Berkshire

“This neighborhood has been good for my parents, good for me, and good for my children. You know your neighbors and they know you.”

 What’s Great About Berkshire

• Stability through generations of home owners.
• Close to shopping malls, superstores and other retail locations
• Secluded, but moments from the Baltimore Beltway, Eastern Avenue and I-95

Boundaries

• North Point Road (north)
• German Hill Road (south)
• Merritt Blvd. (east)
• Poplar Avenue (west)

Overview

Berkshire is a tight-knit community of mostly brick row homes, and residents show their pride with a variety of adornments on front porches and in their front yards. The neighborhood has plenty to offer in starter homes, but many residents have remained gladly after seeing the advantages of access to shopping, major routes and a welcoming atmosphere.

Housing Choices

Brick row homes are Berkshire’s signature dwelling, featuring two or three bedrooms, full basements and front and back yards. Single homes are closer to North Point Road and are more expansive.

Attractions

A real feeling of community is apparent in Berkshire, where the Berkshire Rec Council offers a full list of sports and social programs. Berkshire Elementary School is a hub of the area, offering large open spaces, playgrounds and ball fields. Eastview Fire Station (BCFD) sits just on the edge of Berkshire, and just beyond its borders are malls, other shopping and easy access to major routes. Civic groups meet regularly to maintain Bread and Cheese Creek and the neighborhood, in general.

Neighborhood and Civic Organizations

• Berkshire Rec Council: 443-310-5732
• Berkshire Area Community Association: 410-285-1242. 

Schools

• Berkshire Elementary School: 7431 Poplar Avenue, 410-887-7008
• Holabird Middle School: 1701 Delvale Avenue, (410) 887-7049
• Dundalk High School : 1901 Delvale Avenue, (410) 887-7023
• Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts: 8100 Wise Avenue, (410) 887-7060
• Community College of Baltimore County: 7200 Sollers Point Road, (443) 840-2222 

Faith-Based Organizations

• Calvary Baptist Church: 7321 Manchester Road, (410) 285-4129
• Dundalk Assembly of God Church: 7400 German Hill Road, (410) 284-1353
• Freedom Baptist Church: 7001 German Hill Road, (410) 282-7742 

History

Berkshire has been a close-knit community since its first houses were built in 1947. Members of this working class neighborhood found the area suitable in price and location for mostly blue-collar jobs at the steel mill or GM plant – and they stay for the long haul, as evidenced by the generational stability of home ownership.

Before Berkshire’s development by the Requard Real Estate Company it was simply a portion of the path to and from Baltimore City, but through it coursed Bread and Cheese Creek. Legend maintains the stream was a resting spot for soldiers, and where they ate their rations of hardtack and cheese. Approximately 3200 men under Genl. John Stricker made camp on Bread and Cheese Creek before their defeat of British forces in 1814.

Generations since have spent their lives happily in the brick homes and single bungalows among the small winding streets that are distinctive for the neighborhood feel of corner stores like the long-standing North Point Grocery. Berkshire Elementary School has been a mainstay in the community since its construction in the mid-1960s, and Eastview Station of the Baltimore County Fire Department has provided a sense of security for decades.