A bridge between the city of Baltimore and Baltimore County
Overlea straddles Baltimore City Proper and Baltimore County, but the community’s 12,000 residents are rooted in place. “I’m one street over from where I grew up,” says Doris Poling, Vice President of the Overlea Community Association, a group residents can join for a small fee. “There are three or four, sometimes five, generations of families that live here.” With a name meaning “over the meadows,” this high-laying suburb has a history of activism and a spirit of inclusivity. “We work really hard at not just being inclusive but making the community a place that people want to come and live,” Poling says. Overlea is about 10 miles north of downtown Baltimore, but close to home, neighbors know each other’s names and work together. “We still print a paper newsletter and deliver it to every home four times a year,” Poling says. “It takes a whole lot of volunteers to deliver those letters.”
Overlea's history of activism
Established in 1908, the Cherry Heights neighborhood, the county’s first for African American homeowners, sits in Overlea. Streetcar lines extended into the area, allowing residents to travel to the city for work or school. “Children could see the neighborhood elementary school from their homes,” Poling says. “While they were across the street from it, they were bused across town.” Today, the community recognizes this historic site at the Cherry Heights Woodland Garden, a forested and serene outdoor space. “It’s meant to be a bridge and bring notoriety to what happened here,” Poling says. Overlea also has ties to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. In 1913, suffragettes stopped in Overlea during their march from New York to Washington, D.C. and gave a speech at the town hall, today the Natural History Society of Maryland. In 2013, the community recreated the march, walking a few blocks to the former town hall. “People from all over the state came to join us,” Poling says.
Overlea Community Association hosts events
The Overlea Community Association is active, hosting events throughout the year. Every Saturday, vendors sell goods at the Overlea Farmers Market. “It’s a grower’s market,” Poling says. “You don’t go there and buy pineapple. It’s farmers bringing what is growing in their fields at the time.” She says that the market’s presence has also created local farmers in the community. “One lady has almost half an acre at her home that she farms,” Poling says. “When she opened her stall, she said she was fulfilling a 15-year dream.” In early December, the Holiday Tree Lighting at the Overlea-Fullerton Community Center brings holiday cheer, while movie nights and community cleanups bring neighbors together.
Variety of homes styles
There are a variety of home styles in Overlea, and the area’s median home price is lower than national numbers. Potential homebuyers can find bungalows, Cape Cods, Colonial Revivals and Craftsman-style houses, and many properties have gable-front roofs or entryways. “Water didn’t come here until the 1920s,” Poling says. “It was dirt roads and outhouses. There are still houses in Overlea that have paths to nowhere, and that was the path to the outhouse.” Today, homes typically have two to three bathrooms and two to four bedrooms. Sidewalks line many roadways, cars are parked on the curb and stone steps lead to many front doors. Some subdivisions have New Traditional homes and wide, walkable streets. Townhouses are also available. Crime statistics for Overlea are on par with national figures.
Double Rock Park, Natural History Society of Maryland and more fun
Double Rock Park spans over 100 acres, with wooded trails weaving across streams with large boulders and a gentle current. The park also has two playgrounds, lighted athletic fields, picnic pavilions and a community garden where people can rent plots. Community events are also occasionally held at the park, like the City Nature Challenge, where teams compete to see who can identify the most plants and animals and Screen on the Green, a family-friendly movie night. The nearby Holt Park and Center for the Arts also hosts events throughout the year, from arts programs and summer camps to paint nights and campfires. The park’s Overlea Artfest began in 2016, and since then, it has showcased local artwork and independent films and offers workshops and art auctions. When they aren’t attending an event, visitors can wander through meadows and woodlands, with a lily pond, cabins and a garden along the way. Small green spaces, like Fullerton Park, Linover Park and Belmar Park, are also within walking distance from some homes. The Natural History Society of Maryland is in Overlea. Its collection of artifacts has educated visitors on the natural sciences since 1929. “It’s an incredible anchor for the community,” Poling says. “Especially if you have young children. It’s not just the programs they have, it’s the displays, too.”
Everyday essentials along Route 1
Cutting through the rough center of the area, Route 1 is lined with shopping centers and businesses, ensuring residents are a short drive from everyday amenities. For more shopping and dining options, downtown Baltimore is about 8 miles southwest, and the White Marsh Mall, a large shopping center, is about 4 miles north. The Avenue, a walkable stretch of trendy chains, well-known stores and entertainment options, including a movie theatre, is across from the mall.
The medical industry is prominent in the Baltimore area, and the renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital is about 9 miles away. The MedStar Health system, another top employer in the region, has two nearby locations: MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, about 4 miles southeast, and MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, about 5 miles west.
Elementary schools within walking distance
Depending on where in Overlea people live, they may be zoned for Baltimore County Public Schools, which receive a B grade from Niche, or Baltimore City Public Schools, which get a C-plus. Fullerton Elementary School, which receives a B-minus, is also in Overlea, as are Elmwood Elementary and Overlea High School, which both get C-pluses from Niche. The Catholic St. Micheal-St. Clement School offers a faith-based, private option and educates prekindergartners to 8th graders. Niche has not graded the school.
10 miles to downtown Baltimore
Overlea is about 10 miles from downtown Baltimore, and many residents travel into the city for work. While the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s collapse may cause some delays for commuters, particularly those using Interstate 695, people can take many other routes, including Route 1. Buses run along Belair Road, with lines 33, 36 and 115 of the CityLink Brown line leading toward the city. Washington, D.C., is about 50 miles southwest, while Philadelphia is about 95 miles northeast. The Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is about 20 miles south for air travel.
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