Mount Washington, Baltimore

Mount Washington is an area of northwest Baltimore, Maryland.

Description

Historically, Mount Washington was a small area. However, residents and businesses of many other nearby neighborhoods in the 21209 zip code and a small portion of the 21215 zip code (west of Pimlico Rd.) where the neighborhood is located refer to their location as Mount Washington. Though mostly within the Baltimore city limits, but mixed with some of these areas within Baltimore County as Pikesville.

The Mount Washington neighborhood is served by the Mount Washington Improvement Association ([1]), which, though not speaking on behalf of all the neighborhood's residents, wields significant political clout in Baltimore.

The actual Mount Washington is mostly residential, though it has two small commercial areas:

• Mount Washington Village, located off the west side of the Jones Falls Expressway near the Kelly Avenue bridge, containing several restaurants and stores, as well as the Baltimore Light Rail's Mount Washington Station.
• Mount Washington Mill, a refurbished textile mill now housing a Whole Foods, Starbucks, and other stores and offices, located off the east side of the Jones Falls Expressway near the Kelly Avenue bridge,commonly referred to as Historic Mount Washington.

These two areas were at one time viewed as a single area, but since the construction of Interstate 83, these areas have been separated, and travel over a longer distance is required between them.

Major Roads in Mount Washington

Some of the main roads that run through the Mount Washington area are:

Immediate:

• Interstate 83, also known as the Jones Falls Expressway(JFX)
• Falls Road
• Kelly Avenue
• Greely Road
• Smith Avenue

Extended:

• Greenspring Avenue
• Cross Country Boulevard
• Pimlico Road
• Northern Parkway
• Lake Avenue

Other communities located near Mount Washington include:

• Village of Cross Keys (south)
• Cheswolde (west)
• Pimlico (west)
• Rodgers Forge (east)
• Ruxton (north)

Public transportation

Mount Washington is well known for its public transportation operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. This, most notably, includes the Central Light Rail line. It has one stop located in historic Mount Washington Village, and another that is closer to the Mount Washington Mill at the nearby Robert E. Lee Park, known as the Falls Road stop. Light Rail service operates to downtown Baltimore, Hunt Valley, and BWI Airport every 10–15 minutes at most times.

Currently, MTA also operates three public bus lines in Mount Washington Village, all of which originate at the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway Station. These are: Route 27, which operates to areas including Hampden, Downtown Baltimore, and the Cherry Hill area, Route 58, which terminates at a loop in Mt. Washington after serving the Fallstaff area, and Route 60, which also serves Fallstaff and continues north to Greenspring Station and Stevenson University.

Schools

The zoned local public schools are Mount Washington Elementary and Northwestern High School, although most of the children in the community who pursue their education in the Baltimore City public school system do so at either of the magnet schools, City or Poly.

Athletics

The neighborhood has been the home of the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club since its establishment in 1904. Mount Washington dominated the sport at the club and collegiate level for much of the 20th century. Since 1999, Mount Washington has shared its home field, Norris Field on Kelly Avenue, with the all-girls Bryn Mawr School.^[1]

Notable residents and natives

• Charles L. Bennett, Astrophysicist
• Duke Cameron, heart surgeon
• Katie Hoff, Olympic swimmer
• Doug Turnbull, National Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee, born in Mount Washington in 1903^[2]

References

1. ^ Jamie Stiehm, Traditions survive in sale of men's club; Bryn Mawr to share lacrosse fields, facilities, The Baltimore Sun, May 31, 1999, retrieved May 28, 2010.
2. ^ Douglas C. Turnbull Jr., 91, All-American lacrosse player, The Baltimore Sun, April 13, 1993.