Choosing a Neighborhood
Bolton Hill
The College is located in this historic residential neighborhood with a great variety of apartments. By far, this is the most popular neighborhood for MICA students. Rents tend to be slightly higher than some neighborhoods and often don’t include utilities (although the lucky can still find great deals!). Bolton Hill is bordered on the north by North Avenue, on the west by Eutaw Place, on the east by Mt. Royal Avenue, and on the south by Dolphin Street. On-the-Hill Café, b restaurant, Sav-a-Lot, Rite Aid, Belle & Paint Hardware store, and other shops are located in the neighborhood. Some of our faculty and many alumni live in this area. Bolton Hill is a cultural district that allows one to walk to places like: Lyric Opera House, Meyerhoff Symphony House, and Charles Theatre.
Eutaw Place
Adjacent to Bolton Hill, Eutaw Place has beautiful, large, sunny apartments, many recently renovated. Some students rent houses here. Rents usually are considerably less expensive than in nearby Bolton Hill and other areas.
Mount Vernon
This area is another popular neighborhood for students and one where you will constantly discover someone from the college living practically next door. Rents are slightly lower than Bolton Hill. Mount Vernon has many shops, including small restaurants, clubs, convenience stores, record shops, and health food stores. Mount Vernon is accessible to major bus lines. Mount Vernon is bounded by Mount Royal Ave. to the north, Mulberry St. to the south, Guilford St. to the east and Howard St. to the west.
The neighborhood has more traffic and is noisier than Bolton Hill, but overall is a great place to live.
Penn Station/Station North Arts & Entertainment District
This area lies between Mount Vernon and Charles Village, north east of Mt. Royal Avenue, near the train station and within walking distance of campus. It stretches east to Greenmount Avenue. MICA has expanded and now owns several properties along North Avenue including the Lazarus Center, The Parkway Theatre and others.
Charles Village
This neighborhood is an attractive one for students who have access to reliable transportation and don’t mind living further away from the College. Charles Village is adjacent to Johns Hopkins University – many Hopkins students reside in the neighborhood. It includes a variety of shops, restaurants, businesses and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Charles Village's boundaries run from University Parkway in the north down Guilford Avenue in the east until 25th Street, where the eastern boundary becomes Saint Paul Street until the southern boundary at 22nd Street. Howard Street provides the western boundary until 29th Street where Howard ends and the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Johns Hopkins University create a western boundary at Charles Street.
Reservoir Hill
Reservoir Hill is a residential neighborhood north of Bolton Hill and immediately adjacent to Druid Hill Park. Several neighborhoods identify themselves within the larger Reservoir Hill Neighborhood:
Upper Eutaw / Madison: Bounded by North Avenue, Druid Hill Park, Eutaw Place and Madison Avenue
Historic Mt. Royal: Bounded by Mt. Royal Avenue and North Avenue Brookfield
Newington: 2200 block Brookfield Avenue 800 – 900 blocks Newington Avenue
Bolton / Park: 1900 – 2000 Block Park Avenue 700 Block Reservoir Street 2000 Block Reservoir Street
Fell's Point
Fell's Point is not within walking distance of campus, but accessible by public transportation. It has a mix of vibrant commercial district which boasts a diverse set of excellent restaurants, eclectic retail from furniture to specialty shops, great pubs and nightlife, and one of the famous Baltimore markets. Fell's Point is a historic waterfront community just east of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The Fell's Point Historic District occupies the area from Gough Street south to the water’s edge, roughly between Caroline and Chester Streets.
Hampden
Within two and a half miles of campus, Hampden is not within walking distance but is accessible by light rail. Many vintage and antique stores and good, cheap eats: 41st Street to the north, Clipper Mill to the south, Jones Falls River to the west and Wyman Park to the east.
Remington
Remington stretches from North Avenue all the way to Johns Hopkins and the BMA. It has drastically changed since 2017 with major projects opening like R House and Remingtion Row. New businesses, restaurants and a revitalization makes this neighborhood attractive and close to MICA.