Arcadia, Maryland

Arcadia is located in Baltimore County, Maryland.

The population as of the 2000 census for zip code 21155, part of which is Arcadia, was 2349 (according to http://www.zipskinny.com/index.php?zip=21155&pagetype=main). Elevation: 23 feet.

Major League Baseball pitcher Otis Stocksdale was born in Arcadia on August 7, 1871. He played 6 years for Washington and 2 years for Boston.

The town of Arcadia has many attractions and events. Two such events are (1) the Annual Arcadia Spring Bluegrass Festival and (2) the annual show held by the Maryland Steam Historical Society, Inc. (http://www.MarylandSteam.org) which features steam engines, antique cars, tractor pulls, country music and a flea market, among other attractions. This show draws a crowd from all over the country.

Arcadia, MD, became well known when it was chosen as the model for the fictional hometown, also called Arcadia, on the 2003 - 2005 CBS television series "Joan of Arcadia".

The fictional Arcadia was apparently a medium-sized town in an otherwise fairly rural area; it was large enough to have a city bus service but was adjacent to mountains and forests and apparently had only the one high school where Joan and her younger brother attended and her mother taught art. Her father was the police chief until his investigation of the political corruption of the mayor and other officials found violations so serious that the city's municipal charter was revoked and it became an unincorporated area in its county, at which point Joan's father became a deputy sheriff.

Despite its medium size and the apparently suburban nature of where Joan resides, several episodes have scenes in decidedly urban downtown or disadvantaged areas. In fact, some of the series was filmed in and around Wilmington, Delaware, which has several "disadvantaged" sections.

The real life Arcadia, Md is in fact a small rural idylic town in upper Baltimore County Md. The post office is in fact labeled not Arcadia, but Upperco. Unlike the town Joan lived in, there is no police department, no Mayor or any other town governance. There is 1 church (Lutheran), a volunteer fire department, the carnival grounds and a railroad track runs through it. In recent decades there was a small independent convenience store and a Chrysler dealership neither of which exist today. It is adjacent to Md route 30 between the much larger towns of Reisterstown and Hampstead. There are 3 house lined roads that meander through it, Arcadia Avenue, Dover Rd and Trenton Rd.

External links

* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201551.html Washington Post article about Arcadia, Md.]