Dundalk | |
|---|---|
 The Dundalk Shopping Center, in May 2006. | |
 Flag | |
 Location in theU.S. state ofMaryland | |
| Coordinates:39°15′57″N76°30′19″W / 39.26583°N 76.50528°W /39.26583; -76.50528 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Maryland |
| County |  Baltimore |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.41 sq mi (45.10 km2) |
| • Land | 13.09 sq mi (33.90 km2) |
| • Water | 4.33 sq mi (11.20 km2) |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 67,796 |
| • Density | 5,180.01/sq mi (2,000.08/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 21222 |
| Area code(s) | 410, 443, 667 |
| FIPS code | 24-23975 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0590117 |
Dundalk (/ˈdʌndɔːk/DUN-dawk or/ˈdʌndɒk/DUN-dok) is anunincorporated community andcensus-designated place inBaltimore County,Maryland, United States. The population was 67,796 at the 2020 census.[2] In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largestunincorporated community inMaryland. It was named after the town ofDundalk (Irish:Dún Dealgan) inCounty Louth,Ireland. Dundalk is considered one of the first inner-ring suburbs ofBaltimore.
The area now known as Dundalk was explored byJohn Smith in 1608. Up until this time, the area was home to thetribes of the Susquehanna.
In 1856, Henry McShane, an immigrant fromIreland, established theMcShane Bell Foundry on the banks of thePatapsco River in the then far southeastern outskirts ofBaltimore.[3] The foundry later relocated to thePatterson Park area of Baltimore until a fire during the 1940s caused it to move to 201 EastFederal Street. In addition tobronze bells, the foundry once manufacturedcast iron pipes and furnace fittings. When asked by the Baltimore and Sparrows Point Railroad for the name of a depot for the foundry on their rail line, McShane wrote Dundalk, after the town of his birth,Dundalk (Irish:Dún Dealgan), inCounty Louth in Ireland. In 1977, the foundry moved toGlen Burnie and relocated to its current headquarters in St Louis, Missouri in 2019.
In 1916, theBethlehem Steel purchased 1,000 acres (4.0 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 theRoland 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, at which point it had 62 houses, two 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. As steel demand increased rapidly during World War I,whiteworkers streamed into Dundalk, pushingblack workers into a small community nearby named Turner Station. Turner Station expanded even more during World War II as steel demand increased.[4]
Dundalk was once known as a "Little Appalachia" or a "hillbilly ghetto." Before, during, and after World War II, manyAppalachian migrants settled in theBaltimore area, including Dundalk. Appalachian people who migrated to Dundalk were largelyeconomic migrants who came looking for work.[5]
Prior to the passage of theFair Housing Act of 1968, racial covenants were used in Maryland to exclude African-Americans and other minorities. A 1920 advertisement in theBaltimore Sun advertised houses in Dundalk as racially "restricted".[6]
TheDundalk Historic District was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1983.[7]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45.0 km2), of which 13.1 square miles (33.8 km2) is land and 4.3 square miles (11.2 km2), or 24.84%, is water.[1]
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 theAtlantic Coastal Plain. Elevations range from sea level on the shore of theChesapeake Bay to approximately 40 feet (12 m) above sea level along the northern reaches ofDundalk Avenue and North Point Boulevard.
Bread and Cheese Creek is a tributary of theBack River in Dundalk. The creek is 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long, with headwaters in Baltimore City. It flows through Dundalk before emptying into the Back River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed area of the creek is 1.85 square miles (4.8 km2).
| 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% | |
| 2010 | 63,597 | 2.1% | |
| 2020 | 67,796 | 6.6% | |
| source:[2][8] | |||
As of thecensus[9] of 2010, there were 63,597 people. The racial makeup of Dundalk was 79.2% white, 11.0% African American, 5.0% Hispanic, 1.7% Asian, and 3.1% all other.
There were 24,772 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% weremarried 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. Theper capita income for the CDP was $18,543. About 6.6% of families and 9.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Interstate 695, the BaltimoreBeltway, passes through the district, crossing thePatapsco River on theFrancis Scott Key Bridge until itscollapse in March 2024.
Some of the other major roads in the Dundalk area are:
Public transportation betweenSparrows Point, Dundalk, andBaltimore City was operated by theUnited Railways and Electric Company's (later theBaltimore Transit Company) #26 streetcar line which ran down the middle ofDundalk Avenue until August 1958. Until the early 1950s, the line carried the famous "Red Rocket" streetcars, two and three-car trains of wooden trolleys. DuringWorld 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 byDundalk Bus Lines.[10]
Today, public transportation is provided by theMaryland Transit Administration. MTA lines that serve the area are CityLink Blue, CityLink Navy, CityLink Orange, LocalLink 59, LocalLink 62, LocalLink 63, Express BusLink 163, and LocalLink 65.
Dundalk contains a campus of theCommunity College of Baltimore County, known asCCBC-Dundalk. It was formerly known as Dundalk Community College.
Dundalk is served by theBaltimore County Public Schools system for primary and secondary education, withDundalk High School,Patapsco High School, andSparrows Point High School being the major high schools in the area. Dundalk is also home toSollers Point Technical High School, one of the few high schools in the country to hold anISO 9001 certification.
The Baltimore County Police Department, Dundalk (Precinct 12), is located at 428 Westham Way and has jurisdiction over the town.
Multiple fire stations serve the Dundalk area:
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Places adjacent to Dundalk, Maryland | |
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