Dundalk ( or ) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, United States. The population was 67,796 at the 2020 census. In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest

. It was named after the town of

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Dundalk is considered one of the first inner-ring suburbs of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

History

The area now known as Dundalk was first explored by John Smith in 1608. Up until this time, the area had been occupied by the tribes of the

Susquehannock The Susquehannock people, also called the Conestoga by some English settlers or Andastes were Iroquoian Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, ranging from its upper reaches in the southern p ...

. In 1856 Henry McShane, an immigrant from

, established the

McShane Bell Foundry The McShane Bell Foundry, located in St. Louis, Missouri, is a maker of church bells founded in 1856. Over the past 150 years, the firm has produced over 300,000 bells. In 2019, the company moved its headquarters from Glen Burnie, near Baltimo ...

on the banks of the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

in the then far southeastern outskirts of

. The foundry later relocated to the

Patterson Park Patterson Park is an urban park in Southeast Baltimore, Maryland, United States, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Canton, Highlandtown, Patterson Park, and Butchers Hill. It is bordered by East Baltimore Street, Eastern Avenue, South Patte ...

area of Baltimore until a fire during the 1940s caused it to move to 201 East Federal Street. In addition to

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

bells, the foundry once manufactured

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

pipes and furnace fittings. When asked by the Baltimore and Sparrows Point Railroad for a name of a depot for the foundry, which was on their rail line, McShane wrote Dundalk, after the town of his birth,

, Ireland. In 1977 the foundry moved to its current location in

Glen Burnie Glen Burnie is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population of Glen Burnie was 67,639 at ...

. In 1916 the

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

purchased 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 the

Roland Park Roland Park is a community located in Baltimore, Maryland. It was developed between 1890 and 1920 as an upper-class streetcar suburb. The early phases of the neighborhood were designed by Edward Bouton and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. History J ...

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 the demand for steel increased rapidly during World War 1,

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

workers The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic reg ...

streamed into Dundalk, pushing

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

workers into a small community nearby named Turner Station. Turner Station expanded even more during World War II as demand for steel increased even more. Dundalk was once known as a "Little Appalachia" or a "hillbilly ghetto." Before, during, and after World War II many Appalachian migrants settled in the

area, including Dundalk. Appalachian people who migrated to Dundalk were largely

economic migrant An economic migrant is someone who emigrates from one region to another, including crossing international borders, seeking an improved standard of living, because the conditions or job opportunities in the migrant's own region are insufficient. Th ...

s who came looking for work. The Dundalk Historic District was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1983.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 24.84%, is water. 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 the

Atlantic Coastal Plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

. Elevations range from sea level on the shore of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

to approximately above sea level along the northern reaches of Dundalk Avenue and North Point Boulevard.

Bread and Cheese Creek Bread and Cheese Creek is a tributary of the Back River in Baltimore County, Maryland. The creek is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 with headwaters ju ...

is a tributary of the Back River in Dundalk. The creek is 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 .

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were about 63,597 people. The racial makeup of Dundalk was about 79.9% white, 13.0% African American, 3.0% Hispanic, 1.0% 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% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

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. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $18,543. About 6.6% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Roads

Some of the major roads in the Dundalk area are: * Dundalk Avenue * Eastern Avenue * Holabird Avenue *

Merritt Boulevard The following are major and notable roads in Baltimore County, Maryland. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T W Y See also * List of streets in Baltimore, Maryland References {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of ...

* North Point Boulevard * Sollers Point Road * Wise Avenue

Public transit

Public transportation between

Sparrows Point Sparrow's Point is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, adjacent to Dundalk. Named after Thomas Sparrow, landowner, it was the site of a very large industrial complex owned by Bethlehem Steel, known for steelm ...

, Dundalk and

Baltimore City Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

was operated by the

United Railways and Electric Company The United Railways and Electric Company was a street railway company in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1899 to 1935. In 1900, the company built the Power Plant in Baltimore's Inner Harbor to provide electrical ...

's (later the

Baltimore Transit Company The MTA Maryland, Maryland Transit Administration was originally known as the Baltimore Metropolitan Transit Authority, then the Maryland Mass Transit Administration before it changed to its current name in October 2001. The MTA took over the oper ...

) #26 streetcar line which ran down the middle of Dundalk Avenue until August 1958. Until the early 1950s, the line carried the famous "Red Rocket" streetcars which were two and three car trains of wooden trolleys. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

'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 by Dundalk Bus Lines. Today, public transportation is provided by the

Maryland Transit Administration The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Baltimore-Washingt ...

. 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.

Education

Dundalk contains a campus of the

Community College of Baltimore County The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is a public community college in Baltimore County, Maryland, with three main campuses and three extension centers. Academics CCBC has more than 100 associate degree and certificate programs in ...

, known as CCBC-Dundalk. It was formerly known as Dundalk Community College. For primary and secondary education Dundalk is served by the Baltimore County Public Schools system, with

Dundalk High School Dundalk High School (DHS) is a four-year public high school in the United States, located in Baltimore County, Maryland. The school opened in 1959. Starting in 2010, DHS was rebuilt and combined with Sollers Point Technical High School. The new b ...

Patapsco High School Patapsco High School and Center For The Arts is a public high school in the United States, located in Dundalk in Baltimore County, Maryland, near Baltimore. About the School Patapsco is located in the suburban community of Dundalk, in southeaste ...

, and Sparrows Point High School being the major high schools to serve the area. Dundalk is also home to

Sollers Point Technical High School Sollers Point Technical High School is a public magnet school in Dundalk, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools system. The school draws students from other public high schools in the system. The school day is ...

, one of the only high schools in the country to hold an ISO 9001 certification.

