Frederick County, Maryland

Frederick County, Maryland
Downtown Frederick in June 2014

Flag
Seal
Map of Maryland highlighting Frederick County
Location in the state of Maryland
Map of the United States highlighting Maryland
Maryland's location in the U.S.
Founded June 10, 1748
Seat Frederick
Largest city Frederick
Area
 • Total 667 sq mi (1,728 km2)
 • Land 660 sq mi (1,709 km2)
 • Water 7.2 sq mi (19 km2), 1.1%
Population (Est.)
 • (2014) 243,675
 • Density 353/sq mi (136/km²)
Congressional districts 6th, 8th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.frederickcountymd.gov

Frederick County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 240,336.[1] The county seat is Frederick.[2]

Frederick County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As a result, the county has experienced a rapid population increase in recent years.[3][4] The county is sometimes associated with Western Maryland, depending on the definition used. It borders the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia.

The county is home to Catoctin Mountain Park (encompassing the presidential retreat Camp David) and to the U.S. Army's Fort Detrick. It has also been the home to several celebrated historical figures like Francis Scott Key, Thomas Johnson, Roger B. Taney, and Barbara Fritchie.

Etymology

The exact namesake of Frederick County and its eponymous county seat is unknown, but they may have been named after either Frederick, Prince of Wales, or Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore.[5]

History

Frederick County was created in 1748 from parts of Prince George's County and Baltimore County.

In 1776, Frederick County was divided into three parts. The westernmost portion became Washington County, named after George Washington, the southernmost portion became Montgomery County, named after another Revolutionary War general, Richard Montgomery. The northern portion remained Frederick County.

In 1837 a part of Frederick County was combined with a part of Baltimore County to form Carroll County which is east of current day Frederick County.

The county has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]

Law, government, and politics

Until 2014, Frederick County was governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in the state of Maryland.

Charter government

Effective December 1, 2014, Frederick County transitioned to a "charter home rule government".[7] The voters approved this governmental change on the November 6, 2012 election with 62,469 voting for the transition and 37,368 voting against.[8]

A county executive is responsible for providing direction, supervision, and administrative oversight of all executive departments, agencies, and offices. A county council will also be elected, made up of seven members: five based on district and two at-large.[8]

Jan H. Gardner was elected the first Frederick County Executive in 2014.[9]

County Executive
  Name Affiliation Term
  Jan H. Gardner Democratic 2014—

The members of the first Frederick County Council for the term beginning 2014 are:[10][11]

County Council
  Name Affiliation District Region First Elected
  Bud Otis Republican At-large At-large 2014
  Billy Shreve Republican At-large At-large 2014
  Jerry Donald[12] Democratic 1 Braddock Heights, Middletown, Brunswick 2014
  Tony Chmelik Republican 2 Monrovia, Urbana, New Market, Mount Airy 2014
  M.C. Keegan-Ayer Democratic 3 Frederick, Clover Hill 2014
  Jessica Fitzwater Democratic 4 Frederick, Ballenger Creek, Linganore 2014
  Kirby Delauter Republican 5 Myersville, Emmitsburg, Thurmont 2014

The Frederick County State's Attorney, elected November 2, 2010, is Republican Charlie Smith. Smith was reelected in 2014.[10]

The sheriff of Frederick County is Republican Chuck Jenkins.[10]

The Executive Director for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development is Laurie Boyer.

Frederick County has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1964 when it voted for Lyndon B. Johnson. In 2004 George W. Bush defeated John Kerry 59-39%.[13] Democrats came closer in 2008, when John McCain defeated Barack Obama by a mere 1,157 votes (49.62–48.58).[14] Nevertheless, Republicans in Frederick rebounded to more historical levels in the 2010 Maryland Gubernatorial & Senatorial Elections, giving the Republican Ehrlich/Kane ticket 55% to Democrat O'Malley/Brown's 45. Frederick voters also supported Republican Senate challenger Eric Wargotz over incumbent Democratic Senator Barbara A Milkulski by a margin of 51–46, even as Mikulski was winning statewide by a landslide 61-37. Despite its conservative reputation, Frederick County voted in favor of Maryland Question 6, which legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland.

Frederick County's fire and rescue service is handled by a combination career and volunteer service delivery system. Frederick County employs over 300 firefighters. Volunteers of the 26 volunteer fire and rescue corporations number approximately 750 active operational members. Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services, including Advanced Life Support are handled by both volunteers and the career staff. Frederick County has a Maryland State Police Medevac located at the Frederick Municipal Airport and is designated "Trooper 3". Trooper 3 handles calls all throughout the state, but provides immediate assistance to local police, fire and rescue services.

