LIVE
Named for its purple spring blooms, Southwest Baltimore’s Violetville has a unique medley of mid-20th-century rowhomes and older single family dwellings, from quaint cottages to more spacious houses on generous lots. Residents here prize their community’s diversity, neighborly bonds, the recently renovated elementary/middle school, and the revitalization of 10-acre Violetville Park. This locale sits along the city-county line directly off I-95, providing easy access to BWI Airport, MARC stations, downtown, and more.

DINE
Wilkens Plaza across from nearby St. Agnes Hospital has no-frills but reliable carryout options like Friends Deli and Great Taste Chinese. Less than 10 minutes driving puts local favorites in Arbutus (Fish Head Cantina) and Catonsville (State Fare, The Beaumont, Atwater’s) within easy reach.

SHOP
Giant Food and Weis Markets are reliable grocery options just down the road off of Wilkens Avenue. Rheb’s Homemade Candies, a fourth-generation family business tucked away near St. Agnes, sells truffles, chocolates, and other handcrafted sweets.

PLAY
Violetville Park offers plentiful greenery as is and is getting an upgrade courtesy of devoted nonprofit Friends of Violetville Park and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks. Recent or pending improvements include new basketball courts, a pollinator garden, and playground renovations, and future phases call for new walking paths, tennis court renovations, and more. Carroll Park is also just down the road for golfing, baseball, basketball, the skate park, and more.

ARTS/CULTURE
Friends of Violetville Park is planning its first Spring Fling this month, with community planting events, live music, children’s games, and other fun. Close by seasonal draws include the springtime Sowebo Arts and Music Festival in Hollins Market and the Cherry Hill Arts & Music Waterfront Festival at Middle Branch Park in July.

Neighbor Spotlight
Linda Delp, 66, is a Violetville native who moved back to her childhood home in 2021 and leads a neighborhood gardening club.

“My parents moved from here from Lancaster County to start a small Mennonite church. They had four kids and they’d been wanting to get back into farming, so they started looking for a place that had some land. I grew up in Violetville and played down at the park, knew our neighbors.

“When I finished college, I moved to Los Angeles and lived there for decades. In 2021, during the pandemic, I moved right back here to the home where I grew up. I had never owned anything before, so my first homeownership experience was a 100-year-old house with an acre of land, and I came from apartment living in LA.

“Building ties with neighbors, that’s my favorite part of living here. Any city—Baltimore, LA, wherever—has communities and you can make it your home. I love being back here, I really do.”

NEIGHBORHOOD STATS
Population: 2,403 Occupancy Rate: 92 percent Owner/Renter Split: 65 percent/35 percent Median Home Purchase Price: $132,750 Estimated Monthly Mortgage: $905 Estimated Rent: $1,300 Walk Score: 59 Transit Score: 47

—Sources: Baltimore City Department of Planning, Live Baltimore 

Jen Burke, full-time mom and part-time lab tech: “It’s got to be Rodgers Forge with its row homes and lots of young families.”

Shannon Nickey, bartender, Holy Frijoles: “Violetville is a safe, family-oriented neighborhood, and the police are prevalent to make sure there are no troublemakers!”

Helene Luce, senior director, educational initiatives, Community Law in Action: “Patterson Park is pretty amazing. There have been tons of kids born the last couple of years, and the families have stayed.”

Beth Laverick, owner, B Scene Events & Promotions: “In Butchers Hill, a lot of local families meet after trick-or-treating for a community potluck. Parents get to enjoy festive food and drinks while kids tear into their Halloween treats.”