Central & Southern Maryland
Your guide to life in Maryland
Local stories, useful resources and the people who help you feel at home. Explore Baltimore and Annapolis, Southern Maryland, the communities between them, and the Chesapeake places connected by work and water.
Cities, towns & neighborhoods
Find your place in Maryland
Start with Baltimore, Annapolis, Central Maryland or Southern Maryland. Then look closer at the neighborhoods, town centers and local services that shape everyday life.
Map: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 cartographic boundaries. Generalized for orientation.
Choose a city or county
Baltimore City and Baltimore County are separate jurisdictions. Annapolis is a city within Anne Arundel County.
Baltimore City
Baltimore is a city of neighborhood streets, public libraries, museums and transit corridors. Get oriented around the places that make a daily routine, from Cathedral Street to Lexington Market and the neighborhoods beyond downtown.
Explore Baltimore CityAnne Arundel County
Anne Arundel connects Annapolis, established communities and Chesapeake waterways with a network of parks and trails. Explore the county through its local centers, daily routes and public places along the water.
Explore Anne Arundel CountyBaltimore County
Baltimore County includes Towson, established communities around the city and open spaces farther out. Look at the county through the destinations and transport corridors you would actually use, rather than a single Baltimore mailing address.
Explore Baltimore CountyHoward County
Howard County offers several ways to spend a local day: Columbia’s lakefront paths, Ellicott City’s historic places and parks across the county. Explore the connections between the community center, the trail and the errands in between.
Explore Howard CountyHarford County
Harford County brings together Bel Air, Aberdeen, Havre de Grace and a wider set of communities. Learn the county through its town centers, transit links and trails, with Aberdeen Proving Ground an important geographic reference point.
Explore Harford CountyCarroll County
Carroll County is a collection of town centers and surrounding countryside, with Westminster as the county seat. Explore its Main Streets, walking routes and parks, from Piney Run near Sykesville to Hashawha and Bear Branch.
Explore Carroll CountyQueen Anne’s County
Queen Anne’s County reaches from Kent Island and Kent Narrows to Centreville and inland communities. Explore the county through its town centers, trails and designated water access, with the Bay Bridge shaping trips to the western shore.
Explore Queen Anne’s CountyCalvert County
Chesapeake beaches, Patuxent waterfronts and everyday services from North Beach and Prince Frederick to Solomons.
Explore Calvert CountyCharles County
Find your way between Waldorf, La Plata and Indian Head, with rail trails, Potomac access and practical local resources.
Explore Charles CountySt. Mary's County
Leonardtown, Lexington Park and St. Mary’s City connect waterfront life, naval aviation and Maryland’s earliest colonial history.
Explore St. Mary's CountyFind your place
Start with a town or community
City · Anne Arundel County
City of Annapolis
Annapolis brings together the State House, downtown streets and the maritime setting of Eastport. Explore its separate pockets on foot and by local transit, with attention to the creek crossings and your destination’s entrance.
Explore City of Annapolis
Community · Howard County
Columbia
Columbia’s villages, paths and shared institutions explain how the planned community works. Start with its history, a local village center and the right organization for an everyday question.
Explore Columbia
City · Harford County
Havre de Grace
Havre de Grace’s waterfront connects a promenade, a seasonal lighthouse climb and a museum that interprets the region’s waterways.
Explore Havre de Grace
Town · Charles County
La Plata
A Charles County town center with courthouse-area markets, library services and nearby history.
Explore La Plata
Town · St. Mary's County
Leonardtown
A historic town center and arts district leading to Breton Bay at Leonardtown Wharf.
Explore Leonardtown
Community · St. Mary's County
Lexington Park
A community shaped by naval aviation, with public parks and transit links across St. Mary’s County.
Explore Lexington Park
Town · Calvert County
North Beach
A compact Chesapeake waterfront town with a boardwalk, beach, library and wetlands viewing.
Explore North Beach
Community · Calvert County
Prince Frederick
Calvert’s civic and service center, with Main Street, library resources and nearby wetland trails.
Explore Prince Frederick
Community · Anne Arundel County
Severna Park
Severna Park’s daily landmarks include Ritchie Highway, the library on West McKinsey Road and the B&A Trail. Explore the community through its local errands, trail entrances and nearby county parks.
Explore Severna Park
Community · Calvert County
Solomons
A Patuxent waterfront community with maritime history, public water access and a connection to St. Mary’s County.
