TOWSON

Learn More About Towson, Maryland

History/General Information

“The first inhabitants of the future Towson and central Baltimore County region were the Susquehannock Indians who hunted in the area. Towson was settled in 1752 when two Pennsylvania brothers, William and Thomas Towson, began farming an area of Sater’s Hill, northeast of the present-day York and Joppa Roads.

At the beginning of the century, Towson remained largely a rural community. In the 1910s, the Maryland State Normal School (now known as Towson University) was relocated to Towson. As the growth of Baltimore’s suburbs became more pronounced after World War II, considerable office development took place in Towson’s central core area. Many of the large Victorian and colonial-style residences in the vicinity of the Court House were demolished in the 1980s and 1990s for offices and parking.

Towson is the county seat of Baltimore County. The community is located immediately north of Baltimore City, inside the Beltway (I-695), east of I-83 and along York Road. Its census boundaries include Pikesville to the west,Lutherville and Hampton to the north, Parkville to the east, and Baltimore to the south.”

School System

“Towson University is a public school in southern Towson. Towson University’s student population is greater than 20,000, making it the second largest institution in the University System of Maryland.

Towson is served by the Baltimore County Public Schools district, and the Baltimore County Board of Education headquarters is located here as well. There are three high schools. Towson High School was the first secondary school founded and is Towson’s largest, while Loch Raven High School dates from 1972. The Carver Center for Arts and Technology is a local magnet school.

The Towson area has a number of long-established private schools at the secondary school level, including Calvert Hall College High School, Loyola Blakefield, Concordia Preparatory School, Notre Dame Preparatory School.”

Area Attractions 

Towson boasts the Hampton National Historic Site, also called the Hampton Mansion, for viewing and for a dose in the area’s history. A recent addition is the Cinemark theater and surrounding restaurants which have become a big hot spot in downtown Towson. Similarly, the Towsontown Center, or the Towson mall, routinely attracts lots of foot traffic to its many stores and eateries. Lastly, there is a score of bars and night life locations for those who like to stay up a little later to enjoy their evening to the fullest.