Speak to long time residents of East Towson, and a fierce loyalty and love of the region quickly shines through.
“It’s a great place to live; you’ve got a little bit of everything. You have condos as low as $100,000 for one-bedroom and then go up to the low $300s. We have town houses from just under $200,000 to the mid-2s and individual homes that range up to 450K or higher. It’s a strong, professional community, both white and blue collar, with Towson University and Goucher College nearby,” said Bob Cwalina, long-time area resident and Coldwell Banker Realtor.
“There are several neighborhoods within East Towson,” said Ed Kilcullen, president of the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations. “Most people refer to the area south of East Joppa Road, east of Virginia Avenue, north of Towsontown Boulevard, and west of the Black & Decker complex on Joppa, as ‘East Towson.’ This traditionally African American neighborhood was established by freed slaves,” Kilcullen said.
While Cwalina concedes the area has “lost some of the mom-and-pop stores” over the years, there’s an increased diversity of businesses, including “food stores, a Giant, Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Barnes and Noble bookstore, a seven-screen cinema, two hospitals, and lots of other things,” he said.
One major highlight is the farmers market held in late spring.
“On Thursdays, they close a whole block down from midmorning through early afternoon. Alleghany Avenue closes down Friday evenings and they’ll have vendors with food, beer, a wine truck and different bands that perform live in the street,” Cwalina said.
There’s been a balance between tradition and change in the area, from the passing of Finkelstein’s for the preppy set, and there used to be a bowling alley and pool hall, now gone for 30 years, Cwalina said. But there’s still the Crease and the York Inn that have pretty much always been here. And you find the same atmosphere. People here don’t want to leave,” he said. Lifetime resident Adelaide Bentley, 80, said: “I was born and raised here; been here all my life. I’ve seen the railroad tracks and the trestle that used to run across York Road, all taken down. Today, everything is so close to each other — the churches, shopping, recreation. And it’s a close knit neighborhood, family oriented, in a quiet and peaceful setting,” she said.
Bentley, president of the North East Towson Improvement Association, takes pride in the history of East Towson which she says traces itself “back to the Hampton Mansion.”
Once home to many of Maryland’s governors and known as the nation’s largest house, the Hampton Mansion is now part of the National Park Service. A working farm in the 18th Century, the Hampton estate was owned by Charles Carnan Ridgley.
“I love Towson. All the people know each other here, and even if different people come in, we’re quick to welcome them to the neighborhood and be friendly,” Bentley said.
