Indian Head, Maryland

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Indian Head is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. The name of the base has varied over the years from Naval Powder Factory, to Naval Propellant Plant, to Naval Ordnance Station, to the present Indian Head Naval Surface Weapons Center (NSWC/IH). Advanced research in energetic systems takes place at NSWC/IH. NSWC/IH is the successor organization to the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, formerly in White Oak, MD. 3,700 employees currently work at the base.

The city of Indian Head was incorporated in 1920. One source cites that its name came from a legend relating to the Algonquin Indian tribe. Another story claims that the town was named Indian Head because it resembles an Indian’s head from the air. But the simplest explanation is that the peninsula, a "head" of land, was occupied by Indians when the first white settlers arrived - thus "Indian Head" means "Indian Peninsula." Plans to build a massive "Chapman's Landing" housing development just to the north, were thwarted in the 1990s when the state government purchased the land to preserve as green space under its "smart growth" program. The town recently opened a "black box" stage theater, a new community center building, new ball fields, and is exploring other efforts to revitalize the town, which has lost some of its stores and character, as residents increasingly go outside the town to shop instead in Waldorf and Bryans Road, Maryland.

Twenty-six upscale homes under construction a few miles east of Indian Head were burned on December 6, 2004; 10 of the 26 were totally destroyed. The fires were found to be arson, making the incident the largest arson case in Maryland's history. One early theory was that the fires were set as a hate crime motivated by the fact that many of those who had purchased homes in the subdivision under construction (called Hunters Brooke) were African American. Another theory is that the fires were set by a radical environmental group such as the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), since the homes were being built near a wetland. However, it is now believed that the suspects -- five young white men -- simply had grievances with the developer of Hunters Brooke. All of the damaged and destroyed homes will be rebuilt.

[edit] Geography

Indian Head is located at 38°35′52″N, 77°9′25″W (38.597781, -77.156926)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,422 people, 1,222 households, and 888 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,074.2/km² (2,792.7/mi²). There were 1,311 housing units at an average density of 411.5/km² (1,069.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 55.64% White, 38.08% African American, 1.78% Native American, 1.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.

There were 1,222 households out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the town the population was spread out with 33.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $42,702, and the median income for a family was $48,375. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $31,451 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,778. About 9.9% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.