Charles County, Maryland

Charles County, Maryland
County
Charles County
Flag Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Maryland
Maryland's location in the U.S.
Founded	April 13, 1658
Named for	Charles Calvert
Seat	La Plata
Largest community	Waldorf
Area
• Total	643 sq mi (1,665 km2)
• Land	458 sq mi (1,186 km2)
• Water	185 sq mi (479 km2), 29%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	156,118
• Density	243/sq mi (94/km²)
Congressional district	5th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.charlescountymd.gov

Charles County is a county located in the southern central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 146,551.^[1] The county seat is La Plata.^[2] The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore.

Charles County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Southern Maryland region.

History

Charles County was created in 1658 by an Order in Council. There was also an earlier Charles County from 1650 to 1653, sometimes referred to in historic documents as Old Charles County.^[3][4][5]

In April 1865, John Wilkes Booth made his escape through Charles County after shooting President Abraham Lincoln. He was on his way to Virginia.

On April 28, 2002, a tornado cut through the County and destroyed much of downtown La Plata.

The county has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.^[6] Among which, are the distinguished Green Park and the historical Pleasant Hill, home of the Green and Spalding Families.

Hunters Brooke Arson

On December 4, 2004, an arson took place in the development of Hunters Brooke which is located a few miles southeast of Indian Head. It later became the largest residential arson^[7] in the history of the state of Maryland.^[8][9][10]

Law and government

Charles County is reliably Democratic, although not as overwhelmingly so as other parts of Maryland's Washington, D.C. suburbs.^[11]

Board of Commissioners

Charles County is governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland. There are five commissioners. As of 2015, they are:

Charles County is entirely located within the 5th Congressional District, which also includes Calvert, St. Marys, and parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties. The current representative is Democratic House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 643 square miles (1,670 km²), of which 458 square miles (1,190 km²) is land and 185 square miles (480 km²) (29%) is water.^[12]

In its western wing, along the southernmost bend in Maryland Route 224, Charles County contains a rare instance where the traveler is due north, east, south, and west of the same state—Virginia.^[13]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

• US 301
• MD 5
• MD 5 Bus.
• MD 6
• MD 224
• MD 228
• MD 925

National protected area

• Thomas Stone National Historic Site

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census^[19] of 2000, there were 120,546 people, 41,668 households, and 32,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 262 people per square mile (101/km²). There were 43,903 housing units at an average density of 95 per square mile (37/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.51% White, 26.06% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 1.82% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. 2.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 11.6% were of German, 10.8% Irish, 10.2% English, 9.3% American and 5.3% Italian ancestry.

There were 41,668 households out of which 41.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 14.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.50% were non-families. 17.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 33.20% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $62,199, and the median income for a family was $67,602 (these figures had risen to $80,573 and $89,358 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $43,371 versus $34,231 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,285. About 3.70% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2010 the county population's racial makeup was 48.38% Non-Hispanic whites, 40.96% blacks, 0.65% Native Americans, 2.98% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islanders, 0.17% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 3.20% Non-Hispanics reporting more than one race and 4.27% Hispanic.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 146,551 people, 51,214 households, and 38,614 families residing in the county.^[20] The population density was 320.2 inhabitants per square mile (123.6/km²). There were 54,963 housing units at an average density of 120.1 per square mile (46.4/km²).^[21] The racial makeup of the county was 50.3% white, 41.0% black or African American, 3.0% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.3% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.3% of the population.^[20] In terms of ancestry, 12.6% were German, 10.8% were Irish, 8.7% were English, 6.3% were American, and 5.1% were Italian.^[22]

Of the 51,214 households, 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.6% were non-families, and 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.24. The median age was 37.4 years.^[20]

The median income for a household in the county was $88,825 and the median income for a family was $98,560. Males had a median income of $62,210 versus $52,477 for females. The per capita income for the county was $35,780. About 3.7% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.^[23]

Economy

Top employers

According to the County's 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[24] the top employers by number of employees in the county are:

Education

Public schools

Colleges and universities

• College of Southern Maryland, in La Plata.

