Pigtown, known sometimes as Washington Village, is a neighborhood in southwest Baltimore bordered by Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. on the east, Monroe Street on the west, Russell Street on the south, and the B&O Railroad Museum on the north. It is rumored to have gotten its '"pig"' name from the scores of pigs that would be dragged through its narrow streets every day on their way to be slaughtered in meat-packing plants.

Pigtown's proximity to the I-95 corridor, the University of Maryland Medical System campus, Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, and downtown Baltimore have brought upscale townhomes to the eastern edge of the neighborhood, including the eclectic renovations of Barre Circle, one of Baltimore's famous dollar-house neighborhoods.

However, other parts of the neighborhood have remained working class, as any trip down an alley street (or any street for that matter) will show you.

Pigtown, named as such due to the pigs that used to be brought in on the B&O Railroad and then run through the streets to the slaughter houses. Pigtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December of 2006. This neighborhood is undergoing a revitalization and with its proximity to downtown Baltimore, I95 and 295, and the MARC train to Washington DC, it is becoming more and more attractive to young residents who want urban living at an affordable price.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigtown,_Baltimore