Forest Park, Baltimore

Forest Park
Forest Park Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library
Forest Park Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CityBaltimore
Elevation
390 ft (120 m)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
1,374
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
21216[2]
Area code410, 443, and 667

Forest Park (and Howard Park) is a region of Northwest Baltimore, Maryland located west of Reisterstown Road, south of Northern Parkway, and east of the Baltimore City/County line. In Baltimore, the region is referred to by locals simply as "Forest Park" and includes the neighborhoods of Ashburton, Callaway-Garrison, Central Forest Park, Dolfield, Dorchester, East Arlington, Forest Park, Grove Park, Hanlon Longwood, Howard Park, Garwyn Oaks, Purnell, West Arlington, West Forest Park, and Windsor Hills.

Developed as suburban-type residential housing, it is an economically diverse area that was once the center of Baltimore's Jewish community as it moved from downtown.[3][4] During the Vietnam War era, however, the area experienced white flight, while it was 95% White in 1960, it became 95% Black in 1970.[5] It is now an almost exclusively African American region of Baltimore.[6] The neighborhoods in Forest Park and Howard Park are varied. Some have suffered urban decay and crime related to the city's job losses, while many continue to be suburban and upper-middle-class neighborhoods. Ashburton, for instance, is the home of former city mayor Catherine Pugh,[7] as well as past mayor Kurt Schmoke and other prominent African-American political leaders.

  1. ^ "Forest Park Population & Demographics, Median Income - Point2". www.point2homes.com. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  2. ^ "Forest Park neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland (MD), 21216 subdivision profile - real estate, apartments, condos, homes, community, population, jobs, income, streets". City-data. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Tfiloh, Courtesy of Beth. "An Orthodox synagogue and a Black church search for shared history with a walk through a once-integrated neighborhood". The Forward. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Heritage, Baltimore. "Black and Jewish Civil Rights Heritage by Bike". Baltimore Heritage Open Tours. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Goldstein, Eric L.; Weiner, Deborah R. (March 28, 2018). On Middle Ground: A History of the Jews of Baltimore. JHU Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-2453-8.
  6. ^ "Baltimore City - 2011 Neighborhood Health Profile - Forest Park/Walbrook" (PDF). December 2011. p. 4. The race and ethnicity distribution of Forest Park/Walbrook compared to Baltimore City overall (2010), Black or African American - 95.6%, White - 2.3%
  7. ^ "The Lady in Waiting". Baltimore Magazine. January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.