Towson Information
Towson is located in Baltimore County, Maryland. The population was 51,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populated unincorporated county seat in the United States (after Ellicott City, Maryland).
The community is located immediately north of Baltimore City, inside the Beltway (I-695), east of I-83 and along York Road. Its census boundaries include Pikesville to the west, Lutherville-Timonium and Hampton to the north, Parkville to the east, and Baltimore to the south.
Major neighborhoods in Towson include: Anneslie, Idlewylde, Greenbriar, Southland Hills, Rodgers Forge, Stoneleigh, Wiltondale, Hampton, Hunt Crest Estates, East Towson, and West Towson. Ruxton, which lies to the west, is sometimes considered a part of Towson. Eudowood is a Towson neighborhood named after Eudocia, the wife of Dr. John T. Stansbury - on whose former estate it is situated.
Lying north of the city of Baltimore, and at the southern edge of the Piedmont gives Towson an "in-between" climate, lying between the Humid subtropical climate zone to the south and the Humid continental climate zone to the north. Summers are hot and humid, with daytime highs reaching into the 90s in July and August. Spring and fall bring pleasant temperatures in the 60s and 70s with moderate rainfall. Winters are mild by American standards but can still include occasional snowfall and freezing rain, with typical highs just above 40 degrees and lows in the mid 20s. Annual rainfall totals 45 inches (114 cm).
Towson Town Center is Baltimore County's largest indoor mall, with four stories of shops and a parking garage, which is also linked to some other shops across the street, including a Barnes and Noble, which structurally is beneath Joppa Road near the Towson Circle. Also nearby is Allegheny Avenue, the main street of downtown Towson, which offers a variety of local eateries.
Towson University is a public school in southern Towson. Towson University's student population is close to 20,000, making it the second largest institution in the University System of Maryland. TU is home to the largest Business School in the state of Maryland, with 2,500 students. It was founded in 1866 as the Maryland State Normal School for the training of teachers. North of downtown is a small private liberal arts school, Goucher College, which was founded in 1885 as The Woman's College of Baltimore.
