What it’s like to live in Towson, neighborhood by neighborhood
Towson packs a county seat, a university, a big mall and a dozen distinct neighborhoods into a few square miles just north of Baltimore City. I went to college here. Here’s what daily life looks like in each part of town.
Updated November 2026
The lay of the land
Downtown Towson sits where York Road, Dulaney Valley Road and Joppa Road meet, with the county courts and government offices, Towson University just south, and Towson Town Center to the east. The Beltway (I-695) arcs across the north side. Residential neighborhoods spread out in every direction, and because Towson grew in waves, each area reflects its decade: 1920s streetcar suburbs along York Road, 1930s to 1950s rowhouse communities, and postwar ranches and split-levels.
Rodgers Forge
The Keelty company built Rodgers Forge between 1931 and 1957: roughly 1,777 brick group rowhouses on a grid of tree-lined streets just north of the city line. The 1930s sections have English-style details; the postwar blocks lean Early American. The neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Rodgers Forge Community Association enforces architectural covenants, so exterior changes go through review. Shops and restaurants on York Road are a short walk away.
Stoneleigh
Stoneleigh began in the early 1920s as a streetcar suburb at the southeast corner of York Road and Hatherleigh Road, served by the line that ran down York Road to downtown Baltimore. The Maryland Historical Trust lists Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, French Revival, Spanish Mission, Renaissance Revival and Craftsman houses, with infill into the 1980s. The Stoneleigh Club opened the community pool in the 1920s, and it’s still the center of neighborhood life in summer.
Anneslie
Anneslie was platted in 1922 as fourteen blocks of uniform lots east of York Road, right above the city line. Homes are Tudor, Cape Cod, colonial and foursquare styles, many with detached garages. It’s named for Villa Anneslie, an 1850s Italianate country house that still stands in the middle of the neighborhood. A cluster of shops along York Road serves it.
West Towson, Ruxton and Riderwood
West of downtown, older single-family homes give way to larger houses on bigger, wooded lots in Ruxton and Riderwood, near Lake Roland. Roads curve, lots are deep, and some homes sit well back from the street. Expect higher maintenance on large old houses and more driving for errands.
Downtown and near campus
Condos, apartments and some older houses sit within walking distance of Towson University, the courts and the mall. Rentals are common close to campus. Baltimore County’s occupancy rules limit how many unrelated people can share a single-family house, which shapes the rental market near TU.
Everyday life
Baltimore County’s property tax rate is $1.10 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal 2026. The county handles trash, recycling, schools, police and fire, since Towson isn’t an incorporated city.
Baltimore County Public Schools assigns by address. Check the exact house with the school system’s locator.
I-695, York Road, Charles Street and Dulaney Valley Road. Light rail at Timonium and Lutherville. Buses run on York Road.
Dig deeper on my main site: Towson neighborhoods compared by home price and cost of living in Towson by home type.
Questions people ask
What neighborhoods are in Towson?
Commonly named ones include Rodgers Forge, Stoneleigh, Anneslie, West Towson, Towson Manor Village, Wiltondale, Idlewylde, Knollwood and Aigburth Manor, plus downtown. Ruxton, Riderwood and Lutherville are close neighbors.
Is Towson walkable?
Parts are. Downtown, Rodgers Forge, Stoneleigh and Anneslie are close enough to York Road shops and restaurants to walk. Many other neighborhoods are more car-dependent.
What kind of homes are in Rodgers Forge?
Brick group rowhouses built by the Keelty company from 1931 to 1957, about 1,777 in all, with English-style details in the older sections and Early American styles after the war.
Is Towson in Baltimore City or County?
Baltimore County. Towson is the county seat. Some nearby homes have Baltimore, MD mailing addresses but are still in the county.
How much are property taxes in Towson?
Baltimore County’s rate is $1.10 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal 2026, per the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, before any credits.
About Mike Fielder
Mike Fielder is a Baltimore Realtor and Sales Director of The Key Home Team at Cummings & Co. Realtors. Licensed since June 2016, he focuses on North Baltimore (Lake Evesham, Lake Walker, Cedarcroft, Hampden and Remington) and the Towson area. He also serves as Vice President of the Lake Evesham Community Association.
Over his career, Mike has sold 190 homes worth more than $56 million. He’s backed by The Key Home Team, which has sold more than $375 million in real estate and closes about $30 million a year.
Mike founded Property Management of Baltimore in 2014, two years before getting his license, and still runs it. Managing rentals taught him what repairs really cost, which updates buyers pay for, and how to keep a deal moving when something breaks. Sellers get that judgment when deciding what to fix before listing. Buyers get it when they’re reading an inspection report.
A Towson University graduate, Mike keeps his approach simple: price from real recent sales, spend money only where it pays back, and compare offers by what the client actually keeps.
More from Mike: Towson on mikesellsbaltimore.com · Living in Rodgers Forge · Full bio
Trying to choose a Towson neighborhood?
Tell me how you want to live and what you need nearby. I’ll show you which streets fit, and which don’t.
The Key Home Team of Cummings & Co. Realtors
Cell: 410-905-6678
Email: mike@mykeyhometeam.com
Office: 410-823-0033
108 W Timonium Rd, Timonium, MD 21093
Website: mikesellsbaltimore.com