City of Neighborhoods: Spotlighting the stories behind Baltimore's communities

Founded in the 1840s, <a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-neighborhood-pigtown-20211027-c3qw6xkfpbalrpek7njuv52eje-story.html'>Pigtown</a> became a popular place for railroad workers to live. The area’s name derived from the one-time thriving industry that had pigs being transported to and slaughtered in the neighborhood. — Baltimore’s Pigtown struggles to overcome industrial past as future continues to take shape

<a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/home/bs-fe-neighborhoods-hamilton-lauraville-20210819-jg3hhedr7be4bf44kovg6q3enu-story.html'>Hamilton-Lauraville</a> isn’t, strictly speaking, a neighborhood.

Yet the community spirit — and tasty food — of Hamilton-Lauraville transcends strict neighborhood boundaries. — Dining-centric Hamilton-Lauraville has options to please every taste bud

Fenced lots are rare in the leafy historic enclave of <a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bs-prem-fe-baltimore-neighborhood-ten-hills-20210812-ysziby4wora2xaobpkxj3mcrza-story.html'>Ten Hills</a> in West Baltimore, where most every yard melts into the next, and folks tap on their neighbors’ back doors more often than the front. — Leafy Ten Hills in West Baltimore eschews fences in favor of friendliness

Brooklyn, in Baltimore’s southernmost residential area, is full of ‘little gems'

Before Brooklyn was founded in 1853, it was a village that catered to farmers in northern Anne Arundel County. “Different generations from the same family are trying to live in the same area,” said one resident of seven years. “It’s so accessible. We’ve got all these little gems.” (Barbara Haddock Taylor)

Few know about <a target='_blank' href='http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/real-estate/bs-fe-baltimore-neighborhood-stone-hill-20210603-6up3uere6ngc3ozv2iinmtealq-story.html'>Stone Hill</a>, the historic mini-neighborhood lying at the southern tip of Hampden. This secluded cluster of homes along the Jones Falls was built as millworkers’ housing around the 1840s, when Hampden was part of Baltimore County. — Stone Hill, a ‘real village’ within Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood

Founded in the 1700s, <a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-govans-20210527-v5zxjuq5xvdi3inlvtygcilb5m-story.html'>Govans</a> was named after William Govane, who received a land grant from Frederick Calvert, the last Lord Baltimore.

“It’s a wonderful place of gathering. In the summertime, we have jazz and country bands. It’s a lovely time of fellowship between the east and west side of The Corridor,” said Sandi McFadden, vice president of the Mid-Govans Community Association. — North Baltimore’s Govans area encompasses wildly varying communities, struggles to bridge east and west divide

19th-century charm, contemporary commerce coexist in North Baltimore’s Better Waverly neighborhood

Few Baltimore neighborhoods embody the balance of urban accessibility and suburban tranquillity better than Better Waverly, nestled along Greenmount Avenue and 33rd Street in North Baltimore. Sometimes lumped in with neighboring Waverly, Better Waverly is among a series of connected neighborhoods near what had been Memorial Stadium. It is diverse, with less segregation than other parts of the city, beautiful housing stock and plenty of character. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun )

For decades, <a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-fe-baltimore-neighborhood-ashburton-20210313-isjsqjm5ajb4lpsos45ug3qgkq-story.html'>Ashburton</a> in Northwest Baltimore has been the base of Baltimore’s Black elite. The small neighborhood’s tranquil, upper-class vibe is distinguished by a preponderance of English-style architecture; think steep, slate roofs, stone or stucco walls, stained-glass windows and manicured lawns. — Bastion of Baltimore’s Black elite, Ashburton neighborhood is quiet and like a suburb

Highlandtown welcomed immigrants for 150 years of Baltimore history. Today, it still does.

On the corner of Bank Street and Highland Avenue, a vibrant mural of gold and bluish green depicts European immigrants who originally settled in Highlandtown alongside today’s growing Latino community. Highlandtown is eclectic and creative, filled with taverns, Mariachi bands, Haven Street’s industrial corridor and what’s proclaimed as Baltimore’s first pizzeria. (Barbara Haddock Taylor / Baltimore Sun)

Hidden in a leafy corner of West Baltimore sits a neighborhood steeped in lore with the pedigree to prove it. In the <a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-fe-baltimore-neighborhood-dickeyville-20210304-sp3fowzafvbxncbidhjgbkrnvy-story.html'>Dickeyville</a> Historic District, every weathered old building bears a tale from days past, when the community was a bustling 19th-century mill town and its residents, the muscle. — ‘Small-town feel, but with big-city amenities’: Baltimore’s tiny Dickeyville is quaint and quiet

<a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-fe-baltimore-neighborhood-stonewood-pentwood-winston-20210217-65ed6mkrffe75cjp4qeqzsuimi-story.html'>Stonewood-Pentwood-Winston</a> is a deep-rooted, if aging enclave of 238 residences, most of them row homes. “There’s not much traffic, people look out for one another, and many homes are handed down through generations. It’s almost like a gated community, a little gem right in the middle of the city," said Carolyn Jasper, who's been living in the neighborhood for 47 years. — Quiet, stable, convenient: The appeal of Northeast Baltimore’s Stonewood-Pentwood-Winston neighborhood

A hodgepodge of public housing, single-family dwellings and modest, weathered townhomes of varying age and construction, <a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/black-history/bs-fe-baltimore-neighborhood-mount-winans-20210210-epozcmr7pbeqhghm5wmhg564wu-story.html'>Mount Winans</a> is “a hidden little neighborhood, lightly trafficked and packaged between Westport and the railroad lines,” said Brooke Lierman, its state delegate. — ‘Between Westport and the railroad lines’ lies Baltimore’s tiny Mount Winans neighborhood

From the legacy of Pennsylvania Avenue jazz clubs to the places where civil rights leaders grew up, West Baltimore’s <a target='_blank' href='https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-fe-baltimore-neighborhood-upton-20210204-osfj2hrhdbcy5ck4jqavvyxuai-story.html'>Upton</a> neighborhood is rich with Black spiritual, cultural and political history. — A bastion of Baltimore’s Black history and culture, Upton neighborhood seen as center for revitalization

<div style='text-align:center;'>
<iframe id='nhoodmap' frameborder='0' src='https://baltsun.carto.com/builder/3c1e6f9d-d2e5-4758-a579-bc39e6703d1e/embed' allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>

<style>
#nhoodmap {
width: 300px;
height: 575px;
margin: 35px auto 0 auto;
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 420px) {
#nhoodmap {
width: 360px;
}
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 650px) {
#nhoodmap {
width: 440px;
}
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 975px) {
#nhoodmap {
width: 600px;
}
}
.credit-caption-container a {
text-decoration: underline;
}
</style> — Explore the series from a map

City of Neighborhoods: Spotlighting the stories behind Baltimore's communities | PHOTOS

Baltimore has roughly 200 neighborhoods and each one has a story. The City of Neighborhoods series is an attempt to spotlight some of those stories.