Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland boasts Baltimore's Inner Harbor as one of its most popular attractions. Since the 1700s, Baltimore has been one of the major seaports in the United States. Now revitalization, ongoing since the 1970s, has turned the Inner harbor into a major world-class tourist destination. Attractions include The National Aquarium, Fort McHenry and a superb selection of marinas.

In 1706, the Maryland Colonial General Assembly created the Port of Baltimore at Locust Point for the purpose of tobacco trade with England . The Town of Baltimore was not founded until July 30, 1729. The city was named in honor of Lord Baltimore (Irish House of Lords), who was the first Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland. After the Revolutionary War, the Town of Baltimore, nearby Jonestown and Fells Point were incorporated as the City of Baltimore in 1797. The city remained a part of Baltimore County until 1851, when it became an independent city.

During the War of 1812, Baltimore was the site of the historic Battle of Baltimore. When the British attacked Baltimore on the night of September 13, 1814, United States forces from Fort McHenry successfully defended Baltimore's harbor from the British. Francis Scott Key witnessed the battle and later wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner," a poem recounting the attack. The poem, later set to music, was declared the official National Anthem of the United States in 1931.

Maryland's largest city, is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding Baltimore County. Baltimore is situated in north-central Maryland on the Patapsco River, near the point where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. In 2007, an estimated 639,493 residents called Baltimore home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore has shaped the city's character since 1706. The port was colonial America's main ship building center, world-renowned for the construction of Baltimore clippers. Over 800 ships were commissioned from 1784 to 1882, including the Continental Navy's first frigate, the USS Virginia. The Baltimore Maritime Museum at Pier 1 in Baltimore has one of the most impressive collections of military vessels in the world. Located within easy walking distance of each other, the US Sloop-of-War Constellation, the US Submarine Torsk, the US Coast Guard Cutter Taney, and the Lightship Chesapeake exhibit life at sea from the mid-19th century to the mid-1980s. The arrival of railroads, the building of dry docks, warehouses and mills shaped Baltimore's character, a working class port city.

Today, the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is operated by the Maryland Port Administration, a unit of the Maryland Department of Transportation. Currently the port has major roll-on, roll-off facilities, as well as bulk facilities, Most Mercedes-Benz cars that are imported into the U.S come through the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. During 2008, 33 million tons in foreign commerce, both imports and exports, valued at $45.3 billion were handled here according to the Maryland Port Administration's 2008 Foreign Commerce Statistical Report.

With its convenient, central coastal location, Baltimore is easy to reach by land, sea or air. Amtrak provides train service, with numerous daily trains stopping at Baltimore’s downtown Penn Station. The Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) provides air transportation services. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) serves Baltimore's public transportation needs with Light Rail, Metro Subway, and local bus services. The interstate highways that serve Baltimore include I-70, I-83, I-95, I-395, I-695 (also known as the Baltimore Beltway), I-795, I-895 and I-97.

While Ellis Island in New York harbor is known as the main entry point for European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Baltimore was the second-leading port of entry at that time. Between 1790 and 1860, Baltimore's population soared from 13,503 to 212,418, as many Irish and German settlers sailed into Baltimore, attracted by jobs with the railroad, businesses in the city, and the beauty and variety of the area.