With its reputation focused on the water, Baltimore (the largest city, although not the capital of Maryland) is a microcosm of the history of the USA’s eastern seaboard. Named after the second Lord Baltimore, George Calvert, the city was founded in 1729 and now calls itself ‘Charm City’, referring to its citizens’ concern for and appreciation of the quality of urban life.

Its position on the Patapsco River, at the top of the northwestern fork of the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore gives direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. In the early days of European settlement, Baltimore was the westernmost ocean-going harbour.

Grist mills prospered on the rivers flowing into the Bay, ensuring that industry and shipping were soon established. On September 13, 1814, during the successful Battle of Baltimore against the British, Frances Scott Key penned what became the USA’s national anthem, ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’

The Inner Harbor area is representative of the city’s forward-looking attitude. Once the place where the Baltimore clippers (fast two-mast schooners) were built, the area now successfully combines business, shopping, hotels, restaurants and sightseeing.

Its efficient water taxi service provides a good way to view the city’s impressive seafront skyline. The harbour combined with general financial, banking, medical/health-care and tourism-related industries, contributes to Baltimore’s vibrant economy.

West Side redevelopment includes the city centre and the thriving Lexington Market. Established in 1782, the market still houses over 150 merchants. Historic districts that once would have been decaying inner-city areas, such as Fells-Point, Federal Hill and East Harbor now are bustling communities, home to the businesspeople who work in the nearby downtown areas. Mount Vernon and Little Italy also retain the atmosphere of a large village.

There is a vitality to the city, stretching out from the campuses of the University of Maryland near the Downtown and Johns Hopkins University to the north. Johns Hopkins, who in the 19th century, rose from a humble greengrocer to a wealthy philanthropist, embodies Baltimore’s work ethic and the American dream.

The city was the birthplace of both legendary baseball player George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth and literary critic HL Mencken. Writer Edgar Allan Poe and singer Billie Holiday have also left their mark, as has British Royalty. Wallis Warfield, the double divorcee who married King Edward VIII, causing his abdication, lived for many years in the Mount Vernon district of Baltimore.

Baltimore is a city with distinct seasons – warm summers, sometimes snowy, cold winters and moderate temperatures in-between. Residents are not only proud of its heritage but also confident of the future, preferring to shape the inevitable changes rather than be subject to them. Nonetheless, one thing has never changed – it is considered almost a crime for one to leave the city without tasting Baltimore’s speciality, Maryland crabs.