The name “Baltimore” came from Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Baron of Baltimore, the town of Baltimore in County Cork Ireland. He was also the proprietor of the new colony in the Province of Maryland. The official founding of the county came in 1659. The (old) Baltimore County was then the northwestern frontier of the Province and included the current jurisdictions of Baltimore City, Cecil and Hartford Counties, as well as parts of Carroll, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Howard and Kent Counties.
From 1674, by proclamation of the Proprietor, extensive new boundary lines for old Baltimore County were established. Over the next century various segment of the old county were sliced off as the population and settlements grew in the outer portions of the old county.
The exact location of Old Baltimore was subsequently lost, but is believed to be in the vicinity of the present day Aberdeen Proving Grounds (APG) a US Army weapons testing facility. To try and find the historical location of Old Baltimore, R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates performed numerous historical and archival work. In 1997-1998, Goodwin unearthed artifacts including a King Charles II farthing coin, and English and French gun flints. They also unearthed a brick foundation and verified that is was the remains of the tavern owned by colonist James Phillips.
Today, Baltimore County is the 3rd most populated county in Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. The county is home to multiple universities, including Goucher College, Stevenson University (formerly Villa Julie College), Towson University, and the University of Maryland.