Catonsville

History

The area of present-day Catonsville was not inhabited by large numbers of Native Americans. The region served as a hunting ground or a means of transit, specifically for the Susquehannocks, who lived to the north. By the mid-17th century, any meaningful presence in this region, alongside the Chesapeake Bay, vanished—the 1652 Articles of Peace and Friendship, specifically, essentially ended Susquehannock life in Maryland. Thus, they disappeared decades before the first settlers encroached on the area. The Native Americans had left behind a number of trails, some of which the earliest settlers adopted them for their own purposes. Rolling Road, for example, originated as a Native American trail, beginning from Elkridge Landing, and traveling north through present-day Catonsville—the road was repurposed as a "rolling road" used to roll hogsheads of tobacco, hence its current name. Another trail was the Old Frederick Road, now known regionally as Johnnycake Road, which began at a point along Gwynns Falls, and traveling northwest, forming what is now Catonsville's northern boundary. Another potential Native American trail is Old Frederick Road, branching off from the aforementioned road southwest toward Frederick Road near Ellicott City. Caton gave his name to the community and called it "Catonville," although the name was changed to "Catonsville" in the 1830s. Businesses were built along the Frederick Turnpike for travelers traveling from Ellicott City to Baltimore. Catonsville served as a layover stop for travelers and the town increasingly grew and developed. The pleasant surroundings attracted wealthy Baltimore merchants who built large Victorian and colonial summer homes to escape Baltimore's summer heat. Starting in 1862, horsecar services connected Catonsville to…

Geography

Catonsville is located at (39.273756, −76.738012). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. Catonsville lies above the Fall Line within the Piedmont Region of Maryland, a region characterized by broad, rolling hills punctuated by streams and rivers. Catonsville overlooks the coastal plain and Chesapeake Bay to the East. The Appalachian Mountains lie approximately 40 miles west of the town. Catonsville is centered along Frederick Road (Maryland Route 144), once the main road from Baltimore leading to points west replacing what is now called Old Frederick Road. Johnnycake Road and Academy Road form the northern and northeastern boundaries of Catonsville, the Patapsco River provides the western and southern boundaries, Gun Road, Shelbourne Road Linden Avenue, Circle Drive and Wilkens Avenue form the southeastern boundaries while Baltimore City forms the eastern boundary. Catonsville is bordered by Woodlawn to the north, Baltimore to the east, by Arbutus to the southeast, by Ilchester to the southwest, and by Ellicott City to the west. In addition to Frederick Road (Exit 13), Interstate 695 (the Baltimore Beltway) services Wilkens Avenue (Maryland Route 372), Edmondson Avenue and the Baltimore National Pike (U.S. Route 40) via Exits 12, 14 and 15, respectively, with the latter two thoroughfares later converging in Baltimore City to the east. The main north–south roads in the area are Rolling Road (which is also Maryland Route 166 south of Frederick Road), Ingleside Avenue and Bloomsbury Avenue. Catonsville is a terminus of the Trolley Line Number 9 Trail and the Short Line Railroad Trail.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  84,930
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  65,861
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  63,853
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  61,273
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  58,798
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  58,237
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  50,404
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  49,431

Largest nearby schools

• Woodlawn High
  High · Baltimore · 1,815 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Catonsville High
  High · Baltimore · 1,729 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Lansdowne High
  High · Baltimore · 1,410 students · 15:1 ratio
• Milford Mill Academy
  High · Baltimore · 1,324 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• Deer Park Middle Magnet School
  Middle · Randallstown · 1,322 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Randallstown High
  High · Randallstown · 1,159 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Arbutus Middle
  Middle · Baltimore · 970 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Pikesville Middle
  Middle · Baltimore · 967 students · 16.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-10-27
  4 km E of Riverside, Maryland
• M 2.6 — 2021-06-25
  2 km SE of Woodlawn, Maryland
• M 2.81 — 2019-09-15
  5 km ESE of East Berlin, Pennsylvania
• M 3.03 — 2016-01-17
  3 km NE of Ranson, West Virginia
• M 3.6 — 2010-07-16
  5 km NNW of Barnesville, Maryland
• M 3.05 — 2010-06-03
  4 km ENE of Franklintown, Pennsylvania