Brooklyn is one of the southernmost neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. It is located near Anne Arundel County along Maryland Route 2. Its main roads are Potee Street, Hanover Street, and Patapsco Avenue. Often mistaken as Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn shares the 21225 ZIP Code with Brooklyn Park (Anne Arundel County) and Cherry Hill (North over the Hanover Street Bridge). Brooklyn is within the Baltimore City limits.
Brooklyn is the location of the John R. Hargrove, Sr. District Court Building, located right off of Patapsco Avenue. There is also a host of industry in the region, mainly shipping ports, rail yards, and oil tanks. Many car imports come through this area. As well as being the south end of the Harbor Tunnel that runs off I-895.
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The Brooklyn neighborhood was included in the areas annexed to the City of Baltimore in 1918[1] as a result of state legislation.[2] Prior to the annexation, the neighborhood had been part of Anne Arundel County.
Brooklyn is an ethnically diverse neighborhood, with mostly low income and lower middle class residents. Due to the close proximity of Cherry Hill and general neglect from the city of Baltimore, there has been an increase of crime and drug trafficking in the area, spreading out to Fairhaven Avenue and into the neighborhood of Curtis Bay. These are the same problems as most other low income neighborhoods in the city. Increased police presence and video cameras in the last few years have helped curb some crime, with a somewhat positive effect on the community. There are plans to gentrify the area, but little has to be seen as of late as Brooklyn remains a problematic neighborhood where Bloods gang members are concentrated.[3]
For many years, Brooklyn has been divided from the Patapsco River waterfront by major roadways like the Harbor Tunnel Throughway and Frankfurst Avenue.[4] This has meant that residents, living just blocks away from the water, were unable to regularly experience this important natural resource.
In 2008, the State of Maryland broke ground on the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center, which was created to provide environmental educational programs for the Brooklyn community.[5] Part of a $153 million restoration effort for the cove, which included bike trails, environmental restoration, and the creation of new habitat, the Education Center was designed to be a focal point for school programs and community efforts.[6] Design/Built by Baltimore Green Construction, the Center is a "Near-Zero Net Energy Building", designed to consume 75% less energy than a standard commercial building of its size. The Center was opened by Lt. Governor Anthony Brown on Earth Day of 2009,[7] and is now open for educational programs.[8]