- Catonsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 39,820 at the 2000 census. Catonsville is bordered by Woodlawn to the north, by Baltimore to the east, by Elkridge to the south, and by Ellicott City to its west.
- Catonsville is the home of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), a public research university with over 12,000 students.
- History
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European were the second group to settle the area now known as Catonsville. It is generally believed by historians that native tribes, known as the Piscataway, established villages here before the European colonists arrived. This tribe occupied the land between the Potomac to the Chesapeake Bay and up the Patapsco River. Catonsville was located along the Piscataway Trail. The colonists and the tribes got along until the mid 17th century, when the English government ended the practices of Catholic Missionaries in the area. It is believed that the tribes were driven from their villages and some were hunted by slave catchers. As happened in many areas of the early colonial America, diseases unknown to the tribes were spread by the colonists. Eventually, the tribes moved north under the protection of the Iroquois.
- With most of the natives scattered, the colonists expanded across Maryland. Present day Catonsville was settled in the 1700s. In the early 1800s, a county road along the Patapsco River—named the Frederick Turnpike, later designated Route 144—was opened by the Ellicott family to service traffic between their flour mill, Ellicott Mills, and Baltimore. Catonsville as we know it today was settled along this route by Richard Caton, under the authority of his father-in-law Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Travelers along "the turnpike" (as it was then known) rested and conducted business in the area, causing Catonsville to grow.
- The large Victorian and Colonial homes located in Catonsville were built by wealthy Baltimoreans. Originally, these communities were used as summer residences to escape the heat in Baltimore. Eventually, as in many communities with the introduction of the automobile and electric trolley, families began to reside in Catonsville year round. Baltimore has attempted over the years to annex Catonsville, the last attempt in 1918, but all attempts were rebuffed. The community remains an unincorporated town in Baltimore County. It is home to Spring Grove Hospital Center, the nation's second oldest continuously operating psychiatric hospital, as well as the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
- Catonsville was briefly made quite famous during the 1968 protest by the "Catonsville Nine", during which draft records were burned by Catholic anti-war activists.
- In 2002, the Maryland legislature issued a proclamation declaring Catonsville to be "Music City, Maryland" due to a concentration of musical retail stores, venues and educational facilities in the area.
- In 2007 Money magazine ranked Catonsville the 49th best place to live in the USA, third best in Maryland and Virginia.
- Geography
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Catonsville is located at (39.273756, -76.738012).
- According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 14.0 square miles (36.3 km²), all of it land.
- Demographics
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As of the census of 2000, there were 39,820 people, 15,503 households, and 9,255 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,843.9 people per square mile (1,098.2/km²). There were 16,054 housing units at an average density of 1,146.6/sq mi (442.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 82.28% White, 11.83% African American, 0.22% Native American, 3.61% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.
- There were 15,503 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.98.
- In the CDP the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.
- The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,061, and the median income for a family was $67,005. Males had a median income of $44,705 versus $33,420 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,254. About 2.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over. The medium house value for the CDP was $141,300 in the 2000.
- Education
- Primary and secondary education
- Public schools
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Residents are zoned to schools in the Baltimore County Public Schools. Catonsville High School and Western School of Technology and Environmental Science, formerly Western Vocational Technical Center, serve the area.
- Private schools
- Mount de Sales Academy is a Catholic all girls high school in Catonsville.
- Seton Keough is a Catholic all girls high school.
- Colleges and university
- The Community College of Baltimore County, formerly known as Catonsville Community College, has a campus in Catonsville across the street from the High School.
- The University of Maryland, Baltimore County is located in Catonsville. Once a quiet bedroom community outside Baltimore, Catonsville is undergoing a renaissance, thanks in large part to the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, which has transformed itself from a commuter school into a dynamic research center. (In 2006, the school received $85 million in research funds, up from $10 million in 1990). In the process, the city has attracted a number of high-tech firms - and the jobs they come with. But even as Catonsville grows, it still remains one of the more affordable areas in the state, and its schools are among the best in the metro area.
- Community organizations
- Catonsville Chamber of Commerce
- Catonsville Historical Society
- Catonsville Toastmasters Club
- Rotary Club of Catonsville
- Knights of Columbus
- Forty West Lions Club
- Palestine Masonic Lodge No. 189
- Natives and residents of note
- Benjamin Banneker, famous figure in African American history
- Daniel Berrigan & Philip Berrigan, peace activists
- John Wilkes Booth, actor; assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, attended St. Timothy's Hall, an Episcopal military academy in Catonsville, Maryland, from age 13-14.
- Charles S. Roberts, known as "The Father of Wargaming"
- Arts and media
- Duff Goldman, star of Food Network's Ace of Cakes, and owner of Charm City Cakes
- David Hasselhoff, American actor
- Emily Spencer Hayden, photographer
- Elaine Hamilton O'Neal, abstract expressionist painter
- Steve Yeager, American filmmaker
- Music
- Crack the Sky, rock - n - roll band in 1970s, and 1980s
- Greg Hawkes, keyboardist of 1980s band, The Cars
- Greg Kihn, lead singer, The Greg Kihn Band
- Ric Ocasek, lead singer of 1980s band, The Cars
- Gina Schock, drummer for the 1980s band, The Go-Go's
- Frank Zappa, singer and songwriter
- Sports
- Ken Dixon, former pitcher, Baltimore Orioles
- Brian Jozwiak, former West Virginia University lineman, and former professional football player for the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs
- Charlie Maisel, former Major League Baseball player, St. Louis Browns
- Fritz Maisel, former Major League Baseball player, of the New York Highlanders, now known as the New York Yankees
- George Maisel, former Major League Baseball player, Baltimore Terrapins
- Don Matthews, professional football coach, Canadian Football League, Baltimore Stallions
- John Miller, former pitcher, Baltimore Orioles
- Jeff Nelson, former major league baseball pitcher
- Hoyt Wilhelm, Hall of Fame knuckleball pitcher
- Professional sports teams
- Maryland Bays, former professional soccer team.
- Baltimore Tribe, former professional lacrosse team.
- Spring Grove Hospital Center team, former semi - professional baseball team.
- Baltimore Blast, semi-professional indoor soccer team
- Baltimore Bayhawks, professional men's lacrosse team
- External links
- CatonsvilleWeb
- Catonsville Historical Society
- Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce
- Catonsville Times newspaper
- Strawberry Fields at Catonsville
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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