With an estimated 576,400 residents, Baltimore has seen dramatic population loss since its population peak of just under 1 million in the 1950s. The city’s trajectory is emblematic of so many northeastern and midwestern cities with industrial bases: a combination of job loss and suburbanization has left these cities with shrinking tax bases but growing problems.
The HBO series The Wire, proclaimed by some as the greatest television series ever made, does a great job of highlighting these problems while also reminding us of the resilience of the city’s residents. There are even a few baseball game scenes in that show!