Charles Village is a neighborhood located in the north-central area of Baltimore, Maryland. It is a middle-class area with many single-family homes that is in close proximity to many of Baltimore's urban amenities. The area was first developed as a streetcar suburb in the early 20th century, and was then known as Peabody Heights; the moniker Charles Village, derived from Charles St., the area's major north-south corridor, was coined in the 1970s as the beginning of a process of conceptually grouping a large and somewhat heterogenous area.

Charles Village in a strict sense consists of the area immediately to the east and south of the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus. However, smaller neighborhoods to the east and south of this area — including Abell, Harwood, and Old Goucher — are considered by residents and other Baltimoreans to be part of Greater Charles Village. The Charles Village Community Benefits District (CVCBD), the organizational arm of the neighborhood, covers a hundred-block area generally bounded by 33rd Street to the north, Greenmount Avenue to the east, 25th Street (east of Guilford) and 20th Street (west of Guilford) to the south, and Johns Hopkins and Howard Street to the west. This area contains over 14,000 people and 700 businesses.

Residents

One of the Charles Village's defining features is its proximity to Johns Hopkins' main undergraduate campus, and many university staff and students live in the neighborhood, particularly in the areas immediately adjacent to the campus. Perhaps as a result, Charles Village has for the past several decades attracted a large population of artists, bohemians, and kindred spirits — its residents being described as "hippies and hipsters" by some observers. The area also has a reputation for being one of the more racially diverse neighborhoods in a city that was largely segregated for decades. The neighborhood in general becomes more affluent as you travel from south to north and from east to west.

Housing stock

Though there are the occasional apartment buildings, much of Charles Village's housing stock consists of two- and three-story rowhouses built in the early 20th century. Much of the houses have been well maintained and, along with the rest of the city, the neighborhood seen a boom in real estate prices in the first half of the 2000s. Some of the larger rowhouses have been converted into multi-unit apartment houses in more recent decades.

Amenities and future development

The neighborhood includes several small commercial districts, and is within walking distance to the well-attended Waverly farmer's market. However, unlike many of the trendier neighborhoods in the city, there are few large-scale retail areas. That is in the process of changing, however, as two blocks of St. Paul Street in the northern part of the neighborhood are being completely redeveloped. By the time the project is complete in 2007, a former stretch of rowhouses and small apartment buildings will be replaced by a large dorm for Hopkins students and multi-story condominiums, both of which will contain ground-floor retail. Some in the neighborhood are excited about the coming additions to a somewhat sleepy area, while others are trepidatious of the change.

The Benefits District

The Charles Village Community Benefits District is a special taxing district, one of only two in the city. Property owners in the district pay 12 cents per $100 of assessed value over and above city taxes to support the district. Two specific services provided by the CVCBD are security patrols (conducted by private security guards, not police) and frequent sanitation services. The district also serves to organize community sentiment for dealings with the city government. In the words of the district's Web site, "The CVCBD has a full-time staff that organizes promotional and community-based activities through community building and economic development." While some vocal residents feel that the district doesn't do enough or does the wrong things, few Charles Villagers call for its outright abolition (a candidate running for the Baltimore City Council on just that platform received less than a hundred votes at a recent election). The Benefits District board is elected from Charles Village residents, and is thus by necessity responsive to citizen concerns.

Transportation

Charles and Saint Paul Streets, two one-way streets that together comprise one of central Baltimore's main north-south corridors, pass through the middle of Charles Village; two other major corridors, Howard Street and Greenmount Avenue, bound the neighborhood on the west and east, respectively. The area is also only a short drive from the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83). Charles Village is not served by either of Baltimore's rapid transit systems, but several of the city's busier north-south bus routes do go through the area.

External links

Charles Village map

Charles Village Community Benefits District