Explore Solomons
Community · St. Mary's County
St. Mary's City
Maryland’s first capital, explored through living history, archaeology and several distinct museum sites.
Explore St. Mary's City
Municipality · Carroll County
Taneytown
Taneytown offers a local-history museum and several distinct public parks. Start with an exhibition date, a pond-side walk at Roberts Mill or a gathering at Memorial Park.
Explore Taneytown
Community · Baltimore County
Towson
Towson brings Baltimore County government, a university campus and a substantial public library into a town center with a history distinct from Baltimore City.
Explore Towson
Community · Charles County
Waldorf
Charles County’s commercial corridors, local library branches and connections to communities across the county.
Explore WaldorfFind your place
Explore Maryland neighborhoods
Neighborhood · Baltimore City
Abell
Abell’s porch-front streets, former ballpark site and community-managed open space connect neighborhood history with everyday life near Greenmount Avenue.
Explore AbellNeighborhood · City of Annapolis
Admiral Heights
Admiral Heights connects Annapolis streets named for naval leaders with neighborhood waterfront spaces. Dewey Dock, Halsey Park and the separately managed boat club have distinct uses and access arrangements.
Explore Admiral HeightsNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Allendale
Allendale’s porch-front rowhouses sit alongside New Cathedral Cemetery and share library resources with the wider Edmondson Avenue area.
Explore AllendaleNeighborhood · Town Center
Amesbury Hill
Amesbury Hill is a small Town Center residential area off Ten Mills Road near Route108. Its community history, nearby golf resources and Centennial Park entrances help orient a first visit.
Explore Amesbury HillNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Arcadia
Arcadia’s bungalows, cottages and duplexes connect an early twentieth-century subdivision story with an improvement association publishing current neighborhood news.
Explore ArcadiaNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Arlington
Arlington’s mix of houses, school investment and community housing work gives it a distinct place within northwest Baltimore.
Explore ArlingtonNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Armistead Gardens
Armistead Gardens has roots in wartime worker housing and a cooperative ownership model, beside the Herring Run landscape in east Baltimore.
Explore Armistead GardensNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Ashburton
Ashburton’s detached homes and civic history form part of the Liberty Heights corridor’s long residential story.
Explore AshburtonNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Baltimore Highlands
Baltimore Highlands is a Baltimore City rowhouse neighborhood near Highlandtown, with local housing programs and wider east Baltimore support for older residents.
Explore Baltimore HighlandsNeighborhood · Town Center
Banneker
Banneker is a Town Center residential neighborhood on Banneker Road. Its fire-station landmark, local play areas and the current Central Library give practical orientation points.
Explore BannekerNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Barclay
Barclay’s rowhouses, former industrial spaces and community organizing reflect a central Baltimore neighborhood shaped by transportation and successive stages of development.
Explore BarclayNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Barre Circle
Barre Circle is a compact rowhouse neighborhood near Pigtown and Hollins Market, with a community association and a nearby library branch currently closed for improvements.
Explore Barre CircleNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Bayview
Bayview’s porch-front rowhomes and alphabetically named streets form a residential neighborhood beside the separate Johns Hopkins Bayview campus.
Explore BayviewNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Beechfield
Beechfield combines smaller rowhouses and detached homes near the city line, with a neighborhood association and a developing rail-trail connection.
Explore BeechfieldNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Belair-Edison
Belair-Edison brings porch-front houses, a Belair Road business corridor and neighborhood housing resources together near Herring Run and Clifton Park.
Explore Belair-EdisonNeighborhood · Baltimore City
Belair-Parkside
Belair-Parkside brings Craftsman houses and attached homes close to Herring Run, with park history and volunteer activities nearby.
Explore Belair-ParksideStart here
Choose your path
From the Maryland desk
Make a plan. Find your place.
Annapolis Districts: Downtown, Eastport, West Annapolis and West Street
Compare downtown Annapolis, Eastport, West Annapolis and the West Street arts district, with official parking, shuttle and City Dock access resources.
Kent Island Guide: Bay Bridge Travel, Communities and Everyday Life
Plan life on Kent Island with Bay Bridge traffic resources, trails, public beaches, library access and an address-specific checklist for moving.
Central Maryland Geography: Cities, Counties and Community Names
Understand Baltimore City versus Baltimore County, Annapolis boundaries and Columbia villages. Find the right jurisdiction and services for an address.
Local expertise & everyday life
Business, services & industries
From Fort Meade and the Port of Baltimore to Main Streets and Chesapeake communities, explore the work and services that shape this region.
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