Greektown is a neighborhood located in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.
The neighborhood is bounded by
Lombard Street to the north,
O'Donnell Street to the south, South Haven to the west, and
I-895 to the east. A long stretch of
Eastern Avenue runs through the neighborhood.
Demographics
In 2014 Greektown was home to around 600 families. During the neighborhood's peak there were around 1,000 families.
History
Greektown has been home to a thriving
Greek American
Greek Americans ( el, Ελληνοαμερικανοί ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the highest e ...
community since the 1930s. Once known simply as The Hill, during the 1980s its residents petitioned the
Baltimore City Council
The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its more than 600,000 citizens. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The Council holds regu ...
to change the name of the neighborhood to Greektown.
A bridge shot in the
Barry Levinson
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); '' Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ...
film
''Diner'' (at the 21:51 mark) was filmed at Fleet Street and South Newkirk Street, with the Crown Cork and Seal building appearing in the background.
Greektown underwent a revitalization effort beginning in 2001.
Today
As of 2010, Greektown is about 50.9% white, 22% Hispanic, 17.8% African American, 6.3% Asian, and about 3% all other.
A thriving self-contained residential and business community consisting of single family town houses, Greektown is noted for its many restaurants, authentic
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
coffee houses, bakeries and small businesses of many types. It is a diverse community of largely blue-collar people of numerous ethnic derivations. Greektown is mostly Greek and other
European descendants, but also includes large numbers of people of
Native American,
Asian,
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
and
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
(particularly
Puerto Ricans
Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants.
Overview
The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...
,
Mexicans
Mexicans ( es, mexicanos) are the citizens of the United Mexican States.
The most spoken language by Mexicans is Spanish, but some may also speak languages from 68 different Indigenous linguistic groups and other languages brought to Mexi ...
,
Dominicans, and smaller numbers of
Guatemalans and
Salvadorans) ancestry living in a low crime environment. The Greektown Community Development Corporation was formed to revitalize Greek town by The St Nicholas Church. The 1000 member church parish council unanimously voted to appoint Col John E Gavrilis as its first Executive Director. Under his leadership a strategic plan to revitalize the community was published. The plan was near completed to include the revitalization of the Pemco property.
The neighborhood is home to many Greek restaurants and to the
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Dem ...
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...
Church. It is home to the annual Baltimore Greek Festival and Parade.
Continuing the consecutive-alphabet scheme that originates in Highlandtown to the west, the north–south streets in this area are: Lehigh, Macon, Newkirk, Oldham, Ponca, Quail, Rappolla, Savage, Tolna, and Umbra.
The neighborhood is served by Dr. John Ruhrah Elementary Middle School, a city-designated landmark building, built in 1930.
See also
*
History of the Greeks in Baltimore
References
Further reading
* Greektown Community Development Corp. ''Greektown strategic plan'', Baltimore, Md. : Greektown Community Development Corp., 2002.
* Morgan State University, Community Development Resource Center. ''Bayview-Greektown'', Baltimore, MD: The Center, 1997.
External links
Live in Baltimore - GreektownGreektown Community Development CorporationUSA Today Television on the evolving nature of Greektown
{{Ethnic enclaves
East Baltimore
Ethnic enclaves in Maryland
Greek-American culture in Baltimore
Greektowns in the United States
Hispanic and Latino American culture in Baltimore
Neighborhoods in Baltimore
Restaurant districts and streets in the United States
Southeast Baltimore