Dundalk, Maryland
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2008) |
Dundalk, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| Old Dundalk Shopping Center Old Dundalk Shopping Center | |
 Flag | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| County | Baltimore |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 17.4 sq mi (45.0 km2) |
| • Land | 13.3 sq mi (34.4 km2) |
| • Water | 4.1 sq mi (10.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 62,306 |
| • Density | 4,689.5/sq mi (1,810.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 21222 |
| Area code | 410 |
| FIPS code | 24-23975 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0590117 |
Dundalk is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 62,306 at the 2000 census. In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest unincorporated community in Maryland. It was named after the town of Dundalk, Ireland.
History
The area now known as Dundalk was first explored by John Smith in 1608, when while conducting an expedition up the Chesapeake Bay he landed on the area known as the Patapsco Neck. Up until this time, the area was occupied by the tribes of the Susquehanna Indians.
In 1664 Thomas Todd of Virginia purchased 1,150 acres (4.7 km2) of land on the Patapsco Neck, this being the first deed in Baltimore County. The original house, “Todd’s Inheritance”, was burnt by the British during the War of 1812, Battle of North Point. After the war the house was rebuilt, and it still stands today as a historical landmark.
In 1856 Henry McShane, an immigrant from Ireland, established the McShane Bell Foundry on the banks of the Patapsco River in the then far southeastern outskirts of Baltimore.[1] The foundry later relocated to the Patterson Park area of Baltimore until a fire during the 1940s caused it to move to 201 East Federal Street. In addition to bronze bells, the foundry once manufactured cast iron pipes and furnace fittings. When asked by the Baltimore and Sparrows Point Railroad for a name of a depot for the foundry, which was on their rail line, McShane wrote Dundalk, after the town of his birth Dundalk, Ireland. In 1977 the foundry moved to its current location in Glen Burnie.
In 1916 the Bethlehem Steel Company purchased 1,000 acres (4 km2) of farmland, near the McShane foundry, to develop housing for its shipyard workers. The Dundalk Company was formed to plan a town in the new style, similar to that of the Roland Park area of Baltimore, excluding businesses except at specific spots and leaving land for future development of schools, playing fields, and parks. By 1917 Dundalk proper was founded, by then it had 62 houses, 2 stores, a post office, and a telephone exchange. Streets were laid out in a pedestrian-friendly open grid, with monikers like "Shipway," "Northship," "Flagship," and "Admiral." The two-story houses had steeply pitched roofs and stucco exteriors.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45 km2), of which 13.3 square miles (34 km2) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km2), or 23.58%, is water.
Most of Dundalk is flat and very near sea level, with a few small hills close to the city of Baltimore to the west. Dundalk is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Elevations range from sea level on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay to approximately 40 feet (12 m) above sea level along the northern reaches of Dundalk Avenue and North Point Boulevard.
Climate
Dundalk lies in the Humid subtropical climate zone, with hot, humid summers and mild, wet winters and plentiful precipitation year round. Its location along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay give it more moderate temperatures than locations further north and inland in the metro area. The greater Dundalk area lies within Plant Hardiness Zone 8.
- Average Monthly Temperatures and Precipitation for Dundalk, MD
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F (°C) | 47 (8) | 51 (10) | 59 (15) | 69 (20) | 79 (26) | 87 (30) | 91 (33) | 88 (31) | 81 (27) | 70 (21) | 61 (16) | 54 (12) | |
| Avg low °F (°C) | 33 (1) | 35 (1) | 42 (5) | 50 (10) | 58 (14) | 68 (20) | 73 (23) | 71 (22) | 64 (18) | 55 (12) | 48 (8) | 39 (4) | |
| Rainfall inches (mm) | 3.48 (88.4) | 3.07 (78.0) | 4.12 (104.6) | 3.06 (77.7) | 4.18 (106.2) | 3.28 (83.3) | 3.96 (100.6) | 4.05 (102.9) | 4.06 (103.1) | 3.19 (81.0) | 3.45 (87.6) | 3.60 (93.7) |
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 82,248 | — | |
| 1970 | 85,377 | 3.8% | |
| 1980 | 71,293 | −16.5% | |
| 1990 | 65,800 | −7.7% | |
| 2000 | 62,306 | −5.3% | |
| source: [2] | |||
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 62,306 people, 24,772 households, and 16,968 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,689.5 people per square mile (1,810.1/km2). There were 26,385 housing units at an average density of 1,985.9/sq mi (766.5/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.58% White, 7.51% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.45% of the population.
