Baltimore is the most populous city in the state of Maryland, as well as the thirtieth most populous city in the United States. As of 2019 Baltimore is the largest independent city in the country and has approximately 592,000 residents. Baltimore is located 40 miles northeast of Washington, DC which makes it considered to be a part of the DC Metro Area. When you combine the two cities and the region it makes up about nine million residents.
Prior to Europe’s colonization of the United States Baltimore was home to the Susquehannock Native Americans. The Port of Baltimore in 1706 supported the tobacco trade and established the Town of Baltimore in 1729. During the War of 1812, the battle at Baltimore and Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that would become “The Star-Spangled Banner“, which was eventually designated as the American national anthem in 1931.