Glen Burnie, Maryland

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Glen Burnie is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 38,922 at the 2000 census.

1 History
- 1.1 Building through history
2 Geography
3 Notable Residents
4 Demographics
5 External links

[edit] History

The groundwork for Glen Burnie was laid nearly two centuries ago, when, in 1812, a district attorney by the name of Elias Glenn established a county seat near what is currently known as Brooklyn Park in Baltimore City. He named his property "Glennsburne."

The name was changed to "Glennsbourne Farm," and eventually "Glenburnie," as the property was passed through Glenn's descendants. Records also show the name as "Tracey's Station" and "Myrtle," after local postmaster Samuel Sewell Tracey and one of Tracey's boarders, before the final decision was made.

In 1854, William Wilkins Glenn, Elias Glenn's grandson, incorporated the Curtis Creek Mining, Furnace and Manufacturing Co. into his family's property. The business flourished during the 19th century, and with it came several thousand acres of land in northern Anne Arundel County.

Upon the death of William Wilkins Glenn, his son, brother and nephew began to manage the family's business affairs, and Glenburnie became an official state subdivision in 1888. The Glenn family contracted George T. Melvin and Henry S. Mancha to lay out and promote the town. It wouldn't be until 1930 that postmaster Louis J. DeAlba decided two words were better than one, and gave the town a final name change to the current Glen Burnie.

[edit] Building through history

Among the earliest Glen Burnie schools was First Avenue Elementary, built in 1899. The oldest area church is St. Alban's Episcopal, which was built in 1904, with many of its bricks dating back to Marley Chapel, an early Maryland parish from the 1730s. Crain Highway U.S. Route 301, one of Glen Burnie's main thoroughfares (named after Senator Robert Crain), opened in 1927 and Ritchie Highway Maryland Route 2 (named for Albert C. Ritchie, the state's 52nd governor) followed in 1939. Ritchie Highway carried nearly all Baltimore-area traffic headed for Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge until an alternate bypass road, Interstate 97, opened in the 1980s.

Schools and churches were built in the ensuing decades, and construction was completed on Harundale Mall, the first enclosed shopping center east of the Mississippi River, in 1958; it was one of the first shopping centers to be called a "mall" and was developed by James W. Rouse of the Rouse Company (which also developed nearby Columbia, Maryland). Glen Burnie Mall followed in 1962. Marley Station, Glen Burnie's most prominent shopping center, opened in the February 1987. The Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles office building employs many people in town.

[edit] Geography

Glen Burnie is located at 39°9′36″N, 76°36′38″W (39.159982, -76.610588)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 33.5 km² (12.9 mi²). 31.7 km² (12.2 mi²) of it is land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (5.49%) is water.

[edit] Notable Residents

Rudy Gay- basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies
Frank Zappa- Rock Composer

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 38,922 people, 15,210 households, and 9,977 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,228.8/km² (3,182.1/mi²). There were 15,902 housing units at an average density of 502.0/km² (1,300.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.11% White, 13.52% African American, 0.35% Native American, 2.40% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.46% of the population.

There were 15,210 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $45,281, and the median income for a family was $51,845. Males had a median income of $35,957 versus $27,078 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,170. About 5.9% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.