facility, Soldier's Delight, Maryland Public Television, Owings Mills Mall, Owings Mills Metro Station, Jewish Community Center and the Gordon Center for the Performing Arts
Schools: Villa Julie College satellite campus, New Town High School, Owings Mills High School, McDonogh School, Garrison Forest School, Deer Park Elementary School, Owings Mills Elementary School, Timber Grove Elementary School, New Town Elementary School
Trivia: The plan was to build a lake in what is now New Town, but it was scrapped for environmental reasons. The only remnant of that plan: the main road through the development is Lakeside Boulevard.