Emergency services

Dundalk is under jurisdiction of Baltimore County Police Department, Dundalk (Precinct 12), which is located at 428 Westham Way. There are multiple fire stations serving within the Dundalk area. *Dundalk Station 6 *Eastview Station 15 *Edgemere Station 9 *Sparrows Point Station 57 *North Point-Edgemere Vol. Station 26 *Wise Avenue Vol. Station 27

Support organizations

* Dundalk Renaissance Corporation (nonprofit community development corporation)
Living With Grace
(nonprofit that helps senior women on fixed income to obtain needed medical supplies)

Notable people

* "Nasty"

Nestor Aparicio Nestor Aparicio (born October 14, 1968), known by the nickname "Nasty Nestor," is an American sports writer and radio personality. Aparicio was born and raised in Dundalk, Maryland. He is Venezuelan-American, and the first cousin, once remove ...

, sports writer and radio talk show host, radio station owner *

Joshua Barney Joshua Barney (6 July 1759 – 1 December 1818) was an American Navy officer who served in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War and as a captain in the French Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. He later achieved the rank o ...

, United States Navy commodore during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 *

Mike Bielecki Michael Joseph Bielecki (born July 31, 1959) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues for five different teams. Major league career Pittsburgh Pirates After graduating from Dundalk High School, Bielecki attend ...

, former Major League Baseball pitcher *

Kevin Clash Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', '' Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...

, native and resident of Dundalk's Turner Station neighborhood; performs

Elmo Elmo is a red Muppet monster character on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minute segment (fifteen minutes prio ...

and other

Muppet The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are ...

characters *

Robert Curbeam Robert Lee Curbeam Jr. (born March 5, 1962) is a former NASA astronaut and captain in the United States Navy. He currently holds the record for the most spacewalks during a single spaceflight, accomplished during the STS-116 mission, when Curbeam ...

, native of Turner Station neighborhood,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

astronaut *

Ron Franklin Ronald Franklin (February 2, 1942January 18, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was employed by ESPN from 1987 to 2011. He was fired by ESPN on January 4, 2011, after making sexist comments to a colleague.Spectacular Bid Spectacular Bid (February 17, 1976 – June 9, 2003) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and holds the world record for the fastest 1 1/4 miles on the dirt. He won 26 of his 30 r ...

in 1979 *

Rudy Gay Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6'8" forward played college basketball for the University of Connecticut before being d ...

, resident of Turner Station neighborhood;

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player, former

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...

and Archbishop Spaulding star *

Wild Bill Hagy William Grover "Wild Bill" Hagy (June 17, 1939 – August 20, 2007) was an American baseball fan and cab driver from Dundalk, Maryland, who led famous "O-R-I-O-L-E-S" chants during the late 1970s and early 1980s from section 34 in the upper ...

, notable

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

fan *

Calvin Hill Calvin G. Hill (born January 2, 1947) is a retired American football player. He played running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. Hill played for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Cleveland Browns. He also p ...

, resident of Turner Station neighborhood; NFL running back, father of

star Grant Hill *

Jim Jagielski Jim Jagielski (born March 11, 1961) is an American software engineer, who specializes in web, cloud and open source technologies. Biography Jagielski graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 1983 with a BES in Electrical/Computer Engi ...

, open-source founder and software engineer * Dave Johnson, former Major League Baseball pitcher *

Henrietta Lacks Henrietta Lacks (born Loretta Pleasant; August 1, 1920 – October 4, 1951) Note: Some sources report her birthday as August 2, 1920, vs. August 1, 1920. was an African-American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line ...

, resident of Turner Station neighborhood; source of the

HeLa cell HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta L ...

line * Bucky Lasek, professional

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. S ...

and race car driver * Tom Maxwell, guitarist/songwriter for rock band Hellyeah * Douglas Purviance, Turner Station native, Grammy-winning jazz trombonist *

Gina Schock Regina Ann Schock (born August 31, 1957) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band The Go-Go's. Schock was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021 as a member of The Go-Go's. Career Schock's ...

, drummer for

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

Tony Sweet Tony Sweet (born October 20, 1949) is an American photographer, known for his widely published nature photography. He is also a jazz musician, workshop instructor, and author. Career Tony Sweet worked as a professional jazz drummer for 20 years, ...

, nature photographer, jazz musician *

John Thanos John Frederick Thanos (March 28, 1949 – May 17, 1994) was an American spree killer who was convicted in 1992 of the murders of three teenagers: Gregory Taylor, Billy Winebrenner, and Melody Pistorio. He was executed for the murders in 1994, be ...

, spree killer * Jessica Williams, jazz pianist. * Danny Wiseman, professional bowler with 12 PBA titles including the 2004 USBC Masters *

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

, illustrator, known for his horror illustrations and comic books

References

Bibliography

*Neidt, C. (2006). "Gentrification and grassroots: Popular support in the revanchist suburb". ''Journal of Urban Affairs'', Vol. 28, No. 2, 99–120. *Reutter, M. (2004). ''Making Steel: Sparrows Point and the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might''. Urbana and Chicago:

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic project ...

. * Rudacille, Deborah (2010). ''Roots of Steel: Boom and Bust in an American Mill Town''. Pantheon. *Vicino, Thomas, J. (2008). ''Transforming Race and Class in Suburbia: Decline in Metropolitan Baltimore''. New York:

Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains off ...

External links

* http://dundalk.patch.com/ nline news and information community
Dundalk Chamber of Commerce

Dundalk Renaissance Corporation
{{authority control Appalachian culture in Maryland Census-designated places in Maryland Census-designated places in Baltimore County, Maryland Irish-American culture in Maryland Maryland populated places on the Chesapeake Bay