More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #193 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Forest Glen was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Forest Glen is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #193 of 261 in Maryland. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Forest Glen’s overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Forest Glen’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.5 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Forest Glen’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Forest Glen was once part of a land grant made in 1680 to one of Archbishop John Carroll's ancestors.
Daniel Carroll, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, lived in Forest Glen. Carroll's body was buried in St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Cemetery in Forest Glen. The church building was originally built as a wood-framed structure in 1774. It was replaced by a brick structure in 1894.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Forest Glen is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #193 of 261 in Maryland. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Forest Glen?
5% of Forest Glen’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1958.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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