Forest Park | |
|---|---|
 Forest Park Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| City | Baltimore |
| Elevation | 390 ft (120 m) |
| Population | |
| • Estimate (2019) | 1,374 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 21216[2] |
| Area code | 410, 443, and 667 |
Forest Park (and Howard Park) is a region of Northwest Baltimore, Maryland located west of Reisterstown Road, south of Northern Parkway, and east of the Baltimore City/County line. In Baltimore, the region is referred to by locals simply as "Forest Park" and includes the neighborhoods of Ashburton, Callaway-Garrison, Central Forest Park, Dolfield, Dorchester, East Arlington, Forest Park, Grove Park, Hanlon Longwood, Howard Park, Garwyn Oaks, Purnell, West Arlington, West Forest Park, and Windsor Hills.
Developed as suburban-type residential housing, it is an economically diverse area that was once the center of Baltimore's Jewish community as it moved from downtown.[3][4] During the Vietnam War era, however, the area experienced white flight, while it was 95% White in 1960, it became 95% Black in 1970.[5] It is now an almost exclusively African American region of Baltimore.[6] The neighborhoods in Forest Park and Howard Park are varied. Some have suffered urban decay and crime related to the city's job losses, while many continue to be suburban and upper-middle-class neighborhoods. Ashburton, for instance, is the home of former city mayor Catherine Pugh,[7] as well as past mayor Kurt Schmoke and other prominent African-American political leaders.