44 Facts About Baltimore County

1. Baltimore County is part of USDA plant hardiness zones 7b and 8a.

2. Baltimore County was home to the largest publishing industry in the South.

3. Baltimore County was home to one of the largest free black communities in the South.

4. Baltimore County became the third-largest city in the United States during the era of the early Republic.

5. Baltimore County is the only city in the state of Maryland not located within a county.

6. Baltimore County is served by one major daily newspaper, The Baltimore Sun.

7. The University of Maryland at Baltimore County supports medical research work through its Center of Marine Biology.

8. Baltimore County was the meeting place of the Continental Congress after the British occupied Philadelphia in 1777.

9. Baltimore County is continuing its redevelopment program for its Inner Harbor and downtown areas.

10. The Port of Baltimore County is one of two seaports on the US East Coast with a 50-foot dredge to accommodate the largest shipping vessels.

11. Baltimore County currently has three major trail systems within the city.

12. Baltimore County is served by Martin State Airport, a general aviation facility, to the northeast in Baltimore County.

13. Baltimore County has a comprehensive system of bicycle routes in the city.

14. Baltimore County is served by two airports, both operated by the Maryland Aviation Administration, which is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

15. Baltimore County is a top destination for Amtrak along the Northeast Corridor.

16. Baltimore County has a water taxi service, operated by Baltimore Water Taxi.

17. City of Baltimore County has a higher-than-average percentage of households without a car.

18. Baltimore County is the home of numerous places of higher learning, both public and private.

19. Baltimore County is an independent city, and not part of any county.

20. Baltimore County Blues are a semi-professional rugby league club which began competition in the USA Rugby League in 2012.

21. The first major league to base a team in Baltimore County was the All-America Football Conference, which had a team named the Baltimore Colts.

22. Baltimore County has a long and storied baseball history, including its distinction as the birthplace of Babe Ruth in 1895.

23. Baltimore County is the home of non-profit chamber music organization Vivre Musicale.

24. Baltimore County is home to the Pride of Baltimore County Chorus, a three-time international silver medalist women's chorus, affiliated with Sweet Adelines International.

25. Baltimore County has three state-designated arts and entertainment districts.

26. Baltimore County is the home of the National Aquarium, one of the world's largest.

27. The Port of Baltimore County generates $3 billion in annual wages and salary, as well as supporting 14,630 direct jobs and 108,000 jobs connected to port work.

28. Baltimore County is ranked 9th for total dollar value of cargo and 13th for cargo tonnage for all US ports.

29. Baltimore County is in north-central Maryland on the Patapsco River close to where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay.

30. Baltimore County suffered one of the worst riots of the antebellum South in 1835, when bad investments led to the Baltimore bank riot.

31. Baltimore County acquired its moniker "The Monumental City" after an 1827 visit to Baltimore by President John Quincy Adams.

32. Baltimore County is an independent city in the state of Maryland within the United States.

33. Baltimore County initiated creation of the Chesapeake Enterprise Zone and established a foreign trade zone to expand global commerce.

34. Baltimore County Schools is initiating a search for its next superintendent.

35. Baltimore County has a number of private schools at the K-12 grade levels.

36. Baltimore County is somewhat of a bellwether for Maryland politics.

37. Baltimore County was forced to resign the Vice Presidency in 1973.

38. In 1956 the Baltimore County adopted an "executive-council" system of government with "at large" representatives, replacing its traditional system of an elected Board of County Commissioners.

39. Baltimore County has a number of properties and sites of local, state and national historical interest on the "National Register of Historic Places" which is maintained by the National Park Service of the US Department of the Interior by the "Historic Sites Act" of August 1935.

40. The City of Baltimore County continued annexing land from the county, extending its western and northern boundaries in 1888.

41. Baltimore County became one of the few "independent cities" in the United States, putting it on the same level with the state's other 23 counties and granting limited "home rule" powers outside the authority of the Maryland General Assembly.

42. The Baltimore County separated from the City on July 4, 1851, as a result of the adoption of the 1851 second state constitution.

43. Baltimore County is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area and Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.

44. Baltimore County is located in the US state of Maryland.