Overlea 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 12,275 at the 2010 census. Students attend

Overlea High School Overlea High School (OHS) is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The school was opened in 1961. About the school The original building was constructed in the early-1960s. The main structure is . It is loca ...

. Area roads include Belair Road (

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

) and Kenwood Avenue (

Maryland Route 588 Maryland Route 588 (MD 588) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from MD 7 in Rosedale north to the end of state maintenance in Overlea. MD 588 was constructed in the mid-1930s. Route description MD 588 ...

). Overlea includes the neighborhood of Fullerton.

Geography

Overlea is located at (39.361107, −76.519535). 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 , all land.

History

Overlea first started out as a 43-acre tract, owned by Margaret Fuller (

Fullerton, Maryland Fullerton is an unincorporated community (part of northern Overlea) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The area is often considered part of Nottingham, despite being part of Overlea. Fullerton residents have either 21236 or ...

is named for her most likely). This tract started in 1858, just three years before the start of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. She was a widow and brought her six children with her. Margaret Fuller originally hailed from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. The 43-acre tract was referred to as "Sophie’s Garden Regulated". This original tract is located around the intersection of Belair Road and Taylor Avenue, along with the original house still standing there today. In 1885, the first Post office and general store were established. Later in 1886, Fullerton School was established as a one roomed log house, and was rebuilt as a frame house. Overlea began to truly develop in 1895 when the Kennard Land Company bought Lange's Farm (either Fuller's original tract, or a different tract, or possibly both). Kennard Land company mapped out the streets as: Spruce, Ash, Cedar, Maple, Hickory, Chestnut, Walnut, Willow, Beech, Poplar, Elm and Linden. Streets were named after trees. In 1910, a "town hall" was built on the Corner of Overlea Avenue and Belair Road, and still stands there today as th
Natural History Society of Maryland
The town hall served as a grocery store as well. On February 23rd 1913, a group of suffragists called "The Army of the Hudson" stopped at the town hall on their way from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to the march organized in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

by the National American Woman Suffrage Association. They held a meeting in the town hall, and although many were not sympathetic, a few showed support. In the same year, St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church held its first mass in the town hall. In 1919, The City 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 ...

annexed a portion of Overlea to what is now Overlea, Baltimore.

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 2000, there were 12,148 people, 4,951 households, and 3,317 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 5,152 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.74%

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 ...

, 8.78%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.30% Native American, 1.79%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.23% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.14% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.39% of the population. There were 4,951 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,242, and the median income for a family was $57,075. Males had a median income of $40,349 versus $30,167 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 $23,402. About 3.6% of families and 5.2% 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 5.1% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Overlea is home to Overlea High School which has a student body of 1,073 students as of the 2010 school year.Maryland State Department of Education
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References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Baltimore County, Maryland Census-designated places in Maryland