Glen Burnie, Maryland

Glen Burnie is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, situated approximately ten miles south of downtown Baltimore. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 72,891 at the 2020 census. The largest community in Anne Arundel County and the eighth most populous place in Maryland, Glen Burnie is a quintessential postwar American suburb — auto-oriented, commercially dense along its main corridors, and deeply rooted in the working- and middle-class traditions of the Baltimore metropolitan area. It is also one of the few large unincorporated communities in Maryland that has historically functioned as a de facto county seat for much of Anne Arundel’s administrative activity.

Founding and History

In 1812, Elias Glenn, a district attorney, established a country estate south of Baltimore. He named his property “Glennsburne.” The name was changed to “Glennsbourne Farm,” and eventually “Glenburnie,” as the property was passed through Glenn’s descendants. Records also show the name as “Tracey’s Station” and “Myrtle,” after local postmaster Samuel Sewell Tracey and one of Tracey’s boarders, before the final decision was made.

In 1854, William Wilkins Glenn, Elias Glenn’s grandson, incorporated the Curtis Creek Mining, Furnace and Manufacturing Company into his family’s property. The business flourished during the 19th century, and with it came several thousand acres of land in northern Anne Arundel County. Upon the death of William Wilkins Glenn, his son, brother, and nephew began to manage the family’s business affairs, and Glenburnie became an official state subdivision in 1888. It would not be until 1930 that postmaster Louis J. DeAlba decided two words were better than one, and gave the town a final name change to the current Glen Burnie.

Among the earliest Glen Burnie schools was First Avenue Elementary, built in 1899. The oldest area church is St. Alban’s Episcopal, which was built in 1904, with many of its bricks dating back to Marley Chapel, an early Maryland parish from the 1730s. Crain Highway, one of Glen Burnie’s main thoroughfares, opened in 1927 and Ritchie Highway opened shortly after.

The postwar era transformed Glen Burnie from a modest crossroads community into one of the fastest-growing suburbs in the Baltimore region. A pivotal moment in retail history occurred in 1958 when Harundale Mall opened. It was the first enclosed shopping center east of the Mississippi River — and also one of the first places to be called a “mall.” Glen Burnie Mall followed in 1962, and Marley Station Mall opened in 1987, eventually growing to 130 stores on two floors with a movie theater and five anchor spaces.

In the 1970s, developers tried to make Glen Burnie more urban by building and funding new projects, projects like Empire Towers in 1974, and Crain Towers in 1990, then with the addition of an Anne Arundel Community College branch in the town center. In 1965, North Arundel Hospital opened as a community hospital, but as it was constantly overflowed with patients, the University of Maryland Medical System bought the hospital in 2000 and renovated it to accommodate more patients and equipment.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 18.0 square miles, of which 17.3 square miles is land and 0.69 square miles, or 3.95%, is water. The intersection of Central Avenue and Crain Highway forms the boundaries of the NW, SW, NE, and SE postal quadrants in the community’s center. The community is generally flat, lying on the Atlantic Coastal Plain between Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay. Its western boundary abuts Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and its northern edge connects to the I-695 Baltimore Beltway corridor. The community borders Linthicum and the airport to the west, Ferndale and Brooklyn Park to the north, Pasadena to the east, and Severn to the south.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States Census, the community had a population of 72,891 residents, with a median age of 36.9 years and a diverse demographic composition including 52.4% White, 26.3% Black or African American, 12.6% Hispanic or Latino, 4.4% Asian, and smaller percentages of other groups. The area has a median household income of $88,291 as of 2023. As of 2024, 13.9% of Glen Burnie residents were born outside of the United States.

The community has diversified substantially since the 2000 census, when it was 81% White. The growth of the Hispanic population in particular — reflecting broader trends across Anne Arundel County — has made Glen Burnie considerably more multiethnic over the past two decades. The average commute time for residents is 27.3 minutes, and the average car ownership is 2 cars per household, reflecting the community’s auto-dependent suburban character.

Government

As an unincorporated community, Glen Burnie has no independent municipal government. It is administered by Anne Arundel County, which provides all public services including police, fire, schools, and planning. The Anne Arundel County seat and government offices are located in Annapolis, though Glen Burnie serves as the practical administrative center for much of northern Anne Arundel. The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration office building employs many people in town and serves as one of the state’s busiest DMV facilities. Glen Burnie falls within Maryland’s 1st congressional district and is served by state legislators from Anne Arundel County’s northern districts.

Economy

Glen Burnie’s economy is heavily oriented toward retail, healthcare, and services, with a significant commuter workforce traveling to Baltimore and the BWI employment corridor. According to the Business Census (2023), there are 1,871 business establishments in Glen Burnie, employing about 31,739 people with an annual payroll of $1.818 billion. The most common employment sectors for residents are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,134 people), Retail Trade (5,111 people), and Construction (3,933 people).

The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center — formerly North Arundel Hospital — is one of the community’s largest employers and serves the entire northern Anne Arundel region. Baltimore/Washington International Airport is directly adjacent to the west of Glen Burnie, providing major employment and economic spillover for the area’s hotels, car rental agencies, logistics businesses, and transportation workers. Ritchie Highway (MD 2) running north-south through the community is lined with the auto dealerships, strip malls, fast-food chains, and big-box retailers that define Glen Burnie’s commercial character.

Education

Glen Burnie is served by Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), one of the larger school systems in Maryland. Public schools in or serving Glen Burnie include several elementary schools, middle schools, and Glen Burnie High School. The private Monsignor Slade Catholic School operates in the community. Glen Burnie is also home to a campus of Anne Arundel Community College. AACC’s Glen Burnie campus provides accessible higher education and continuing education to residents of northern Anne Arundel County.

Culture and Landmarks

Glen Burnie’s place in retail history is anchored by Harundale Mall, which in 1958 became the first enclosed shopping mall east of the Mississippi River, pioneering a format that would define American suburbia for generations. Today the Marley Station Mall on Ritchie Highway remains a commercial anchor, though like many enclosed malls it has faced challenges from changing retail patterns.

As the southern terminus of the Cromwell Branch of the Baltimore Light Rail, Glen Burnie is home to two light rail stops, Ferndale and Glen Burnie. Glen Burnie station, located at the intersection of Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard and Dorsey Road, is equipped with a free park-and-ride for commuters, as well as a bus connection to MTA Route 14 and bike connection to the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail. BWI Rail Station located in nearby Linthicum provides regional rail service to Glen Burnie via the MARC Penn Line and Amtrak.

The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, a 13-mile paved path running on the former right-of-way of the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad, passes through Glen Burnie and connects it to Annapolis, offering a popular recreational corridor for cyclists and pedestrians. Local parks including Sawmill Creek Park and North Arundel Sports Complex provide green space in an otherwise commercially dense environment.

Notable People

Elwood Edwards — Voice actor born in Glen Burnie who recorded the iconic America Online greeting voice, including “Welcome” and “You’ve Got Mail,” heard by tens of millions of AOL users throughout the 1990s. Rudy Gay (b. 1986) — NBA forward who played for multiple teams including the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs; grew up in Glen Burnie. Mary Leona Gage (1936–2010) — Miss Maryland USA and Miss USA 1957. Mark E. Ferguson III — Admiral in the U.S. Navy, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, from Glen Burnie. Branden Albert (b. 1985) — NFL offensive tackle, raised in Glen Burnie. Jacob M. Appel — Noted author and bioethicist. Mo Gaba (2006–2020) — Beloved young sports fan and cancer advocate who became a Baltimore icon before his passing at age 14, from the Glen Burnie area.

At a Glance