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Calvert County, Maryland facts for kids

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Calvert County
County
Drum Point Light
Flag of Calvert County
Flag
 Official seal of Calvert County
Seal
Map of Maryland highlighting Calvert County
Location within the U.S. state of Maryland
Map of the United States highlighting Maryland
Maryland's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Maryland
Founded 1654
Named for Calvert family
Seat Prince Frederick
Largest town Chesapeake Beach
Area
 • Total 345 sq mi (890 km2)
 • Land 213 sq mi (550 km2)
 • Water 132 sq mi (340 km2)  38%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 92,783
 • Density 435.60/sq mi (168.19/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 5th

Calvert County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 88,737. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. 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 included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. It occupies the Calvert Peninsula, which is bordered on the east by Chesapeake Bay and on the west by the Patuxent River.

Calvert County is part of the Southern Maryland region. The county has one of the highest median household incomes in the United States.

History

First colonized as part of Charles County (much larger than the present-day Charles County) 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 has become 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 of Solomons, Chesapeake Beach, and North Beach are notable.

The county has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 square miles (890 km2), of which 213 square miles (550 km2) is land and 132 square miles (340 km2) (38%) is water. It is the smallest county in Maryland by land area and third-smallest by total area.

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.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 8,652 —
1800 8,297 −4.1%
1810 8,005 −3.5%
1820 8,073 0.8%
1830 8,900 10.2%
1840 9,229 3.7%
1850 9,646 4.5%
1860 10,447 8.3%
1870 9,865 −5.6%
1880 10,538 6.8%
1890 9,860 −6.4%
1900 10,223 3.7%
1910 10,325 1.0%
1920 9,744 −5.6%
1930 9,528 −2.2%
1940 10,484 10.0%
1950 12,100 15.4%
1960 15,826 30.8%
1970 20,682 30.7%
1980 34,638 67.5%
1990 51,372 48.3%
2000 74,563 45.1%
2010 88,737 19.0%
2020 92,783 4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010–2018

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 88,737 people, 30,873 households, and 23,732 families residing in the county. The population density was 416.3 inhabitants per square mile (160.7/km2). There were 33,780 housing units at an average density of 158.5 per square mile (61.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 81.4% white, 13.4% black or African American, 1.4% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.6% were German, 17.6% were Irish, 13.9% were English, 8.4% were Italian, and 7.4% were American.

Of the 30,873 households, 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.1% were non-families, and 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.23. The median age was 40.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $90,838 and the median income for a family was $102,638. Males had a median income of $66,909 versus $49,337 for females. The per capita income for the county was $36,323. About 2.8% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

According to the 2010 Census the racial and ethnic make-up of the Calvert County Population was 79.65% Non-Hispanic whites, 13.44% blacks, 0.37% Native Americans, 1.42% Asians, 0.05% Pacific Islanders, 0.12% Non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 2.40% Non-Hispanics reporting multiple races and 2.75% Hispanic.

Transportation

2016-07-20 17 33 07 View south along Maryland State Route 2 and Maryland State Route 4 (Solomons Island Road) just south of Southern Maryland Boulevard in Calvert County, Maryland
MD 2/MD 4 southbound in Calvert County

The main artery serving Calvert County is Maryland Route 4 (which begins in Washington, D.C. as Pennsylvania Avenue before crossing into Prince George's 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 L. 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. In 2009, a portion of Route 2-4 in Prince Frederick was expanded to three lanes, along with sidewalks added.

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.

Communities

Towns

Census-designated places

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

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.

Unincorporated communities

In popular culture

Calvert County has been the setting for several movies and television programs. The opening scene of the 1993 Clint Eastwood movie In the Line of Fire was filmed at Flag Harbor Marina in St. Leonard. and are currently featured weekly on A&E's Live PD.

Economy

Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is located on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay at Lusby, as is the Cove Point LNG Terminal.

The Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is located in Solomons.

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.

Top employers

According to the County's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Calvert County Public Schools 2,147
2 Calvert County Government 1,269
3 Calvert Memorial Hospital 1,225
4 Constellation 822
5 Wal-Mart 460
6 Giant Food 378
7 Arc of Southern Maryland 375
8 Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa 239
9 Safeway 231

Education

Calvert County is served by Calvert County Public Schools. The county's education system consists of 13 elementary schools, six middle schools, four high schools, vocational education center, and a variety of other facilities.

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Calvert para niños

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