Canton is a neighborhood located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The neighborhood is located along Baltimore's outer harbor in the southeastern section of the city. Canton is traditionally considered centered around O'Donnell Square, a park bordered on the north and south by O'Donnell Street, to the east by South Potomac Street, and to the west by Linwood Avenue. O'Donnell Square is home to several bars and restaurants, an art gallery, a coffee shop and a number of other businesses and residences, as well as a former fire station.
In recent years new developments have added other focus areas to the neighborhood, including the Canton Waterfront Park and Maryland Korean War Memorial, the rehabilitated American Can Company building, two marinas and a public boat launch, the DuBurns Soccer Arena, and many other bars and restaurants. Canton is adjacent to or near the neighborhoods of Patterson Park, Fells Point, Highlandtown, and Greektown. It is roughly two miles east of Baltimore's downtown district.
The Canton area was developed from the plantation of seaman John O’Donnell in the late 19th century by his son Columbus O’Donnell, and William Patterson and Peter Cooper. The land was sold for expanding waterfront industrial use and housing to support blue-collar workers. During the early 20th century, European immigrants settled in the area, most notably, Welsh, Irish, German and Polish. In the past several years though, as industry moved out, new housing and marinas have been developed along the waterfront and gentrification of the existing housing has occurred further inland.