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Govans/Mid-Govans

Location

York Road, Woodbourne Avenue, Lothian Road, St. Dunstans Road, Benninghaus Road.

Zip Code: 21212

 

 

Description

The Govans neighborhood is located in North Central Baltimore City. The neighborhood features many different housing types, trees and a neighborhood park at DeWees. Our community borders the historic York Road which features many businesses and churches. Also nearby is Towson, home to Towson Center Mall, and many businesses and offices.

 

History

Govans is in the center of Govans Community. The community was originally called Govanstowne, named after William Govane. Govane received a tract of land from Frederick Calvert, the 6th Lord Baltimore, in the mid-seventeenth hundreds. Govans has always been associated with York Road, first as an Indian trail, and then as an important commercial road and turnpike linking the rich farmlands of Baltimore County and Pennsylvania with the City and the Port of Baltimore and finally as the urban corridor we know today.

 

Govans was also home to many estates of some of early Baltimore's most famous people. Enoch Pratt businesses man and a philanthropist owned land and a mansion on Woodbourne Avenue. Also William Walters, businessman and art collector resided in a Govans mansion. Colonel Lawrence McCabe noted bridge and construction engineer who built the North Avenue and St. Paul Street Bridges and tunnels for the B&O Railroad. Several of the great mansions still stand today along the York Road corridor. For additional history on Govans, read "Govans Village and Suburb" by John Brain.

 

Contacts

Mid-Govans Community Association
Irvin Johns, President
imp_911@yahoo.com
443.453.6661

Govanstowne Business Association

(Susan Hodges, 410.433.8289)


Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation (GEDCO)

(Mitchell Posner, Executive Director, 410.433.2442)


Govans Economic Management Senate

(Sandy McFadden Gboyah, 410.889.3268)


York Road Partnership

(Dan Reed, 410.527.8902)

 

Educational Resources

From pre-school to high school, Baltimore City’s schools serve students and families across more than 225 neighborhoods. Parents and students have numerous choices from public, private, parochial, and charter schools. Many elementary schools are zoned geographically, but are increasingly becoming schools of choice. All high schools are choice schools and all middle schools are becoming schools of choice in 2010-2011. This means students can apply to attend any school in the City regardless of their home address; some schools do have admission criteria. All charter schools and Transformation Schools have lotteries for admission.

Baltimore offers a wealth of opportunities when it comes to higher education at both the undergraduate, graduate and technical education levels. The seventeen colleges and universities within or near the City enroll more than 120,000 students. Through the Baltimore Collegetown Network, 16 area colleges cooperate and share resources, such as shuttle buses and libraries.

Community Personality


  • Close-knit
  • Eclectic
  • Green
  • Working Class

Resident Referral

Interested in this neighborhood and wish you could talk to someone who lives there? Click here to request a Residential Referral from one of Live Baltimore’s Ambassadors!


Homeownership Counseling


These agencies also offer other services, such as post-purchase education, default and delinquency counseling, community outreach, and credit and budgeting classes. Click here for a list in your area.

Neighborhood Statistics and Resources


Average Home Sales
Prices by neighborhood

Baltimore CityView
Mapping tool for cultural, civic, and property info

Crime Mapping
Crime data by address from the Baltimore Police Department


Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance 
Census-based interactive mapping data