THE BALTIMORE CITY LAND BRIEF
Land in the
Chesapeake Rolling Coastal Plain setting.
Baltimore city has 80.9 square miles of land in Maryland. 3 mapped landscape regions meet across Baltimore city: Chesapeake Rolling Coastal Plain, Piedmont Uplands, Chesapeake-Pamlico Lowlands and Tidal Marshes.
Irregular plains of sand, silt and clay support a mix of pine and hardwood landscapes. The region has more relief than the lower coastal plain, with generally gentle stream gradients.
Regional context: Southeastern Plains ↗ · Regional mapping across the county footprint
Where the landscape changes
Baltimore city intersects 3 mapped regional units. The largest mapped shares are:
- Chesapeake Rolling Coastal Plain57.9%
- Piedmont Uplands39.2%
- Chesapeake-Pamlico Lowlands and Tidal Marshes2.9%
Northern Piedmont in Baltimore city
Rounded low hills, open valleys and irregular plains form a transition between Appalachian highlands and the coastal plain. The underlying geology mixes metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary rocks.
Read the regional source ↗Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain in Baltimore city
Low coastal plains contain terraces, estuaries, marshes and barrier islands. Unconsolidated sediments underlie this varied coastal setting, with forest patterns changing near streams and low-lying areas.
Read the regional source ↗Finding your parcel within Baltimore city
The atlas lists 1 cities, towns, townships, and Census communities associated with Baltimore city, including Baltimore. The list includes overlapping geography types and does not divide the county into exclusive service areas.
Baltimore city by land and water
The Census records 11.1 square miles of water within Baltimore city, or 12.1% of its total area. That share is close to Baltimore city’s 12.1%. This is geographic context; waterfront status and usable land must be checked at the parcel.
The Census boundary meets Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County within Maryland. A tract near one of these lines should be matched to the county identifier on its own records.

