Celebrating Charles Street as a national scenic byway

The Baltimore City Paper has already dubbed Mount Vernon as the "Best neighborhood" and area leaders are trying to make it even better.

People with the Maryland Department of Transportation joined Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith to celebrate Charles Street as a National Scenic Byway.

The 12-mile corridor joins just three other urban byways in the nation with this designation. The other three are:

•City of Las Vegas, Las Vegas Boulevard (Las Vegas, Nevada)
•Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway (St. Paul, Minnesota)
•Woodward Avenue – Automotive Heritage Trail All American Road (Detroit)

“Charles Street is one of our greatest cultural and historic treasures,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “The story of our city and region can be told through the neighborhoods, architecture, and people you find along this important street.

Now that Charles Street is a national scenic byway, we will have an opportunity to share our great story with the nation.” In recent weeks, Goodyear named Charles Street one of the top 50 most comfortable autumn drives in the nation.