Phoenix 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 ...

located in

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Baltimore County partly surrounds but does not include the independent city ...

in the

State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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. It is located at latitude 39°30'59" North, longitude 76°36'59" West. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

has assigned Phoenix the ZIP code 21131. Part of the area is also known as Jacksonville, although Jacksonville was once a separate community to the east. Hunt Valley Golf Club, an 18-hole private golf course, is located in Phoenix. The NCR Trail also runs through Phoenix, which hosts one of the rail trail's major parking lots. Phoenix has an elementary school, Jacksonville Elementary. It also has the Jacksonville Senior Center. The center hosts a variety of activities for seniors age 60 and over and is open five days a week. There is a fitness studio, multipurpose room with kitchen, classrooms, and staff and council offices. Opportunities for shopping include the community's Manor Shopping Center, with a

Safeway Safeway, Inc. is an American supermarket chain. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops, and veh ...

grocery store, a

7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan, which in turn is owned by the retail holdings company Seven & I Holdings. The chain was founde ...

Walgreens Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S. Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuit ...

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...

, Bagelmeister, Strapasta Trattoria, Golden House Chinese Takeaway and a liquor store. Phoenix is also served by a second shopping center, Paper Mill Village, home to Bradley's Liquor Store, Scratch and Sniff Pet Supplies, Companion Animal Care Center, the Jacksonville Pharmacy, and several doctors' offices. A second grocery store,

Shoprite ShopRite is an American retailers' cooperative of supermarkets with stores in six states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York (state), New York and Pennsylvania. Based in Keasbey, New Jersey, ShopRite consists of 50 individua ...

is adjacent to Paper Mill Village. The town also has two gas stations, a volunteer fire company, and a post office. Phoenix provided the setting for scenes in

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 ...

native

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

' 1972 cult classic film ''

Pink Flamingos ''Pink Flamingos'' is a 1972 American surrealist independent black comedy film by John Waters. It is part of what Waters has labelled the "Trash Trilogy", which also includes '' Female Trouble'' (1974) and '' Desperate Living'' (1977). The f ...

''. Phoenix was also the setting of ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

'' season 2 episode 7, "The Mud Nest", starring

Martin Milner Martin Sam Milner (December 28, 1931 – September 6, 2015) was an American actor and radio host. He is best known for his performances on two television series: '' Route 66'', which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and '' Adam-12'', which ...

and

George Maharis George Maharis (September 1, 1928 – May 24, 2023) was an American actor, singer, and visual artist who portrayed Buz Murdock in the first three seasons of the TV series ''Route 66 (TV series), Route 66''. Maharis also recorded several pop music ...

. Several local townspeople were featured in the episode. Historic home Eagle's Nest 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 1974. Fashion designer Jhane Barnes was born in Phoenix. The world's most famous demolition firm by far,

Controlled Demolition, Inc. Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) is a controlled demolition firm headquartered in Phoenix, Maryland. The firm was founded by Jack Loizeaux who used dynamite to remove tree stumps in the Baltimore, Maryland area, and moved on to using explosives ...

, is headquartered in Phoenix.

MTBE spill

Phoenix was the location of a January 2006 Exxon Mobil gas leak, in which over 26,000 gallons of gas seeped out of a punctured pipe at a station at the intersection of Maryland routes 145 and

146 146 may refer to: *146 (number), a natural number *AD 146, a year in the 2nd century AD *146 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *146 (Antrim Artillery) Corps Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers *146 Lucina, a main-belt asteroid *Alfa Romeo 146 The ...

. The area affected by the gas leak was approximately one-half mile downhill from the location of the gas station. Six wells were contaminated, and 62 residential wells showed traces of

MTBE Methyl ''tert''-butyl ether (MTBE), also known as ''tert''-butyl methyl ether, is an organic compound with a structural formula (CH3)3COCH3. MTBE is a volatile, flammable, and colorless liquid that is sparingly soluble in water. Primarily used as ...

. The state filed a $12 million suit against Exxon Mobil in April 2006. In September 2008, the state settled the case with Exxon Mobil, imposing a $4 million civil penalty. In addition, about 300 Jacksonville residents sought compensatory and punitive damages from the company worth several billion dollars. A jury awarded the plaintiffs $1B in punitive damages, which decision was later reversed. This was the largest amount of money ever awarded in history involving oil spills. In March 2009, a Baltimore County jury found Exxon Mobil liable and awarded compensatory damages to the plaintiffs. Several other cases were ongoing as of 2015.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Maryland Unincorporated communities in Baltimore County, Maryland