Baltimore is the biggest city and cultural center of the state of Maryland, United States. It is an independent city located within the center of Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River. Baltimore is the largest city which surrounds the Baltimore Metropolitan Area, which has around 3 million people today.
The heart of Baltimore is in the arts. Its cultural center could be anywhere, from Mount Vernon to Federal Hill or Fell's Point. Each and every place is loaded with historical sites, museums and performance venues. Some of the most popular ones consist of: American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, Baltimore Opera Company, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, CENTERSTAGE, Contemporary Museum, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Maryland Historical Society, The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, The Walters Art Museum, Reginald F. lewis Museum of Maryland and the African American History and Culture. The American Visionary Art Museum highlights the outstanding original art works made by intuitive, self-taught artists. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum highlights the most comprehensive collection within the Western Hemisphere. Baltimore Museum of Art is Maryland's largest art museum that highlights an internationally famous collection of contemporary, 19th century and modern art. Baltimore Opera Company showcases grand operas which are fully staged highlighting international conductors, singers and directors. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs pop, family, classical, summer and holiday concerts showcasing world-famous artists.
The service trade gives Baltimore City a strong base for its financial system. There are six Fortune 1000 companies in the city, consisting of McCormick & Company (in Hunt Valley), T. Rowe Price, Legg Mason, Black & Decker (in Towson), Constellation Energy and Grace Chemicals (in Columbia). Other businesses which are situated in the city of Baltimore comprise: Alex. Brown & Sons, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank (of Baltimore origin, and at the time of its acquisition, the oldest continuously-running investment bank in the United States), Thomson Prometric, Brown Advisory, Vertis, Sylvan Learning, Under Armour, De Baufre Bakeries, Advertising.com, AAI Corporation (in Hunt Valley) and Wm. T. Burnett and Co.. Additionally, the John Hopkins Hospital is also situated in Baltimore City. It would serve as the center of a new biotechnology park, that are currently under construction in the city of Baltimore.