Hello, Neighbor: Irvington

Irvington gets its name from founder Irving Ditty, a lawyer and former Confederate cavalry officer-turned-businessman who married into the wealthy Schwartze family and later redeveloped their estate into a railroad suburb community. In the last 150 years, Irvington has taken shape as a charming pocket in Southwest Baltimore with greenery and a diverse mix of housing—from standalone Victorians to newer multi-level apartments to porch-front rowhomes—that draws in families who tend to stay awhile.

SHOP: Close-by grocery stores include Giant and Weis off Wilkens Avenue, plus Save-a-Lot over the county line in Arbutus and Shoppers, Great Wall, and others in Catonsville. For shorter notice shopping, Frederick Avenue has a few small convenience shops and chain dollar stores.

DINE: The main drag of Frederick Avenue offers breakfast, chicken, quesadillas, and other comfort eats from Sugar Mama’s, Chinese carryout (China House), or pizza, wings, and other snacking things (Ravens Icon Pizza, Pizza Hub). A short drive west puts Atwater’s, State Fare, The Beaumont, Doozy’s Diner, Ships Cafe, and other Catonsville favorites on your menu.

PLAY: Irvington Park, abutting Beechfield Elementary/Middle School, has acres of greenery to enjoy, including a soccer field and baseball diamond. Explorers will relish the ecological regrowth and programming at Stillmeadow Peace Park, just a mile west on Frederick Avenue, or the sprawling stream valley trails of the 1,216 acre Gwynns Falls/ Leakin Park to the north.

ARTS/CULTURE: Historic draws include the 173-year-old, nearly 500-acre Loudon Park Cemetery, St. Joseph’s Monastery off Old Frederick Road, and the National Historic Register-listed Schwartze Mansion, once home to slave-owning textile industrialists who sold their estate to Ditty (who then redeveloped it into Irvington). In recent decades residents have developed heartwarming festive traditions like an annual Thanksgiving dinner and a neighbor-to neighbor Christmas basket delivery.

Neighbor Spotlight 
Dorothy Cunningham, 68, has lived in Irvington for three decades and served as president of the Irvington Community Association since 2005.

“When I first moved here, the neighbors were so generous and came and introduced themselves. I felt the warmth, I felt welcome, I felt all that. I started attending the community association meetings, then I got voted in as vice president and then as president.

“For the last 20 years, I have been developing relationships with the city agencies. You have to have a strong leader to get anything done. And you have to be consistent. I started doing community cleanups and working with the developers that want to come into my community. I do Thanksgiving dinners every year—I get donations and my family helps me a lot—but I cook all the food myself. Last year we fed 125 people.”

Neighborhood Stats
Population: 4,224; Occupancy Rate: 87 percent; Owner/Renter Split: 39 percent/ 61 percent; Median Home Purchase Price: $220,000; Estimated Monthly Mortgage: $1,902; Estimated Rent: $977; Walk Score: 67; Bike Score: 37; Transit Score: 53