Mount Airy, Maryland

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Mount Airy is a town located on the border between Carroll and Frederick Counties in Maryland.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Location of Mount Airy, Maryland

Mount Airy is located at 39°22′29″N, 77°9′20″W (39.374798, -77.155678)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.9 km² (3.8 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.

[edit] History

The town of Mt. Airy, Maryland, was established in 1830 and continued to develop throughout the decade as a settlement of houses along Parr’s Ridge was constructed. The first house was built by a man named Henry Bussard. The town was known for its station on the B&O Railroad at Parr’s Ridge and did not receive an official name until a later date when an Irish man who worked for the B&O Railroad suggested the name due to his freezing cold ears at work one day. The railroad ran from Baltimore to Frederick, two popular towns to the east and west of Mt. Airy. Milling, canning and sewing industries helped support Mt. Airy’s economy.

The town’s proximity to the National Pike contributed to its growth. The National Pike was a road that ran from Baltimore out west. Three great fires (1903, 1914, and 1925) caused setbacks in growth when they occurred, but the town rebuilt every time. From the 1860’s forward, Mt. Airy continued to grow as it became involved in the Civil War. Although part of the Union, the citizens of the town possessed feelings and traits of those living in the south. By the 1890’s, the town’s growth had increased significantly as three new churches were built (one Episcopal and two Methodist) along with a very important tunnel which helped with railroad transportation.

Currently, the town of Mt. Airy is no longer economically dependent on the railroad as citizens work a variety of different jobs. Mt. Airy hosts four annual events each year. These events include the Spring Fling in May, Flag Day in June, Festival on the Ridge in October, and Christmas in Olde Town in December. An all-volunteer staff of townspeople dedicates their time to work at each of these events.

<http://www.mdmunicipal.org/cities/index.cfm?townname=MountAiry&page=home>

<http://carr.org/mtairy/hist.htm#history>

[edit] Local Politics

In 2002, local resident James Holt launched a last-minute write-in campaign for the office of mayor against incument Jerry Johnson. Because many voters simply wrote "Holt", the Board of Elections refused to count these votes citing concerns that the votes were for a different "Holt". After appealing the results to a state election board, the votes were ordered to be counted and Mr. Holt won the election.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 6,425 people, 2,123 households, and 1,717 families residing in the town. The population density was 647.7/km² (1,678.5/mi²). There were 2,179 housing units at an average density of 219.7/km² (569.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.71% White, 2.58% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.34% of the population.

There were 2,123 households out of which 51.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.37.

In the town the population was spread out with 34.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $66,967, and the median income for a family was $76,214. Males had a median income of $52,177 versus $35,054 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,380. About 2.0% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] External links


Seal of Frederick County

Frederick County, Maryland

Flag of Frederick County
Cities, towns and villages
Brunswick | Burkittsville | Emmitsburg | Frederick | Middletown | Mt. Airy | Myersville | New Market | Rosemont | Thurmont | Walkersville | Woodsboro
Unincorporated areas
Adamstown | Ballenger Creek | Braddock Heights | Buckeystown | Clover Hill | Discovery-Spring Garden | Green Valley | Ijamsville | Libertytown | Linganore-Bartonsville | Monrovia | Mt. Pleasant | Point of Rocks | Sabillasville | Unionville | Urbana