Pigtown

Pigtown’s biggest draws are its diversity (social, economic, and racial) and location. The neighborhood is gaining in value but is very affordable, attracting students, retirees, and singles, and young couples and parents. Those who call Pigtown home love its proximity to downtown, I-95, Federal Hill, the MARC train, and the stadiums. With a very involved community, Pigtown is growing rapidly and welcoming more and more new residents, businesses, and organizations. The Pigtown Historic District comprises some 36 city blocks lying in Southwest Baltimore, south and east of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad yards. Developing initially as a community for railroad workers in the 1840’s, along Columbia Avenue (now Washington Boulevard), Ramsay, McHenry and Poppleton Streets, the area grew rapidly to the south during the industrial expansion of the 1850’s and 1860’s.

In the 1980s, in an effort to reinvigorate Pigtown, the neighborhood name was officially changed to Washington Village. The true name of the neighborhood is still under debate. With the rise in property values and the influx of newcomers to city life in the late 1990s through today, Pigtown’s population and quality of life has consistently risen. In the early 2000s, Pigtown was designated an Empowerment Zone, bringing new businesses and homeowners. This effort has continued with its designation as a Main Streets Community, which promotes Pigtown’s eclectic business corridor.

Today, Pigtown is a community of renters, homeowners, and businesses. Residents are socially, racially, and economically varied, making Pigtown one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Baltimore city. Pigtowners are very proactive in their neighborhood organizations, contributing to the continuing growth, quality of life, and improvement of Pigtown. Pigtown’s energetic community, diversity, value, growth, and GREAT location continues to attract new residents, businesses, and development. Big things are happening in Pigtown!