Welcome to Towson ...
Towson is located in Baltimore County<1> and is the County Seat for Baltimore County.
Towson was established in 1750.
Towson is 460 feet [140 m] above sea level.<2>.
Time Zone: Towson lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Towson: 410, 443 & 667<3>
The ZIP codes for Towson: 21204, 21286<4>
Going back to its beginning, Towson was originally named Towsontown. For more information about the names of Towson, see The Names of Towson on our Genealogy Page.
Communities Also Named Towson ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 2 communities that are also named Towson - they are located in Texas and West Virginia.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Towson.
Websites for Towson ...
Chamber of Commerce: www.baltcountycc.com/
Although we don't have any websites that are specific to Towson, the following might be of interest:
Communities near Towson ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Towson.
- Baltimore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
- Baltimore is located in Baltimore City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 586,131 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baltimore <5>
- Bel Air
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel Air
- Bel Air is located in Harford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,266 people
- Former names for Bel Air:
- Belle Air
- Belle Aire
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bel Air <5>
- Sykesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sykesville have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sykesville
- Sykesville is located in Carroll County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,973 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sykesville <5>
- Carney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Doncaster Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doncaster Village have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doncaster Village
- Doncaster Village is located in Baltimore County
- Dulaney Valley ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dulaney Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<7>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dulaney Valley
- Dulaney Valley is located in Baltimore County
- Mays Chapel Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mays Chapel Village have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mays Chapel Village
- Mays Chapel Village is located in Baltimore County
- Texas
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Waverly
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Waverly is located in Baltimore City
- Charles Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charles Village have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Village
- Charles Village is located in Baltimore City
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Towson. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Towson.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Towson. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Towson.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Towson. Our list includes 27 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Towson.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Towson ...
Looking for more information about Towson? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Towson, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Towson.
Adding Towson to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Towson in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Towson was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Towson on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Maryland (1911).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Towson.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Towson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Baltimore County: www.co.ba.md.us/
The official website for State of Maryland: https://www.maryland.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Maryland's counties, including Baltimore, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Towson - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 410 code has been Overlayed with one of the following codes: 443 or 667. New phone numbers in the Towson area will be assigned with one of these codes: 410, 443 or 667. As a result, placing a call in the Towson area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Towson). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Towson or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |