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Calvert County, Maryland

Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is on a peninsula, bordered on the east by the Chesapeake Bay, and on the west by the Patuxent River. Calvert County is part of the Southern Maryland region. Its residents are among the highest-income in the United States.

As of 2004, the population was about 86,475. Its county seat is the town of Prince Frederick, Maryland. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of the English Colony of Maryland.

Calvert County is one of the several Maryland counties that make up part of the Washington Metropolitan Area or the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.

Business and Industry

Calvert County is the home of the notable Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant at Lusby.

A branch of the United States Naval Research Laboratory is located at Chesapeake Beach.

The Patuxent River Naval Air Station is located immediately to the south of Calvert County, in St. Mary's County.

Tourism is an important part of the economy, especially in supporting such activities as fishing, hunting, and boating.

History

First settled as Charles County (not the same as present-day Charles County, Maryland) around 1650,, it was renamed. Patuxent County was established in 1654 by an Order in Council. In 1658 the county was renamed Calvert County. It is one of the older counties in Maryland, after St. Mary's County, Kent County and Anne Arundel County.

Once made up primarily of farms and tobacco fields, the county was/is slowly claiming its place as a fast-growing exurban neighbor of Washington. Many home prices have nearly quadrupled in the past decade, with many four-bedroom homes in the northern half of the county averaging over $1,000,000. The popular weekend resort towns Solomons, Maryland and Chesapeake Beach are notable.

Law and government

Calvert County is governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland. Calvert County is a jurisdiction of Maryland's 5th Congressional District. The District is represented in the U.S House of Representatives by Congressman and current House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 square miles (894 km²), of which, 215 square miles (557 km²) of it is land and 130 square miles (336 km²) of it (37.65%) is water.

Climate

Calvert County lies in the Humid subtropical climate zone, with hot, humid summers and mild to chilly winters with plentiful precipitation year-round. Its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay has a moderating effect on temperatures compared with locales further inland.

Famous Residents

Living:

Best selling author Tom Clancy
Former CNN Anchor and PBS journalist Judy Woodruff
Executive editor for Bloomberg News Al Hunt
WJLA-TV weatherman Doug Hill
Theoretical ecologist Dr. Robert Ulanowicz
Former Maryland State Senator and Patuxent River advocate Bernie Fowler
Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.
Actor Michael Willis, whose credits include HBO's The Wire and Men in Black

Deceased:

Judith Catchpole, an indentured servant who in 1656 was tried and acquitted of murdering her unborn child by one of the earliest all-female juries in the United States.
Roger Brooke Taney, the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice who presided over the Dred Scott decision.
Former Maryland comptroller Louis L. Goldstein
Arthur Storer, first astronomer in the American colonies and the original namesake for Halley's Comet
Thomas Johnson, the first elected governor of Maryland and U.S. Supreme Court justice
Louisa Adams, wife of U.S. President John Quincy Adams
Margaret Taylor, wife of U.S. President Zachary Taylor
Former U.S. Senator and Maryland governor Joseph Kent
Former U.S. House of Representatives member Augustus Rhodes Sollers
Nineteenth century professional baseball player Cupid Childs

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 74,563 people, 25,447 households, and 20,154 families residing in the county. The population density was 346 people per square mile (134/km²). There were 27,576 housing units at an average density of 128 per square mile (49/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.93% White, 13.11% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.5% were of Irish, 15.0% German, 12.0% English, 11.5% United States or American and 7.1% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 25,447 households out of which 41.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.80% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.80% were non-families. 16.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the county the population was spread out with 29.60% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $65,945, and the median income for a family was $71,545. Males had a median income of $48,664 versus $32,265 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,410. About 3.10% of families and 4.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Calvert County includes two municipalities, both classified as towns under Maryland law:

Chesapeake Beach (incorporated 1886)
North Beach (incorporated 1910)

Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people and listed in many collections of towns, but they lack local government. Various organizations, such as the United States Census Bureau, the United States Postal Service, and local chambers of commerce, define the communities they wish to recognize differently, and since they are not incorporated, their boundaries have no official status outside the organizations in question. The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county:

Calvert Beach-Long Beach (a combination of the communities of Calvert Beach and Long Beach recognized as a unit by many people)
Chesapeake Ranch Estates-Drum Point (a combination of the communities of Chesapeake Ranch Estates and Drum Point recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
Dunkirk
Huntingtown
Lusby
Owings
Prince Frederick
St. Leonard
Solomons

Dunkirk, Huntingtown, Lusby, Owings, Prince Frederick, St. Leonard and Solomons have all been designated by Calvert County government as being "town centers." The "town center" designation means while these communities may not have incorporated central governments, they do have specified boundaries surrounding the central business and residential areas for zoning purposes. The reason behind the "town center" designation is to cluster new development within established areas with existing infrastructure, thus discouraging urban sprawl. The implementation of the "town center" concept in Calvert County over the past two decades has for the most part been successful in preserving rural and agricultural areas outside the designated "town centers", and stands as a key example of the smart growth planning strategy.

Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include:

Highways and Roads

The main artery serving Calvert County is Maryland Route 4 (which begins in Washington, D.C. as Pennsylvania Avenue before crossing into Prince Georges County, Maryland and Anne Arundel County, Maryland). Route 4 in Calvert County begins at the very northern tip of the county at Lyons Creek, approximately 3 miles north of Dunkirk. At Sunderland, Route 4 meets Maryland Route 2 (traveling south as a two-lane road from Annapolis) and the two roads merge as Maryland Route 2-4. Route 2-4 continues south through Prince Frederick, St. Leonard and Lusby. At Solomons, Routes 2 and 4 split again, with Route 2 heading towards downtown Solomons and Route 4 crossing the Patuxent River at the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge into St. Mary's County.

Route 2-4 is designated Solomons Island Road throughout much of the county, with the section south of Prince Frederick being recently renamed Louis Goldstein Highway in memory of Louis Goldstein, the former comptroller of Maryland and Calvert County resident.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Route 2-4 underwent an extensive expansion project, with the formerly two-lane road becoming a four-lane dual highway. Certain portions of the highway were re-aligned, with the former roadway becoming Maryland Route 765. The final portion of the dualized Route 2-4 between St. Leonard and Solomons was completed in 1988.

Other major roadways in Calvert County include:

Maryland Route 231, which travels west from Prince Frederick to the Patuxent River, ultimately crossing the river at the Benedict Bridge into Charles County.
Maryland Route 260, which starts at an overpass interchange at the Calvert-Anne Arundel border and travels southeast to Chesapeake Beach. A portion of Route 260 is a four-lane dual highway.