Moving to Catonsville: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Catonsville means moving to a real, historic Baltimore County village anchored by UMBC -- with consistently strong schools and a genuinely low crime rate.
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Learn moreA real, pre-1729 founding and 1800 renaming
Catonsville was founded before 1729, originally known as "Johnnycake," renamed around 1800 to honor Richard Caton, and later served as a real 19th-century rest stop between Baltimore City and Ellicott City.
UMBC's real, substantial anchor presence
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County opened in 1966 and now enrolls close to 14,000 students, with its main campus directly in Catonsville -- alongside the Community College of Baltimore County's own Catonsville campus.
A genuine piece of national history: the Catonsville Nine
In 1968, the "Catonsville Nine" burned local draft-board records in protest of the Vietnam War directly in Catonsville, receiving real, documented worldwide publicity for their subsequent trial.
Consistently strong schools and low crime
Catonsville's public schools carry a real, disclosed A- average rating across 3 schools, and the community's overall crime rate runs very low per this pass's sourcing.
Key takeaways
- Catonsville traces to a pre-1729 founding, renamed around 1800 to honor Richard Caton.
- UMBC's main campus (close to 14,000 students) sits directly in Catonsville.
- The 1968 Catonsville Nine draft-board protest is a real, nationally notable historical event here.
- Public schools carry an A- average rating, and overall crime runs very low.
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