Although located within Baltimore County, the city of Baltimore is an independent city, having split off from the county in 1851. Named for the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony, Lord Baltimore in the Irish House of Lords, Baltimore City is a major manufacturing center and a world seaport, located closer to the major Midwestern markets than any other major port on the East Coast.

Founded as a commercial port on the upper Chesapeake Bay in 1729, Baltimore came to prominence during the Revolutionary War, when the nation's capital was temporarily moved there from Philadelphia. During the War of 1812, the British declared Baltimore "a nest of pirates," and moved on the city after burning Washington D.C, attacking by land and sea. The American forces held off the attacks on Fort McHenry, enduring the naval bombardment until the British forces eventually withdrew. It was here, at the Battle of Baltimore, that Francis Scott Key saw the American flag still flying over the fort and was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."