Communities

Towns

• Indian Head
• La Plata (county seat)
• Port Tobacco Village

Census-designated places

The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county:

• Bennsville
• Bryans Road
• Hughesville
• Potomac Heights
• Saint Charles
• Waldorf

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

• Chuck Brown (1936–2012), the godfather of go-go, lived in Waldorf
• Gustavus Richard Brown, physician to George Washington
• George Cary (1811–1850), born near Allens Fresh in Charles County, United States Congressman from Georgia^[26]
• Barnes Compton, US Congressman
• James Craik, Physician General during the American Revolution, physician to George Washington
• Danny Gatton (1945–1994), legendary guitarist, lived in Newburg
• John Hanson, American Revolutionary War statesman
• Josiah Henson (1789–1883), former slave and author
• Matthew Henson, co-discoverer of the North Pole; born near Nanjemoy
• Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, American Revolutionary War statesman
• Larry Johnson, running back for the Washington Redskins; from Pomfret
• Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long (1798–1880), considered to be the "Mother of Texas"
• Shawn Lemon, professional football player; grew up in Waldorf
• Joel and Benji Madden from the band Good Charlotte; grew up in Waldorf
• Christina Milian, musician, lived in Waldorf
• Samuel Alexander Mudd (1833–1883), born in Charles County, the doctor implicated and imprisoned for aiding John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
• James Neale (1615–1684), born London, England, immigrated 1634, founded Wollaston Manor plantation and Cobb Island
• Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate ship Alabama, born near Nanjemoy
• General William Smallwood, American Revolutionary War statesman
• Randy Starks, defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins; from Waldorf
• Robert Stethem, noted terror hijacking victim, grew up in Pinefield, Waldorf
• Benjamin Stoddert (1751–1813), first United States Secretary of the Navy
• Thomas Stone, American Revolutionary War statesman

Sports

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Charles County, Maryland

References

External links

• Official website
  • Charles County Commissioners' Office
• Charles County at the Wayback Machine (archived June 1, 2012)

	Fairfax County, Virginia	Prince George's County
	Stafford County, Virginia and Prince William County, Virginia		Calvert County
		Charles County
		King George County, Virginia	St. Mary's County and Westmoreland County, Virginia

Municipalities and communities of Charles County, Maryland, United States
County seat: La Plata
Towns	Indian Head La Plata Port Tobacco Village
CDPs	Benedict Bensville Bryans Road Bryantown Cobb Island Hughesville Pomfret Potomac Heights Rock Point Waldorf
Other communities	Bel Alton Chicamuxen Dentsville Doncaster Faulkner Glymont Ironsides Issue Malcolm Marbury Mason Springs Masons Morgantown Mount Victoria Nanjemoy Newburg Newport Patuxent Pisgah Pomonkey Popes Creek Port Tobacco Ripley Rison Riverside St. Charles Swan Point Welcome White Plains

State of Maryland
Annapolis (capital)
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Society	Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Sports
Regions	Allegheny Mountains Atlantic coastal plain Baltimore–Washington metro area Blue Ridge Chesapeake Cumberland Valley Delaware Valley Delmarva Peninsula Eastern Shore Piedmont Ridge and Valley Southern Maryland Western Maryland Western Shore
Cities	Aberdeen Annapolis Baltimore Bowie Cambridge College Park Cumberland Frederick Gaithersburg Greenbelt Hagerstown Havre de Grace Laurel Rockville Salisbury Takoma Park Westminster
Towns	Bel Air Brunswick Denton Easton Elkton Ocean City Port Deposit
CDPs	Arbutus Arnold Aspen Hill Baltimore Highlands Bethesda Camp Springs Carney Catonsville Chillum Clinton Cockeysville-Hunt Valley Colesville Columbia Crofton Dundalk Edgewood Eldersburg Elkridge Ellicott City Essex Fairland Ferndale Fort Washington Germantown Glen Burnie Green Haven Hillcrest Heights Landover Langley Park Lanham Lansdowne Lochearn Lutherville Middle River Milford Mill Montgomery Village Odenton Olney Owings Mills Oxon Hill Parkville Perry Hall Pikesville Potomac Randallstown Redland Reisterstown Rosedale St. Charles Severn Severna Park Silver Spring South Gate Suitland Timonium Towson Urbana Waldorf Wheaton-Glenmont White Oak Woodlawn
Counties	Allegany Anne Arundel Baltimore Calvert Caroline Carroll Cecil Charles Dorchester Frederick Garrett Harford Howard Kent Montgomery Prince George's Queen Anne's St. Mary's Somerset Talbot Washington Wicomico Worcester

Coordinates: 38°29′N 77°01′W / 38.48°N 77.01°W / 38.48; -77.01