 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2014) |
Pigtown Historic District | |
 Pigtown Historic District, December 2010 | |
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| Location | Roughly bounded by McHenry, Ramsay, West Barre, South Paca, West Ostend, Wicomico, Bush and Bayard Streets, plus B&O Railroad (CSX/Amtrak), Baltimore, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°16′49″N 76°37′56″W / 39.28028°N 76.63222°W |
| Area | 50 acres (20 ha), .325 sq mi[1] |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate |
| Added to NRHP | December 28, 2006 |
Pigtown is a neighborhood in the southwest area of Baltimore, bordered by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the east, Monroe Street to the west, Russell Street to the south, and West Pratt Street to the north.[2] The neighborhood acquired its name during the second half of the 19th century, when the area was the site of butcher shops and meat packing plants to process pigs transported from the Midwest on the B&O Railroad; they were herded across Ostend and Cross Streets to be slaughtered and processed.[3]
Pigtown's annual festival famously features a pig race, "The Squeakness", to commemorate its history.[4]
Pigtown has long been considered one of Baltimore's most promising neighborhoods due to its proximity to the I-95 corridor, the University of Maryland Medical Center, Camden Yards, Ravens Stadium, the Inner Harbor, and Downtown Baltimore.[5] New developments on the eastern edge of the neighborhood of luxury townhomes were stalled after the 2008 market crash but eventually resumed and have continued into 2016. Other parts of the neighborhood contain classic Baltimore-style rowhouses, often with 1950s-era formstone facades on brick fronts.
Pigtown has a relatively diverse population, which, besides its longtime residents, includes a sizeable graduate student population. Because of its proximity to Interstate 95, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, MARC's Camden Station, and its low housing costs, Pigtown also has a great number of commuters to Washington, D.C., and Fort George G. Meade. The legendary baseball player Babe Ruth was born and raised in Pigtown.[6]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Pigtown". Live Baltimore. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ "History". Pigtown Main Street. 17 September 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ "Pigtown Festival". Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ Sun, Baltimore. "More businesses head to Pigtown". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- ^ Selden, Richard (2016-07-23). "Around Baltimore's Pigtown, all things Babe". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-03-02.