The small urban community of Penn North is located just south of Druid Hill Park in west Baltimore. Although it was once in disrepair, today Penn North is experiencing a renaissance as new residents move in. The neighborhood has benefited from partnerships with the Maryland Community Health Initiative and from incentives provided by the city to increase rental and ownership. Named Maryland’s first Black Arts and Entertainment district in 2019, Penn North is making a name for itself as a rising star in Charm City. “A lot of people buy there because they feel that the area is about to change,” says Realtor Joshua Savage with Keller Williams, who was born and raised in Baltimore. “It’s been through some tough times, but people believe in the future of the neighborhood.”
Get Downtown in no time from Penn North via one of the many routes.
Friendly residents of Penn North are always looking out for each other.
A lone single family home on a block of rowhomes in Penn North.
Penn North is just a short drive from Downtown Baltimore.
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The Penn North Metro is conveniently located in the middle of the neighborhood.
The Baltimore Metro
A defining feature of this neighborhood is its proximity to the Penn-North Metro station, which connects the community to the Johns Hopkins Hospital and shopping destination Owings Mills. Residents can catch the light rail from nearby Station North to Baltimore Washington International Airport, a trip which takes roughly one hour. North Avenue converges with Interstate 83, linking Penn North to Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor.
Traditional Baltimore row houses
Penn North is comprised mostly of traditional Baltimore row houses featuring short front stoops and narrow fenced-in backyards. “The houses are mostly from the 1880s and on,” says Francis O’Neill, a lifelong Baltimore resident and reference librarian at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Greek Revival and Federal styles are the most common, with neat rows of windows adorning the street-facing walls, although Queen Anne features like rounded towers are sometimes present on end units. Many of the homes require heavy renovations, with prices for some properties beginning as low as $20,000 and rising to $61,000. For move-in ready houses, prospective buyers can expect prices starting around $100,000 and rising as high as $235,000.
You'll find plenty of traditional brick rowhomes in Penn North.
Row-homes come in conditions from burned out shells, to rehabbed units in Penn North.
Older brick rowhomes will often have refreshed coats of paint to spruce up the facade.
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Penn North has plenty of options of homes for a Baltimore neighborhood.
Between Mondawmin and Charles Village
The closest grocery store to Penn North is the Shoppers at Mondawmin Mall, though many residents prefer to make the 3-mile drive around Druid Hill Park to Giant Food in Green Spring Tower Square. Mondawnmin is the closest shopping destination, featuring over 100 retailers and several casual eateries. Directly in the neighborhood, Sugar Hill Tavern is an understated watering hole where locals gather to cheer on the Orioles and enjoy cold drinks, while Round Belly Deli across the street serves some of Maryland’s most underrated barbecue in an intimate setting. “People mostly go to Charles Village for restaurants since it’s so close by,” Savage says. Charles Village Pub, a casual eatery with simple fare and cold brews, has maintained a loyal customer base in the area for over 35 years.
Hitting the books in Baltimore
Children in Penn North are zoned to begin their education at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School, which Niche scores a B-minus and where they may participate in a new coding program that focuses on early exposure to basic computer science concepts. Students then apply to their choice of the city’s public high schools, including the nearby Bard High School Early College Baltimore, which earns a C-plus. Here, students can earn a tuition-free associate’s degree in addition to their high school diploma.
Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School servers students from Pre-K through the 8th grade.
Hanlon Park_Bard HS _Building 1
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Druid Hill Park
Penn North is just south of Druid Hill Park, one of Charm City’s oldest green spaces. The park’s south side features a reservoir that is ringed by the East Coast Greenway, a hiking trail that winds around the shore under the watchful eye of the historic Moorish Tower. There are also several baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts and a public swimming pool. The park’s north end is occupied by the Maryland Zoo, where tourists and locals can wander through the award-winning Penguin Coast exhibit.
There are green space and benches for locals to enjoy the space at Rawlings Conservatory.
Play a round of disc golf at the well-maintained Druid Hill Park course.
Druid Hill Park has numerous basketball courts for residents and visitors.
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Baltimore’s first Black arts and entertainment district
Penn North still retains some measure of its history as Baltimore’s first Black arts and entertainment district. The Arch Social Club has served the community for over 100 years and is the last remaining venue for live jazz on this historic commercial strip. The Pennsylvania Avenue Branch of the Pratt Free Library offers story time programming for adults and children and computer literacy courses. At Station North, 1.6 miles east of the neighborhood, residents can jam to local bands at The Crown or catch the latest blockbuster at the historic Charles Theatre.
The Arch Social Clubhouse is the last remaining venue for live entertainment in Penn North.
Culturally significant murals can be found throughout Penn North.
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Progress in Penn North
While Penn North’s overall CAP Index crime score is 5 out of 10, just above the national average of 4, the scores for robbery and homicide climb to 8 and 9 out of 10, respectively. However, as of March of 2024 the neighborhood has gone a full year without a homicide. In addition, the Penn North Recovery Center has served as the community's only outpatient addiction treatment provider in the area since 1993. The center serves more than 600 people every day.
Indulge in authentic Caribbean cooking at Brudah's Caribbean Kitchen in Baltimore's Penn North.
A set of colorful rowhomes overlook the busy North Avenue corridor.
Even some newer rowhomes can be found in Penn North like this blue and grey triplex.
GreatSchools:
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Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall
23 min drive
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North Ave & Druid Hill Ave Wb
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North Ave & Pennsylvania Ave Wb
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Pennsylvania Ave & Retreat St Nb
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Cloverdale Rd & Mcculloh St
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Pennsylvania Ave & Fulton Ave Nb
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Fulton Ave & Flora St Nb
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Fulton Ave & Reisterstown Rd Fs Nb
Penn North Demographics and Home Trends
On average, homes in Penn North, Baltimore sell after 73 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in Penn North, Baltimore over the last 12 months is $72,500, up 32% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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