There were 24,772 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,789, and the median income for a family was $46,035. Males had a median income of $36,512 versus $25,964 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,543. About 6.6% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Public transit
Public transportation between Sparrows Point, Dundalk and Baltimore City was operated by the United Railways and Electric Company's (later the Baltimore Transit Company) #26 streetcar line which ran down the middle of Dundalk Avenue until August 1958. Until the early 1950s, the line carried the famous "Red Rocket" streetcars which were two and three car trains of wooden trolleys. During World War II's rush hours on the line, trains operated on a 30 second headway.
Between 1940 and 1972, bus service in the Dundalk area was provided by Dundalk Bus Lines.[3]
Today, public transportation is provided by the Maryland Transit Administration. Three major MTA lines that serve the area are Routes 4, 10, and 20.
Education
Dundalk contains a campus of the Community College of Baltimore County, known as CCBC-Dundalk. It was formerly known as Dundalk Community College.
For primary and secondary education Dundalk is served by the Baltimore County Public Schools system, with Dundalk High School and Patapsco High School being the major high schools to serve the area.
Natives and residents of note
- Kevin Clash, native and resident of Dundalk's Turners Station neighborhood, the voice and soul of Elmo.
- Robert Curbeam, native of Turners Station neighborhood, NASA astronaut.
- Bucky Lasek, professional skateboarder.
- Dave Johnson, former Major League Baseball pitcher.
- Mike Bielecki, former Major League Baseball pitcher.
- Rudy Gay, resident of Turners Station neighborhood, NBA player, former UConn and Archbishop Spalding star.
- Calvin Hill, resident of Turners Station neighborhood,[4] NFL Running back, and father of NBA star Grant Hill
- Wild Bill Hagy, all-time # 1 Baltimore Orioles fan.
- "Nasty" Nestor Aparicio, sports writer and radio talk show host, radio station owner.
- Ronnie Franklin, jockey who won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes aboard Spectacualr Bid in 1979.
- Michael S. Kearns, native of Dundalk's Old Inverness neighborhood, was the first person to parachute over all seven Continents.[1]
- James Seay, wine expert and traveler extraordinaire.
- Henrietta Lacks, resident of Turners Station neighborhood, source of the HeLa cell line.
- E. J. Pipkin, member of the Maryland State Senate.
- Bernie Wrightson, illustrator, known for his horror illustrations and comic books.
- Tony Sweet, fine art nature photography, workshop instructor, columnist Nikon World and Shutterbug magazines, author of three books on the art of photography, Nikon Legend Behind the Lens Team Nik Member, jazz musician.
- Juliana L'Heureax, newspaper columnist, executive director of The Maine Association of Mental Health Services.
- Gina Schock, drummer for the first great all female rock 'n roll band The Go-Go's, currently a successful songwriter and very active drummer.
- Jessica Williams, one of the top Jazz pianists of our time.
- Douglas Purviance, Turners' native, Grammy winning Jazz Trombonist, produces, engineers and markets Jazz recordings, while also being a band manager and booking agent, scores and edits movie and TV soundtracks, Jazz educator and clinician on a world wide basis.[2]
- Robert "Wawa" Legrand, native and resident of Turners Station neighborhood, long time guitarist for Teddy Pendergrass, has more recently played live and/or recorded with Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan, Ciara, Bonnie Raitt and many others, has appeared with various-famous music stars on numerous television shows, and he also teaches guitar to a few lucky musicians.
References
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2008) |
- ^ McShane Bell Foundry Business Ledger Vol I (1856)
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=pU9xPrw5uekC&pg=PA103&dq=%22dundalk+bus+lines%22&as_brr=3&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html
- ^ http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1988/JSH1503/jsh1503g.pdf
Bibliography
Neidt, C., 2006, Gentrification and grassroots: Popular support in the revanchist suburb. Journal of Urban Affairs, Vol. 28, No. 2, 99–120.
Reutter, M. Making Steel: Sparrows Point and the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2004.
Vicino, Thomas, J. Transforming Race and Class in Suburbia: Decline in Metropolitan Baltimore. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
External links
- Dundalk Eagle newspaper
- Dundalk Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Dundalk Alliance
- Dundalk Renaissance Corporation
- Chorus of the Chesapeake
- Blue Skies Over Dundalk Maryland -- Photo Blog
- Baltimore Art and Music Project
