Located only 45 minutes by car from Washington, DC, Baltimore is the largest city in the state of Maryland, with a population of about 630,000. It is also part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which is the 4th largest in the USA and has a population exceeding 9 million.
Founded in 1729, Baltimore has a colorful history. During the War of 1812, Baltimore was the site of a significant defeat of British naval forces and the successful defense of Fort McHenry, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem that later formed the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner, America’s national anthem.
The city has a rich cultural heritage which includes the famous American writers Edgar Allan Poe and H.L. Mencken. Sports have always been popular in Baltimore, especially the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and the Baltimore Ravens football team. Baltimore is also famous for its blue crabs that come from the Chesapeake Bay and various crab-themed dishes in its many dining establishments.
The Port of Baltimore has also played a vital role in the develoment of the city. As one of the top ports in the U.S., the Port of Baltimore has led the pack for automobile imports for years running. Starting in the 1970s, the revitalization of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor has been heralded by urban planners and residents alike. Today, the Inner Harbor serves as a core for tourism, shopping, food, & entertainment.
Baltimore’s leading industries are healthcare, biosciences, higher education, information technology, defense contracting, cyber security, and financial services. Leading local employers also include industry leaders in the areas of sporting goods, real estate development, and food processing, amongst others. The city’s economy also benefits from its proximity to a dense collection of federal agencies such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
巴尔地摩市坐落于美国首都华盛顿以北，离华盛顿仅45分钟车程。巴尔的摩是马里兰州最大的城市，人口约六十三万, 是巴尔的摩-华盛顿都市统筹区的一部分。该区域为全美第四大，总人口超过九百万。巴尔的摩拥有众多享誉世界的著名高校，比如约翰·霍普金斯大学（以及下属本科学院、医学院、彭博公共卫生学院、皮博迪音乐学院等）、马里兰艺术学院等。巴尔的摩有着多元的文化传统，曾出现过著名作家诗人埃德加·爱伦·坡和评论家及编辑H·L·门肯。体育运动也一直被这里的人们所热衷，曾诞生过一代棒球明星贝比·鲁斯，并且拥有全美一流的棒球队（巴尔的摩金莺队）和橄榄球队（巴尔的摩乌鸦队）。
巴尔的摩也因其切萨皮克湾盛产蓝蟹而闻名，是美国水产业中心之一。在这里，你几乎可以在沿岸任何餐馆里找到蓝蟹这道招牌菜。
建立于1729年的巴尔的摩有着丰富的历史。巴尔的摩市是根据17世纪的巴尔的摩男爵而命名，他是马里兰的第一位英国统治者。在1812年战争期间，英军在火烧华盛顿之后，分兵海陆两路进攻军事要地巴尔的摩，美军重创英军，著名的麦克亨利堡之战以英军的溃退告终。这激发了当地律师弗朗西斯·斯科特·基撰写出《星条旗飞扬》一诗，这后来成为了美国国歌。1904年大火中，几乎整个巴尔的摩市被毁，但是新城市奇迹般的在不到3年的时间内重建。
在巴尔的摩的发展历史中,其港口在整个城市的经济群体中一直扮演着重要的角色。巴尔的摩港是美国的主要港口之一，在汽车进口数量等方面已多年排名全美第一。从此港口发送的货物，能在24小时之内送达美国三分之一人的手中。从上世纪七十年代年开始, 巴尔的摩对其内港开展了大规模的重建和翻新工程, 并使之成为当地最繁华的购物、餐饮及娱乐中心。
巴尔的摩的龙头产业包括医疗、生物科学、高等教育、信息技术、国防、网络安全、金融等。当地的主要雇主还包括体育用品、房地产、食品加工等方面的行业领军跨国际公司。巴尔的摩的经济也受益于当地密集的联邦政府机构，例如美国国立卫生研究院(NIH)与美国国家航空航天局（NASA）等。
For more information, please visit:
City of Baltimore:
http://www.baltimorecity.gov/
Visit Baltimore:
http://baltimore.org/
Baltimore Development Corporation Foreign Trade Zone:
http://baltimoredevelopment.com/initiatives/foreign-trade-zone/
Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development: Brief Economic Facts, Baltimore City, Maryland:
http://business.maryland.gov/Documents/ResearchDocument/BaltCityBef.pdf
Baltimore Sun (newspaper):
http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Business in the State of Maryland:
http://commerce.maryland.gov/about and http://commerce.maryland.gov/about/rankings-and-statistics/data-explorer