Baltimore

Baltimore, largest city in Maryland, grew from it's location on a natural harbor on the Chesapeake Bay and the availability of nearby water that could be used to power mills. As the nation grew Baltimore was the most western of the Atlantic ports and became a hub for transporting goods and people to and from the west. As with many industrial-oriented cities, the 20th century wasn't as kind to Baltimore as it could've been. But the city benefited from its variety of ethnic neighborhoods and some visionary work in the area of the "Inner Harbor" to become a moderate success story as the century ended.

Baltimore's commercial life is still centered on the harbor. There's still a significant amount of goods that travels through Baltimore's ports each year (and a small, but growing number of people taking cruises from Baltimore, too). Regional banks, insurance companies, and stock brokerages inhabit the tallest buildings of the downtown area. Shopping and dining in the Inner Harbor and surrounding neighborhoods is a major source of retail activity, while individual neighborhoods of the less well-known parts of the city have thousands of small storefront businesses.

Of course, every major city also has its suburbs. Communities like Towson, White Marsh, Timonium, Lutherville, and Catonsville all benefit from proximity to the city while providing the suburban lifestyle. Travel a very short distance to the north and northwest of the city and you'll be amazed at how quickly you're into some very rural country side - and see some very expensive "horse country" estates.

The city of Baltimore is governed by a mayor and a city council consisting of a council president and representatives from each the city's 14 districts. Unlike every other town and city in the state, Baltimore is not part of a county (Baltimore County is an entirely separate entity) and is the equivalent of a county in the state legislature.