Forest Park (Baltimore)

Forest Park
Neighborhood
Forest Park Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library
Country	United States
State	Maryland
City	Baltimore
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	21215
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. During the Vietnam War era, however, the area experienced white flight. It is now an almost exclusively African American region of Baltimore. 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 current city mayor Catherine E. Pugh, as well as past mayor Kurt Schmoke and other prominent African-American political leaders.

Forest Park is home to Hillsdale, Hanlon, and Powder Mill parks in addition to the Forest Park Golf Course. It is also within proximity of the Baltimore Zoo and Druid Hill Park.

The area in Baltimore County near Forest Park is known as Gwynn Oak and is located directly west of the Baltimore city line.

Garrison Avenue starts as a one-way street from Greenspring Avenue, changes to Garrison Boulevard after Wabash Avenue, then makes a slight left after passing Liberty Heights Avenue (known as MD-26) to Clifton Avenue.