Dundalk
In 1916, Bethlehem Steel Corporation purchased 1,000 acres to build housing for nearby Sparrows Point workers. With winding, tree-lined streets modeled after the garden-city design of neighborhoods like Roland Park, Dundalk became a haven for blue-collar, middle-class families. It's also become known for its July Fourth parade and annual Heritage Fair—a three-day Independence Day celebration.
Towson
Towson, like many of the city's surrounding communities, blossomed as a true “streetcar suburb." It's growth was supported by service from the No. 8 streetcar line, pictured below circa 1950, which shuttled between the Baltimore County seat and Catonsville via the city center. At 16-plus miles, the No. 8 was the longest line in the country and, in November 1963, the final one to cease operation.
Downtown Towson is undergoing another renaissance with a recently renovated and expanded Towson Town Center, plus a new $300 million "transformation" project announced last year by county officials.