My favorite place in Baltimore City is in the 21209 ZIP code. That would be my house, of course. But besides having HomeRome's home, 21209 includes many of the things that make Baltimore attractive.
Mount Washington is in the northwestern part of the city, and combines many of the pleasures of country living with easy access to the attractions of downtown Baltimore by way of the Jones Falls Expressway and Maryland's light rail system. The area is home to some 1,600 residences from 100-year-old mansions to modern condo developments. If you're looking for Georgian and Victorian architecture, this is a good spot to visit.
Though it is now within the city limits, Mt. Washington began in the mid-nineteenth century as a place to escape Baltimore's oppressive summer heat. When the city became intolerable, many of the wealthier families escaped to Mt. Washington which was one of the first "street-car suburbs" of Baltimore. Before long, the neighborhood became home to year-round residents, and a neighborhood association was born in 1885. The Mt. Washington Improvement Association is one of the oldest such groups in the country, and still very active in preserving Mt. Washington's charms.
Besides having lovely neighborhoods, Mt. Washington has a shopping and dining center in the Mt. Washington Village. The Mt. Washington Conference Center provides an elegant "in the country" venue for meetings. There are wonderful restaurants here like Crepe Du Jour and the Mt. Washington Tavern. There are salons and wellness centers to make you feel great inside and out, and fun shopping for clothes, jewelry, and handcrafts at places like Something Else and Jurus. Speaking as a ceramic artist, one of my favorite places is Baltimore Clayworks; even if I don't create in clay anymore, I can still enjoy the events and exhibitions and find irresistible treasures there.
Naturally, I love to list and sell houses in 21209. A couple of years ago I sold this house in the Pill Hill area (so named because of all the doctors who lived there!). While showing the house back then I met a couple who went out of the country for two years. When they came back they remembered me, and by chance the same house was back on the market due to a divorce. It wasn't quite right, but a smaller house across the street was in immaculate move-in condition, and that's the one they chose – we go to settlement in February.
In addition to the Victorian charm of Mt. Washington Village, 21209 includes such modern and desirable residences as the Heather Ridge Condo on Red Cedar Place. The combination of country-like setting and near-to-everything convenience makes this another example of why this ZIP is so popular. Some older homes are taken down and replaced with two, while other people simply add on as we've seen in the desirable Cheswolde neighborhood. Green Gate is another popular community in 21209 where town homes offer convenience and comfort.
When you come down to it, a ZIP code is just a number. But a long time ago I learned that a number can bring attention to my listings…many of which are in 21209.
Comments (10)Subscribe to CommentsComment