Crofton is a census-designated place and planned community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Established in 1964, Crofton held its 40th birthday celebration in 2004.

In July 2007 Crofton was named by Money magazine as one of "100 Best Places to Live" in the United States. Crofton placed 72nd out of 100 cities on the list. It was selected for its relative anonymity while still boasting many major amenities, excellent schools, and sought after location.

Community life frequently revolves around Crofton Parkway, actually a scenic loop long, tangentially touching the larger "triangle" made up of three nearby roads, which encloses the original Crofton community. Crofton Parkway is the scene of yearly parades, two of its three elementary schools, the Town Hall, Village Green, community events, Crofton Country Club, and walkers, joggers and bikers around the loop. The Crofton area now extends North from the triangle, including Crofton Park. Crofton also has a community pool, the Crofton Swim and Tennis Club [CSTC] but is restricted to those inhabitants of the triangle.

Originally an exclusive gated community, Crofton's gates were opened and they now only serve as a symbol for this community just off of Route 3. As of the 2000 census, the total population of the Crofton ZIP code was 20,091. Now the population in Crofton is around 30,000.

History

In 1963, after the Crawford Corporation accumulated over 1600 acres (6.5 km²) of land, it announced that it would build a new community called Crofton. This new town and planned community was founded at the same time as Reston, Virginia (April 17 1964) and Columbia, Maryland (1967). Crofton would be anchored by a community golfcourse, which later became the Crofton Country Club. Crofton was officially founded in the fall of 1964. The company considered picking an English name for the new town that "sounds well and implies that this is a pleasant place to live." It ended up picking the name "Crofton," named after a small township in Cumberland County, England. The English town was originally called Croft-town, derived from the word Croft, as the town standing upon the Crofts.

Schools

• Crofton Elementary School
• Crofton Woods Elementary School
• Crofton Meadows Elementary School
• Nantucket Elementary School
• Four Seasons Elementary School
• Crofton Middle School
• Arundel High School
• South River High School

Geography

Crofton originally consisted of only the Crofton triangle, the area bounded by Routes 3 (Crain Highway) in the West, 424 (Davidsonville Road) in the North, and 450 (Defense Highway) in the South.

The Little Patuxent River borders Crofton on its Southwest corner at the intersection of Route 3 & Route 450, providing a buffer between Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties. This region near the Patuxent River is home to a small Air Force base that serves as a satellite communications center to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C.

The Crofton area later expanded mostly North to encompass the area bounded by Reidel Road and Underwood Road. The Crofton ZIP code of 21114 -- and thus the census area -- does not encompass large portions of the area commonly known as Crofton, including Crofton Middle School and the region just North of Route 424 and Johns Hopkins Road.

Crofton is located at (39.008860, -76.680991).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Crofton ZIP code has a total area of 5.0 square miles (13.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,091 people, 7,404 households, and 5,478 families residing in the Crofton ZIP code. The following data only includes census-listed figures for the Crofton ZIP code and excludes other data for Crofton-area residents.

The population density was 3,998.6 people per square mile (1,545.3/km²). There were 7,573 housing units at an average density of 1,507.2/sq mi (582.5/km²). The racial makeup of the community was 90.21% White, 5.13% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.48% of the population.

There were 7,404 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the community the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the area was $75,046, and the median income for a family was $87,267. Males had a median income of $56,819 versus $41,229 for females. The per capita income for the area was $33,518. About 2.0% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Crofton pond snakehead fish incident

Crofton was in the national news in late June and early July 2002 after a northern snakehead was discovered in a pond behind the Crofton post office (not the local landmark Lake Louise, but instead across Route 3 from it).

The snakehead species, which is highly aggressive, voracious, and can walk short distances on land, came from a live Asian food market, where the fish is a delicacy. In order to ensure that the fish were eliminated, the pond was dosed heavily with rotenone, and subsequently with potassium permanganate (September 17, 2002). Six adult snakeheads and more than one thousand juvenile fish were found and destroyed.

Ultimately, the incident initiated a national discussion on invasive species and comparisons with the mute swan, also an invasive and destructive species of the Chesapeake Bay watershed but, in comparison, quite beautiful, and which garnered support from some environmental and animal rights groups.

There have been several movies inspired by this incident. The SciFi Network has aired two movies in relation to the snakehead outbreak. In March 2004, a movie called Snakehead Terror was featured, and in September 2005, the movie Frankenfish was aired. There has also been a movie produced by Ten Pound Films entitled Swarm of the Snakehead which related to this incident.

In 2007, a documentary on the National Geographic channel entitled Fishzilla: Snakehead Invasion aired that discussed the ecological damage that the snakeheads found in Crofton have done to surrounding areas.

Crofton's population history from the U.S. Census Bureau

The following population history only includes census-listed figures for the Crofton ZIP code and excludes other Crofton-area residents.

• 1970.......4,478
• 1980......12,009
• 1990......12,781
• 2000......20,091
• 2008......30,000 (approximately)

Existing landmarks

• Whites Hall - birth place for Johns Hopkins. Gerrard Hopkins was the first to come to America from England, settling in Crofton in 1660. The Hopkins family was in the Crofton area for 270 years and accumulated more than 1000 acres (4 km²) of land. Whites Hall still exists near the corner of Reidel Road and Johns Hopkins Road. It is privately owned.
• Linthicum Walks - a home built over 200 years ago by Thomas Linthicum III, a member of an influential family in Anne Arundel County. The original grant for the land was to Evan Davis in 1672 and obtained in 1699 by Thomas Linthicum, a Welsh immigrant. It was part of a medium size tobacco farm. George Washington stayed here during his travels to and from Annapolis and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia. Located next to Crofton Middle School and the planned location for Crofton High School, Linthicum Walks is owned by the Anne Arundel County Board of Education and is currently being restored.

Famous Croftonites

• Johns Hopkins - Johns Hopkins was born at Whites Hall on Johns Hopkins Road. Johns Hopkins was a famous businessman who was involved in the building of the B&O Railroad from Baltimore, Maryland westward and, upon his death, founded world-renowned Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
• Spiro Agnew - originally of Baltimore County, one of his homes following his resignation as Vice President of the United States was in Crofton.
• Ernie Clayton - Jim Henson's former high school classmate and namesake of the Muppet from the children's TV series Sesame Street.
• Peter Bondra - National Hockey League player and former Captain of the Washington Capitals from 1990 to 2004.
• Gheorghe Mureşan - Former Pro Basketball player for the Washington Bullets (1993-1998), holds the record as being the tallest man ever to play in the NBA.
• Charles Thomas McMillen - Former Democratic Congressman, Rhodes Scholar, and Pro Basketball Player.
• Kyle Beckerman - Current Major League Soccer (MLS) player for Real Salt Lake in Utah. Raised in Crofton and starred at Arundel High School before turning pro in 2000.

Sources

• Browne, Joseph L., From Sotweed to Suburbia: A History of the Crofton, Maryland Area, 40th Anniversary version, 1660-1960. Baltimore: Gateway Press, Inc., published by the Crofton Rotary to fund the restoration of Linthicum Walks.
• Crofton Small Area Plan

References

External links

• Crofton Living
• Crofton Details & Statistics
• Suburban Scene Magazine
• Greater Crofton Chamber of Commerce
• Focus On Crofton
• Crofton.com Online Business Directory
• Crofton Swim & Tennis Club
• Crofton Country Club
• Crofton Living Business Directory