Dundalk ( or ) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

in Baltimore County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, 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 ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

( Irish: ''Dún Dealgan'') in

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

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

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

History

The area now known as Dundalk was explored by John Smith in 1608. Up until this time, the area was home to the tribes of the Susquehanna. In 1856, Henry McShane, an immigrant from

, established the McShane Bell Foundry on the banks of the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River ( ) mainstem is a river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howar ...

in the then far southeastern outskirts of

. The foundry later relocated to the Patterson Park 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 metalloid ...

bells, the foundry once manufactured

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

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

( Irish: ''Dún Dealgan''), in

in Ireland. In 1977, the foundry moved to Glen Burnie and relocated to its current headquarters in St Louis, Missouri in 2019. In 1916, the

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

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 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 steel demand increased rapidly during World War I,

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

workers streamed into Dundalk, pushing

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

workers into a small community nearby named Turner Station. Turner Station expanded even more during World War II as steel demand increased. 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 Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

s who came looking for work. Prior to the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, racial covenants were used in Maryland to exclude African-Americans and other minorities. A 1920 advertisement in the ''Baltimore Sun'' advertised houses in Dundalk as racially "restricted". The Dundalk Historic District was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1983.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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 borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. 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 parts of the Ea ...

to approximately above sea level along the northern reaches of Dundalk Avenue and North Point Boulevard. Bread and Cheese Creek 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 (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 63,597 people. The racial makeup of Dundalk was 79.2% white, 11.0% African American, 5.0% Hispanic, 1.7% 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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

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

Transportation

Roads

Interstate 695, the Baltimore

Beltway A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...

, passes through the district, crossing the

on the Francis Scott Key Bridge until its collapse in March 2024. Some of the other major roads in the Dundalk area are: * Dundalk Avenue * Eastern Avenue * Holabird Avenue * Merritt Boulevard * North Point Boulevard * Sollers Point Road * Wise Avenue

Public transit

Public transportation between Sparrows Point, Dundalk, and Baltimore City was operated by the United Railways and Electric Company's (later the Baltimore Transit Company) #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, two and three-car trains of wooden trolleys. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

'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 (MDOT). The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Washington� ...

. 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, known as CCBC-Dundalk. It was formerly known as Dundalk Community College. Dundalk is served by the Baltimore County Public Schools system for primary and secondary education, with Dundalk High School, Patapsco High School, and Sparrows Point High School being the major high schools in the area. Dundalk is also home to Sollers Point Technical High School, one of the few high schools in the country to hold an

ISO 9001 The ISO 9000 family is a set of international standards for quality management systems. It was developed in March 1987 by International Organization for Standardization. The goal of these standards is to help organizations ensure that they meet ...

certification.

Emergency services

The Baltimore County Police Department, Dundalk (Precinct 12), is located at 428 Westham Way and has jurisdiction over the town. Multiple fire stations serve 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, sports writer and radio talk show host, radio station owner * Joshua Barney, United States Navy commodore during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 * Mike Bielecki, former Major League Baseball pitcher * Kevin Clash, native and resident of Dundalk's Turner Station neighborhood; performs

Elmo Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who speaks in a high-pitched falsetto voice and frequently refers to himself in the third person, he hosts the last full 15-minute segmen ...

and other Muppet characters * Robert Curbeam, native of Turner Station neighborhood,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

astronaut * Ron Franklin, jockey who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes aboard Spectacular Bid in 1979 *

Rudy Gay Rudy Carlton Gay Jr. (born August 17, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. A forward, he played college basketball for the UConn Huskies before being selected eighth overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, ...

, resident of Turner Station neighborhood;

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

player, former UConn and Archbishop Spaulding star * Wild Bill Hagy, notable

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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) East Division. As one of the America ...

fan * Calvin Hill, resident of Turner Station neighborhood; NFL running back, father of

star

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a part-owner of Orlando City SC of Major League ...

* Jim Jagielski, open-source founder and software engineer * Dave Johnson, former Major League Baseball pitcher * Henrietta Lacks, resident of Turner Station neighborhood; source of the HeLa cell line * Bucky Lasek, professional

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport 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. Originating in the United Stat ...

and race car driver * Tom Maxwell, guitarist/songwriter for rock band

Hellyeah Hellyeah, stylized as HELLYEAH, was an American heavy metal supergroup formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2006. The band's last lineup consisted of lead vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Christian Brady and Tom Maxwell, bassist Kyle Sanders, and drum ...

* Douglas Purviance, Turner Station native, Grammy-winning jazz trombonist * Gina Schock, drummer for

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American all-female 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 ...

* Scott Seiss, comedian, actor and TikToker * Tony Sweet, nature photographer, jazz musician * John Thanos, 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) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...

, 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, thirty-three scholarly journals, and several electroni ...

. * 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 offi ...

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