Baltimore...
- is on the Patapsco River tidal erstuary a few miles from Chesapeake Bay.
- was founded around 1670.
- was incorporated in 1797.
- was named for three men who held the title Baron Baltimore (of the town of Baltimore in Ireland): George Calvert (1579-1632), George's first son Cecelius (Cecil) Calvert (1605-1675) and George's second son Leonard Calvert (1606-1647). George Calvert asked the British for permission to start a new colony in North America but died only five weeks after the Maryland charter was granted; he is considered by many historians to be the founder of Maryland. His sons, Cecil and Leonard, were among the first British settlers in Maryland, and Leonard Calvert was the first governor of Maryland.
- was originally three towns: Baltimore Town, Fells Point, and Jones Town.
- has its lowest elevation of 32 feet above sea level at its Inner Harbor, and its highest elevation of 480 feet above sea level in its northwest corner near Reisterstown Road. Baltimore is generally hilly.
- was the first American city to light its streets with gas, in 1816. Each light has to be lit by a lamplighter each evening.
- was home to the first drive-thtough gasoline station and the first metered gasoline pump.
- had a very destructive fire in 1904, so most of Baltimore's downtown buildings were built since then.
- was the second-largest city in the USA in 1850 with about 153,000 people, second only to New York City.
- has a municipal park, Patterson Park, that is the second-oldest such park in the USA. Central Park in New York City is the oldest.
- was the first American city to supply natural gas for household use. The gas was unmetered, so people tended to waste gas and drive the price up, thus only the well-off could afford home gas lighting.
- had a peak population of about 960,000 in the early 1950s, with the population number delining to about 630,000 today.
- had a battle in its harbor during the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" -- later to become the USA's national anthem.
- is an independent city, not part of any county. The city is nearly completely surrounded by Baltimore County which is a separate political entity from the city of Baltimore.
More interesting facts to come...
