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Charles County, Maryland facts for kids

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Charles County
County
Thomas Stone House
Flag of Charles County
Flag
 Official seal of Charles County
Seal
Map of Maryland highlighting Charles 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 April 13, 1658
Named for Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore
Seat La Plata
Largest community Waldorf
Area
 • Total 643 sq mi (1,670 km2)
 • Land 458 sq mi (1,190 km2)
 • Water 185 sq mi (480 km2)  29%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 166,617
 • Density 259.12/sq mi (100.05/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 5th

Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore.

Charles County is part of 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.

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. Among which, are the distinguished Green Park and the historical Pleasant Hill, home of the Green and Spalding Families.

Hunters Brooke Arson

Main page: 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 in the history of the state of Maryland.

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.

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.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

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

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 20,613 —
1800 19,172 −7.0%
1810 20,245 5.6%
1820 16,500 −18.5%
1830 17,769 7.7%
1840 16,023 −9.8%
1850 16,162 0.9%
1860 16,517 2.2%
1870 15,738 −4.7%
1880 18,548 17.9%
1890 15,191 −18.1%
1900 17,662 16.3%
1910 16,386 −7.2%
1920 17,705 8.0%
1930 16,166 −8.7%
1940 17,612 8.9%
1950 23,415 32.9%
1960 32,572 39.1%
1970 47,678 46.4%
1980 72,751 52.6%
1990 101,154 39.0%
2000 120,546 19.2%
2010 146,551 21.6%
2020 166,617 13.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

Charles County, Maryland - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 70,905 56,832 48.38% 34.11%
Black or African American alone (NH) 59,201 80,850 40.40% 48.52%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 877 995 0.60% 0.60%
Asian alone (NH) 4,296 5,624 2.93% 3.38%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 87 147 0.06% 0.09%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 243 957 0.17% 0.57%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 4,683 9,535 3.20% 5.72%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6,259 11,677 4.27% 7.01%
Total 146,551 166,617 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

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. 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). 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. 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.

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.

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.

Communities

Towns

Census-designated places

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

Unincorporated communities

Economy

Top employers

According to Charles County's 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, its top employers are:

# Employer # of Employees Percentage of Total County Employment
1 Charles County Board of Education 3,430 4.35%
2 Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center 3,404 4.49%
3 Charles County Government 1,638 2.16%
4 Civista Medical Center 850 1.12%
5 College of Southern Maryland 819 1.08%
6 Wal-Mart/Sam's Club 592 0.78%
7 The Facchina Group of Companies 550 0.73%
8 Safeway 475 0.63%
9 Target 400 0.53%
10 McDonald's 396 0.52%
11 Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative 386 0.51%
12 Genesis Health Care 312 0.41%
13 Bloomin' Brands (formerly OSI Restaurant Partners) 300 0.40%
14 Charles County Nursing Home 255 0.34%
15 Darden Restaurants 253 0.33%
16 Macy's 250 0.33%

Sports

Club League Venue Established Championships
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs ALPB, Baseball Regency Furniture Stadium 2008 0

Education

Public schools

Main page: Charles County Public Schools

Colleges and universities

  • College of Southern Maryland, in La Plata.

Transportation

Charles County is served by numerous state highways and one U.S. Highway:

Major highways

  • US 301
  • MD 5
  • MD 5 Bus.
  • MD 5 Bus.
  • MD 6
  • MD 210
  • MD 224
  • MD 225
  • MD 227
  • MD 228
  • MD 229
  • MD 231
  • MD 234
  • MD 254
  • MD 257
  • MD 381
  • MD 425
  • MD 426
  • MD 488
  • MD 925

Notable people

See also

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

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