Baltimore truly is a city of neighborhoods. Despite the many hundreds of thousands of people who live within the city's borders, we are not a homogenous mass. The city has grown from pre-Colonial as new groups came for the commerce that a port city offers and the jobs that grow from that. And as the center of the city filled up, people moved out to find more space and new opportunities.
Mount Washington is one of those "street-car suburbs" that began in the 19^th century when people looked for a way to escape the crush and heat of the city. Originally a summer retreat to the country, Mount Washington quickly grew into a year round community which now includes about 1,600 homes of just about every style and every age from brand new condominium to houses that are more than 100 years old.. With many homes of Victorian and Georgian style, there is a bit of a New England village feel, especially in the Mount Washington Village area.

Mount Washington Village snuggles into a bend of the Jones Falls with tree-lined streets and shops, boutiques, galleries, cafes and professional offices. There are great places to eat and shop, plus one of my favorite creative spots, Baltimore Clayworks, a nationally recognized non-profit educational organization housed in an wonderful old library building. Any time I need a creativity boost, I'm glad Clayworks is nearby.

Up the hill from the Village is the Mt. Washington Conference Center owned and operated by The Johns Hopkins University. Across the Jones Falls from the village sits The Mount Washington Mill, an historic mill complex that has been reborn as a shopping center with Whole Foods, Starbucks, and other fun stores and galleries. All that Mount Washington has to offer is made easily accessible by the Light Rail system with a stop right in the Village.

For the athletic, Mount Washington also has two swim clubs, one of which is a year-round facility that has produced Olympic swimmers. The Meadowbrook Aquatic Center has two famous alumni - Katy Hoff and Michael Phelps. For a less athletic experience, a walk along the Cylburn Arboretum's well marked nature trails is a great stress reliever, especially in the spring.

The Mount Washington Improvement Association, one of the oldest neighborhood associations in the country, rightly claims that their historic neighborhood is "diverse, eclectic and very stable" and "an ideal setting for families." All this, and the attractions of downtown Baltimore are just 15 minutes away. I guess you can see why I think of Mount Washington as My Baltimore Neighborhood.

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