Turners Station and Sparrows Point (Baltimore, Dundalk: section 8, homes, high school)

[ckhthankgod]

Are both of these communities located in Dundalk? I know Sparrows Point has a Steel Mill. So, is it more of a blue collar community or is there some variance in the type of community it is? What about Turners Station? Is it right next to Sparrows Point and what type of community is it in terms of character?

[barante]

Turner Station, a section of Sparrows Point, contained Baltimore County's highest concentration of blacks well until the 1970s, which the influx to Liberty Road got in full swing. The man who knows more than anyone else about Turner Station is Louis Diggs, whose book, From the meadows to the point: the histories of the African American community of Turner Station and what was the African American community in Sparrows Point, is available in libraries. Turner Station was essentially a segregation era community for steelworkers. In the 1960s and 1970s, much of it was rezoned for industrial use. Hardly anything is left.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Sparrows Point and Dundalk are pretty interesting areas. Sometimes, they feel like the "real Baltimore" where people talk with the Baltimore accent, are crazy about the Ravens and call you "hon" all the time like they say in the guide books. This is increasingly true as downtown Baltimore fills with yuppies from Montgomery County and out of state and loses its culture to that plastic, homogenous "hip" scene. Dundalk just feels very "real". At the same times, they feel more like small towns than suburbs. Personally I think Dundalk can feel more like parts of the Eastern Shore than other parts of the Baltimore area like Towson or Hunt Valley.

The Sparrows Point steel mill was formerly owned by Bethlehem Steel and was the largest in the world, now its reduced operations and is owned by a Russian company. Now we trust the Russians to run an American business is beyond me especially now they get to steal advanced American industrial secrets and procedures and take it back to Moscow. But anyway the landscape is NOT pretty at the mill but dramatic and breathaking in its own way like if you drive on North Point Road or take the Key Bridge.

Dundalk and Sparrows Point are mostly blue collar which adds to the small town feel. However there are very pleasant parts by the water and there are actually many cute modest and comfortable homes and neighorhoods set amid rivers and creeks like down Wise Avenue. Essex is similar and I think Dundalk has a nice waterfront along Back River too. Certain parts are dicey with Section 8 housing and people who have moved there from the city. But the Dundalk/Essex/Sparrows Point area does feel quite unique and separate from the rest of the region and its very refreshing. I heard Turners Station is a ghetto but I haven't been there so I know really know.

[MCal]

I grew up in Watersedge, a sub community of Dundalk in the 80's and was in Dundalk every weekend at my Dad's through the 90's. Watersedge is just outside of turners station. In the 80's and 90's turners station remained what seemed 99% African American. BothSparrows Point and Turners station and all of Dundalk are predominantly Blue collar.

After living in Edgemere, Westminster, Hereford, Cockeysville and Timonium, I purchased my first home here in Dundalk at the end of 2008. Dundalk as a whole has changed. The sweet and kind elderly generation has now passed and left their homes to their kids and my generation. This circle of life has seemed to run down the Dundalk area. The same teenagers that were troublemakers when my brother and I were in school are now the population of Dundalk and the surrounding areas.

Dundalk does seem fairly unique and it seems even "out of towner's" know about Dundalk, HON! It does have somewhat of a small town feel and I think a lot of that is due to the lack of growth economically in the area.

Sorry, it seems i went a bit off topic.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by MCal

I grew up in Watersedge, a sub community of Dundalk in the 80's and was in Dundalk every weekend at my Dad's through the 90's. Watersedge is just outside of turners station. In the 80's and 90's turners station remained what seemed 99% African American. BothSparrows Point and Turners station and all of Dundalk are predominantly Blue collar.

After living in Edgemere, Westminster, Hereford, Cockeysville and Timonium, I purchased my first home here in Dundalk at the end of 2008. Dundalk as a whole has changed. The sweet and kind elderly generation has now passed and left their homes to their kids and my generation. This circle of life has seemed to run down the Dundalk area. The same teenagers that were troublemakers when my brother and I were in school are now the population of Dundalk and the surrounding areas.

Dundalk does seem fairly unique and it seems even "out of towner's" know about Dundalk, HON! It does have somewhat of a small town feel and I think a lot of that is due to the lack of growth economically in the area.

Sorry, it seems i went a bit off topic.

I work once in a while in Dundalk and I think one reason for the small town feel is that people live there for generations. Its not uncommon for people to settle down 2 blocks from home, marry their high school sweetheart and take their dad's old job at Bethlehem Steel. People did not really commute to downtown Baltimore to work like in other suburbs in this region. This is changin though as the downsizing of the steel industry forces locals to look for the city and other parts of the metropolitan area for jobs. Personally I'm a big fan of small town USA and small town charms. Its surprsing Dundalk and Sparrows Point were never the fanciest suburbs given their waterfront locaton. ONe would think the developers would put all those huge mansions by the Bay and Back River vs. up in the hills in Ellicott City and Timonium.

[kinkytoes]

Air, soil and water quality. I'm not a hippie, but those things are important. Does the term "fish-kill" mean anything? I think that explains a lot about why many people would not live in that area.