Formed June 30, 1659 (6th county)
Baltimore County (854,554), Towson* (59,553), Dundalk* (67,796)
The columns are unique to the 1857 masonry Greek Revival courthouse. It was remodeled and enlarged in 1910 and 1925. It is on Chesapeake Street between Bosley and Washington streets. Maryland State Highway 45 is five blocks to the east of the site. Dixon, Bilbirne & Dixon are the courthouse architects. A County Courts Building, an Administration Building, and a District Courthouse augment the county courthouse. The county is named for Lord Baltimore. He is also the namesake for Baltimore City. The county seat is named for settler Ezekiel Towson. Towson has always been the county seat. Baltimore County was the birthplace of 2 Maryland Governors, John E. Howard and Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. The county is the 6th county, established on June 30, 1659. It later provided for all or parts of Baltimore City and Cecil, Harford, Carroll, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Howard, and Kent counties. A modern courts building was added in 1976.
Baltimore County government consists of an executive, an administrator, and a sheriff (executive). It has 7 Council Members (legislative.) Twenty-five Circuit Court Judges serve Baltimore and Harford counties and Fourteen District Court Judges, a court clerk and county attorney serve Baltimore County (judicial.) Baltimore County is in northeastern Maryland. Baltimore, Maryland is directly south, east, and west of the county and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is northeast. The county center is 10 miles Northwest of Towson nearer Owings Mills. The county is surrounded clockwise by Pennsylvania and Harford, Kent, and Anne Arundel counties and Baltimore City and Howard and Carroll counties.
The area of the county is 682 square miles. It is 3 out of 24 in the state. It ranks 3 out of 24 in population in the state. It has a density of 1253.0 persons per square mile making it 4 out of 24 in the state. Baltimore County has 0.0% of its population in its incorporated areas since there are no incorporated cities. Interstate Highway 70 crosses east to west from Baltimore City to Howard County. Interstate Highway 83 enters from the north, Pennsylvania, and exits to the south, Baltimore City. Interstate Highway 95 comes from Harford County, east, goes into Baltimore City and reenters the county, and exits to Howard County, southwest. United States Highway 1 parallels Interstate Highway 95 from Harford County, to Baltimore City, to Howard County. United States Highway 29 comes from Baltimore City and goes west to Howard County. United States Highway 40 comes from Harford County, goes into Baltimore City, reenters the county, and goes into Howard County. The county’s shape looks like a roller skate. Towson is in the southern third of the county. Towson is the county seat and Dundalk is the largest populated area. Towson is 7.0% of the county population while Dundalk is 7.9% of the county population. This county is in the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Towson (unincorporated)
