| City of Westminster, Maryland | |||
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| — City — | |||
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| Nickname(s): Westmonster | |||
| Location in Maryland. | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Maryland | ||
| County | Carroll | ||
| Founded | 1764 | ||
| Incorporated | 1818 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Kevin T. Utz | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 5.7 sq mi (14.8 km2) | ||
| • Land | 5.7 sq mi (14.8 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 764 ft (233 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 18,590 | ||
| • Density | 3,253.2/sq mi (1,256.1/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP codes | 21157-21158 | ||
| Area code(s) | 410 | ||
| FIPS code | 24-83100 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0595080 | ||
| Website | www.westgov.com | ||
Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County.[1] The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA. Westminster is known for art today and has many galleries and art related businesses. A large number of artists live in Westminster and the surrounding Carroll County.
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On June 29, 1863, the cavalry skirmish known as Corbit's Charge was fought in the streets of Westminster, when two companies of Delaware cavalry attacked a much larger Confederate force under General J.E.B. Stuart.
In April 1865, Joseph Shaw, newspaper editor, had his presses wrecked and his business destroyed, and was subsequently beaten and stabbed to death by four men in Westminster, allegedly because of an anti-Lincoln editorial that was published the week before the actual assassination. In a later trial at the Westminster Court House the four men were acquitted; the reason cited was "self-defense."
Just north of Westminster is the farm at which Whittaker Chambers hid the so-called "pumpkin papers."
A historic marker states that Westminster was the first place in the nation to offer Rural Free Delivery postal service.
Westminster is the birthplace of Sargent Shriver (1915–2011), former candidate for Vice President of the United States and brother-in-law of John F. Kennedy.
On March 10, 2006, members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed the funeral of Matthew A. Snyder who had been killed in the Iraq War. Church members stood on city property adjoining St. John Catholic Church where the funeral took place. Snyder's father sued the church for violating his privacy. The United States Supreme Court in March 2011 ruled in Snyder v. Phelps that church members had a free speech right to picket.[2]
Westminster is located at (39.576551, -77.000120).[3]
According to MapQuest, Westminster is approximately 36.5 miles (58.7 km) driving distance northwest of Baltimore and 37.5 miles (60.4 km) driving distance southwest of York, Pennsylvania.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (15 km2), all of it land.
Westminster lies in the Humid subtropical climate zone, with hot humid summers a winters that vary from mild to chilly by American standards. Due to its elevation and distance from Chesapeake Bay, temperatures in Westminster are often considerably lower than in Baltimore.
Westminster's historical tornado activity is slightly above the Maryland state average and 38% greater than the overall U.S. average.
On April 16, 2011, a tornado was confirmed to have touched down around 8:00pm EST. A tornado warning was issued to Carroll County residences to take cover immediately. [4]
On July 19, 1996, an F3 (which has wind speeds of 158-206 mph) tornado struck 5.5 miles away from the Westminster city center, injuring three people and causing $5 million in damages.
On April 15, 1952, an F3 tornado hit 15.5 miles away from the city center, injuring four people and causing between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages.[5]
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 16,731 people, 6,420 households, and 3,762 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,929.4 people per square mile (1,131.3/km²). There were 6,755 housing units at an average density of 1,182.7 per square mile (456.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.28% White, 5.49% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.
There were 6,420 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,477, and the median income for a family was $50,879. Males had a median income of $37,186 versus $28,419 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,320. About 7.9% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
The Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS) system enrolls over 28,000 students, which makes it the ninth largest school system in the state of Maryland. In Carroll County there are seven comprehensive high schools as well as two career and technology centers and an alternative school, The Gateway School. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend one of seven Carroll County high schools. Carroll County has 23 elementary schools and 9 middle schools. In the city of Westminster, there are two high schools, two middle schools and three elementary schools.
Westminster is home to McDaniel College, a small liberal-arts college, to the Civil Air Patrol's National Honor Guard Academy, and to Dream Flight School, an institution providing flight lessons at the local airport.
According to the City of Westminster,[7] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carroll County Public Schools | 3,757 |
| 2 | McDaniel College | 641 |
| 3 | Carroll County | 593 |
| 4 | Carroll Lutheran Village | 437 |
| 5 | General Dynamics Robotics Systems | 350 |
| 6 | C.J. Miller | 245 |
| 7 | S.H. Tevis & Son | 238 |
| 8 | BB&T | 174 |
| 9 | PNC Bank | 171 |
| 10 | Landmark Community Newspapers | 164 |
The five largest employers just outside of Westminster in Carroll County are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carroll Hospital Center | 1,696 |
| 2 | Random House | 800 |
| 3 | Carroll Community College | 509 |
| 4 | English American Tailoring | 385 |
| 5 | Knorr Brake | 260 |
The Hashawha Tower is a windmill in Westminster. It stands at the Hashawha Environmental Center.[8]
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