Listener Kate Jakuta asks, “Why isn’t Baltimore City part of Baltimore County? And could the city and the county ever join in the future?” It’s a mystery that hopscotches us through time to the founding of Baltimore Town in 1729, the rewriting of the State Constitution in 1851, and a sly ballot referendum in 1948, which adds up to an unfortunate result for the city. While other US cities continue to grow by annexing land from surrounding counties, Baltimore’s city/county line has been frozen in place for more than 70 years. Is there a way to unbind the city? And is there a political will to make it happen?

This episode we hear from:

The Villena family, whose house is bisected by the city/county line

Matthew Crensen, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University, and author of Baltimore: A Political History

Ron Cassie, Senior Editor and Political Reporter at Baltimore Magazine. Check out Ron’s article, How To Fix Baltimore

Don Hutchinson, former County Executive of Baltimore County