[2] The Inner Harbor is located at the mouth of Jones Falls, creating the wide and short northwest branch of the Patapsco River.

The district includes any water west of a line drawn between the foot of President Street and the American Visionary Art Museum.

While Baltimore has been a major U.S. seaport since the 18th century, the historically shallow water of the Inner Harbor prior to its manipulation through dredging was not conducive to large ships or heavy industry.

Later, the old harbors were adapted as focal points to reconnect cities with their waterfronts, and develop public spaces, tourism, business, and housing.

Rotting warehouses and piers were eventually torn down and replaced by open, grass-covered parkland that was used for recreational purposes and occasional large events.

[7] The renewal of Baltimore's Inner Harbor area began with the adoption of the 33-acre (13 ha) Charles Center project by the City Council and Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro in March 1958.

At the beginning of mayor Theodore R. McKeldin's second term in 1963, the redevelopment program was expanded to include 240 acres (97 ha) surrounding the Inner Harbor.

This interest helped spur the development of other tourist attractions – including the National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center, and the Harborplace festival marketplace (operated by The Rouse Company), which opened on July 4, 1980.

It influenced more than 100 other cities and won more than 40 national or international awards, including a citation by the American Institute of Architects in 1984 as "one of the supreme achievements of large-scale urban design and development in U.S.

In March 2004, a water taxi capsized during a storm on the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River near Fort McHenry.

Five passengers died in the accident, which the National Transportation Safety Board determined was caused when the small pontoon-style vessel encountered unpredictable strong winds and waves.

Rowan and the Women in Black filed suit against the city of Baltimore on October 7, 2003, arguing their right of free speech.

The negotiations with the ACLU, the city, The Rouse Company, and The Waterfront Partnership in the settlement yielded other specific results in favor of free speech activities.