History
Baltimore
Established in 1659, the County of Baltimore was among the first divisions of Maryland Colony. The first inhabitant of the City of Baltimore was David Jones, who claimed the area of about 380 acres (1.5 km2).In 1729, the town of Baltimore was put on paper by the Maryland General Assembly and during this period the German immigrants settled in the town.In 1745, the town was expanded to include Jones town named after David Jones. From 1790 through to the 20th century, Baltimore grew in population becoming largest city in South America. In the realization of its economic growth, the city saw a rise in business and great businessmen that would later see the rise of J.P Morgan Empire.
Given the massive importance that come with opening of a place through transport and communication network, Baltimore invested heavily in railroads. The establishment of railroads ensured that it opened up to the western states such as New York. Through the city, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first railroad that was chartered in the US. The establishment was a commercial and financial success for the city as it formed a precedence that the other cities would follow. Later, Baltimore and Port Deposit Rail Road would be constructed that reached Havre De Grace. With an increase in the economic growth, the city would evolve from trade type to a manufacturing town.
Germantown
Located 25 miles outside the Capital Washington, D.C; Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland after the city of Baltimore and Columbia. This suburb boasts of a population of 86,395 (Appendix 1). From the 1980s, Germantown witnessed an expansion in economic and population growth as the town center urbanized. The population growth in 1980s was 323%. Some of the main headquarters include that of Library Systems and Services, Digital Receiver Technology and Hughes Network Systems. The town is bisected by interstate 270 and has a station on the MARC train commuter service’s Brunswick Line operating over CSX’s Metropolitan Subdivision. The town also boasts of having the Montgomery County public transit bus system which connects Germantown with around 20 bus routes
Laurel
Laurel lay in the northern Prince George’s County, Maryland in the US and located in between Washington, D.C, and Baltimore. Started as a mill town in the 19th century the town expanded through the arrival of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (Appendices 7 & 8). The arrival of the railroad in 1835 led to the expansion of local industry turning the city to a commuter town for employees around the area. Even though it is mainly used for residential purposes, the city is still adored for its historical presence. According to the 2010 census, Laurel has 25,115 people with 5,695 families and 10,498 households.The town is traversed from north to south by U.S Route 1 connecting Key West, Florida with Maine, Canada. There is Suburban Airport in Brock Bridge Road (Appendix 6).
Discussion on Changes
Demographics
In Baltimore, there has been a reduction in population with the numbers reducing by 4.6% since 2000. The population estimate of Baltimore is 621,342. A considerable portion of this population is made of Black with about 63.7% of the population. Baltimore’s economy has been growing gradually with a boost from the tourism sector. The economy of the town shifted from trade to manufacturing with a focus on steel processing, shipping, transportation, auto manufacturing and crude oil refinery.
In Laurel, there has been an increase in population from 19,960 people in 2000 to 25,115 in 2010.The demographics in terms of racial composition have changed over time with the White population decreasing from 52.24% in 2000 to 30.1% in 2010. On the other hand, the proportion of African American increased from 34.50% to 48.9 % almost making half the total occupants.The population of Native American, Hispanic and Asian also reduced in the town. Even though there is an increase in population, the capita income for the city has also expanded and stands at $26, 717 with a population of about 4.3 % of families living below the poverty line.
In Germantown, there has been an increase in education level parameterized with an increase in elementary, middle and high schools. There has been an increase in the population by over 20% from the year 2000 with the population increase from 55, 419 to 86,395 in 2010 (Appendix 2). The median income per household increased and stood at an estimated value of $76, 061 with a population of 3.5% living below the poverty line.
Analysis
Looking at Baltimore and two suburbs there seems to be a general trend in most of the areas of focus with an increase in population cutting across. Even though Baltimore recorded a decrease in population since 2000, there has been an increase in population since 2011. Further, an insight in the population proportion reveals that the proportion of blacks has been on an upward trend with a significant reduction in the population of whites in all the three locations.
The economy of the three areas has been growing at steady rates with Baltimore showing the best increase owing to its numerous and large industries that mainly focus on manufacturing. The population living below the poverty level is quite insignificant with the percentages being below 3.5% of the total population. This is an indication in growth of the economy. The per capita income of the three areas has also been in an upward trend. In order to ensure that the economies of the areas do not stagnate, there has been opening up of the cities by good transportation network including Rail Roads, Waterways and Airports.
Bibliography
Gates, Gary J., and Abigail M. Cooke. "United States census snapshot: 2010." (2011).
Jackson, Kenneth T. Crabgrass frontier: The suburbanization of the United States. Oxford University Press, 1985.
Kunstler, James H. 1993. The Geography of Nowhere. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Sexton, Joseph O., Xiao-Peng Song, Chengquan Huang, Saurabh Channan, Matthew E. Baker, and John R. Townshend. "Urban growth of the Washington, DC–Baltimore, MD metropolitan region from 1984 to 2010 by annual, Landsat-based estimates of impervious cover." Remote Sensing of Environment 129 (2013): 42-53.
Short, John Rennie, Bernadette Hanlon, and Thomas J. Vicino. "The decline of inner suburbs: the new suburban gothic in the United States." Geography Compass 1, no. 3 (2007): 641-656.
APPENDICES
Appendix 1
Population of Baltimore
Appendix 2
Population of by Race in Germantown, Maryland 2010
(Appendix 3)Baltimore County: Real Estate Map
Appendix 4: Germantown
Appendix 5:Baltimore Transport System
Appendix 6: Suburban Airport
Appendix 7: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Appendix 8: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad- 1830
