Berlin, Maryland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Berlin is a town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,491 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Notable natives and residents
5 Media
6 External links

[edit] History

The town of Berlin had its start around the 1790s, part of the Burley Plantation, a 300-acre land grant dating back to 1677. The name Berlin is believed to be derived from a contraction of "Burleigh Inn", a tavern located at the crossroads of the Philadelphia Post Road (now South Main Street) and Sinepuxent Road (Tripoli Street). This may be why the traditional pronunciation of the town's name is BURL-un, as opposed to BER-LIN or ber-LIN. However, many people who are not natives of the area, including those who recently moved there, will use one of the latter two pronunciations.

Berlin incorporated as a town in 1868. In the early 21st century, Berlin was known as a rest stop for travelers on their way to the coastal resort of Ocean City as well as a stop for tourists who enjoyed hunting and fishing on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Since the late 1980s the town has undergone considerable revitalization of its historic downtown commercial district and adjacent residential areas. Berlin's historic residential areas feature nearly two centuries of architectural heritage from the from three distinct periods: Federal, Victorian, and 20th Century. 47 of these structures have been noted in the National Register of Historic Places as well as the historic commercial district. Berlin has also been designated as a "Main Street Community" the State of Maryland in recognition of its revitalization progress.

Former U.S. Vice-President Spiro Agnew died in Berlin.

[edit] Geography

Berlin is located at 38°19′52″N, 75°12′50″W (38.331075, -75.213950)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.7 km² (2.2 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,491 people, 1,347 households, and 880 families residing in the town. The population density was 612.7/km² (1,587.2/mi²). There were 1,427 housing units at an average density of 250.4/km² (648.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 63.74% White, 32.03% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.38% of the population.

There were 1,347 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 81.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,438, and the median income for a family was $36,653. Males had a median income of $29,946 versus $20,293 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,303. About 12.9% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable natives and residents

Stephen Decatur, Naval Officer
Linda Harrison, Hollywood actress

[edit] Media

Two major motion pictures have been filmed in around Berlin:

For Runaway Bride (1999), starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, Berlin's Main Street and some of the outlying areas were altered to become the fictitious town of Hale, Maryland
For Tuck Everlasting (2002), starring Sissy Spacek, Ben Kingsley, and William Hurt, alteration of the streets and sidewalks transformed Berlin into the fictitious town of Treegap.