Baltimore City Annexation

The major cities of the U.S. looked upon population counts from the census as competitions to show which cities were up and coming and growing.

One way for cities to increase their population was to expand the city limits into the emerging suburb areas. As an example, in the 1890s New York City annexed the eastern Bronx and the City of Brooklyn, Long Island City, and Queens, which doubled its population count.

These annexations not only expanded their territory and population, but also increased their tax base (but it also increased their maintenance obligations). Many suburban residents were receptive to these annexations because it gave them access to better municipal services offered by the city, such as, trash collection, road maintenance, street lights, and better sewage and water systems.

Baltimore expanded several times: in 1817, 1888, and 1918. In the 1888 Baltimore City expansion episode, it was PROPOSED that all of Catonsville (and Oella) to the Ellicott City line would be annexed to Baltimore City. Obviously, Baltimore City had its eye on the tax dollars to be gained from the wealthy Catonsville area.

Catonsville residents resisted this annexation and, in fact, countered with proposals to become an independent entity. Neither event happened. However, in the 1918 annexation, the city line moved on Fredrick Road from the center of Irvington to Overhill Road, and on Edmondson Ave to North Bend Road, thus Catonsville did lose the areas of Hunting Ridge, Ten Hills and Chapelgate.

Here is a picture of the Baltimore City Line stone on the 6100 block of Frederick Road, across from Overbrook Road. Note the date on the stone of 1919, which was when the 1918 annexation law was implemented.