Welcome To Baltimore SAFeDATA

Baltimore lies inside the humid subtropical weather zone (Cfa), according to the Köppen classification. The weather is moderated by the city`s relative proximity to the ocean. The city gets comparatively hot, humid summers and cool, moist winters.

The Baltimore Metropolitan Area, which includes the city`s surrounding suburbs, has approximately 2.6 1,000,000 residents. Baltimore is also part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area (CMSA) of approximately 8.1 1,000,000 residents. Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland, and its metropolitan area is the twentieth largest in the country.

The city is named after the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony, Lord Baltimore in the Irish House of Lords. Baltimore himself took his title from a place named Baltimore in Ireland, which is the English transliteration of the Irish language Baile an Tí Mhoir. Baltimore in County Cork was the seat of Lord Baltimore.

Because there is also a Baltimore County surrounding (but not including) the city, it is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City when a clear distinction is desired.

Baltimore grew swiftly in the mid- to late 18th century as a granary for sugar-producing colonies in the Caribbean. The profit from sugar encouraged the cultivation of cane and the importation of food. Baltimore`s shorter distance from the Caribbean, compared to other large port cities such as New York City and Boston, reduced transportation time and minimized the spoilage of flour.

In the years that followed, Baltimore`s populus grew explosively, due to increased commerce not only abroad but more importantly with points west in the interior of the US. The construction of the federally funded National Road (a route now followed by U.S. Route 40) and the privately funded Baltimore & Ohio Railroad made Baltimore a major shipping and manufacturing center. As fortunes were made, the city`s distinctive local culture started taking shape, and it started to develop a unique skyline peppered with churches and monuments. On an 1827 visit to the city, John Quincy Adams purportedly nicknamed it "Monument City"--a moniker that remained popular for well over a century.