The official language of Frederick County is English.[15]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 667 square miles (1,730 km2), of which 660 square miles (1,700 km2) is land and 7.2 square miles (19 km2) (1.1%) is water.[16] It is the largest county in Maryland in terms of land area.[17]

Frederick County straddles the boundary between the Piedmont Plateau Region and the Appalachian Mountains. The county's two prominent ridges, Catoctin Mountain and South Mountain, form an extension of the Blue Ridge. The Middletown Valley lies between them.

Attractions in the Frederick area include the Clustered Spires, a monument to Francis Scott Key, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Monocacy National Battlefield and South Mountain battlefields, and the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
179030,791—
180031,5232.4%
181034,4379.2%
182040,45917.5%
183045,78913.2%
184036,405−20.5%
185040,98712.6%
186046,59113.7%
187047,5722.1%
188050,4826.1%
189049,512−1.9%
190051,9204.9%
191052,6731.5%
192052,541−0.3%
193054,4403.6%
194057,3125.3%
195062,2878.7%
196071,93015.5%
197084,92718.1%
1980114,79235.2%
1990150,20830.9%
2000195,27730.0%
2010233,38519.5%
Est. 2014243,6754.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]
1790-1960[19] 1900-1990[20]
1990-2000[21] 2010-2014[1]

Frederick County has experienced a rapid increase in population in recent years, including that of minority groups.[3][4] As of the census[22] of 2010, there were 233,385 people, 84,800 households, and 61,198 families residing in the county. The population density was 295 people per square mile (114/km²). There were 90,136 housing units at an average density of 110/square mile (43/km²). The ethnic makeup of the county was 81.5% White, 8.6% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.045% Pacific Islander, 2.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. 7.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to Census 2000 24.7% were of German, 12.9% American, 12.3% Irish and 10.1% English ancestry.

2010

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the ethnic makeup of the county was as follows:

2000

There were 84,800 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females there were 96.85 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 94.02 men.

Economy

The median income for a household in Frederick county is $82,668, and the median income for a family was $97,591. Males had a median income of $65,829 versus $48,507 for females. The per capita income for the county was $36,343. About 3.8% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line. Frederick County is the 43rd most affluent county in the US.

Fort Detrick is the largest employer in Frederick County. The largest employers aside from the government are the Frederick Memorial Healthcare System, Bechtel, Leidos, and Wells Fargo.[23] Western and northern portions of Frederick County has a strong agricultural component of its economy, and it is the largest producer of milk in Maryland.[24]

Communities

Map of urban areas in Frederick County
Brunswick
Burkittsville
Emmitsburg
Frederick, the county seat and largest community in Frederick County.
Middletown

Cities

Towns

Village

Census-designated places

The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county:

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Frederick County QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Population Change in Suburban Maryland" (PDF). George Mason University. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Metropolitan sprawl puts urban in suburban". 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Frederick County, Maryland – Government". Maryland State Archives. March 5, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
  6. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
  7. ↑ "Charter Government Transition". Frederick County, MD Government. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Depies, Lori (18 March 2013). "Charter Government and Transition: What it means to you and to Frederick County" (PDF). Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  9. ↑ McManus, Kevin (November 5, 2014). "Gardner Elected Frederick County's First Executive". WFMD-AM (Frederick, Maryland: Aloha Station Trust, LLC).
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Election Summary Report Gubernatorial General Election, Frederick County, Maryland, November 4, 2014: Summary For Jurisdiction Wide, All Counters, All Races, Unofficial Results, Early Voting, Polling Place, and Absentee 1 Canvass" (PDF). Frederick County Board of Elections. November 6, 2014.
  11. ↑ "2014 Council Districts" (PDF). Frederick County Board of Elections. November 19, 2013.
  12. ↑ Rodgers, Bethany (15 November 2014). "Donald takes County Council seat by 25 votes". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  13. ↑ 2004 election results
  14. ↑ 2008 election results
  15. ↑ McCarthy, Pete (February 22, 2012). "County Makes English Official Language". Frederick News-Post.
  16. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Frederick News-Post Local Section". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
  18. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  22. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  23. ↑ Frederick County Office of Economic Development
  24. ↑ Frederick County Office of Economic Development (Fast Facts#Brief Economic Facts)

References

External links

 Fulton County, Pennsylvania Franklin County, Pennsylvania Adams County, Pennsylvania
Washington County Carroll County
   Frederick County  
Loudoun County, Virginia Montgomery County Howard County

Coordinates: 39°28′N 77°24′W / 39.47°N 77.40°W