begun in 1926 and completed in the 1970s. Echodale Avenue was built in 1935. By the mid-1920s, Harford Road had also evolved from a dusty toll road to a public arterial road. These roads allowed Hamilton's residents to access the rest of the city more easily and vice versa. Mid to late 20th century Hamilton was described throughout the 20th century as a desirable, family-oriented suburb and was known for its main street corridor on Harford Road. After another housing boom following World War II, most of the space available for residential stock had been developed. The last major housing push in Hamilton was the construction of apartment complexes near Northern Parkway and Perring Parkway, which occurred during the late 1960s and 1970s. From the 1940s to the 1950s, Baltimore's city planners discontinued the electric streetcar system in favor of gasoline-powered automobiles. General Motors, Standard Oil, and Firestone Tire influenced the conversion of the city's streetcars to buses, and Hamilton's rail service on Harford Road was discontinued on June 19, 1956. The conversion of Harford Road exclusively to automobiles impacted Hamilton's main street economy. Over time, retailers relocated elsewhere to accommodate shoppers at strip malls and later at shopping malls. Hamilton's characteristics changed during the latter half of the 20th century. The area became more of a pass-through community than a destination as its main street economy declined. White residents began migrating away from Baltimore and from Hamilton as suburban communities emerged in surrounding counties. Following the racial desegregation of Baltimore's public schools in the 1950s and 1960s, the majority of public school students in the city and in the Hamilton area shifted from White to Black. Generally speaking, Hamilton evolved into a more mixed-race area after Baltimore's population peaked in the 1950s. 21st century To combat urban decay in the Hamilton-Lauraville area, local advocates targeted the Harford Road corridor for revitalization during the 1990s and 2000s. Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded with the support of the Baltimore Main Streets program. The organization's mission is to provide "quality of life experiences that retain residents and attract new neighbors, and to create opportunities for local businesses". Hamilton Lauraville Main Street has since hosted cultural events in the neighborhood and provided grants to businesses for improvements. In 2000, the neighborhood association representing what became Hamilton Hills named the neighborhood Harford Echodale Perring Parkway (HEPP). In 2003, the association