Calvert County, Maryland

Calvert County is a small located in the  of. It is a peninsula bordered on the east by the and on the west by the. Calvert County is part of the region.

, the population is 86,474. Its is. The name is derived from the family name of the, the proprietors of the colony of Maryland.

The county is one of the several Maryland counties that make up the. It is also a part of the , but is considered a of.

History
First settled as Charles County (not the same as present-day ) around 1650, , it was renamed. Patuxent County was established in 1654 by an Order in Council. In 1658 the county was renamed Calvert County. It is one of the older counties in Maryland, after , and. Once made up primarily of farms and tobacco fields, the county is slowly claiming its place as a fast-growing an neighbor of Washington. Home prices have nearly quadrupled in the past decade, with many four-bedroom homes in the northern half of the county averaging over $1,000,000. The popular weekend resort towns and  are notable.

Law and government
Calvert County is governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland.

, the elected sheriff is Mike Evans (R), first elected in 2002 and reelected in 2006.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 894 (345 ). 557 km² (215 sq mi) of it is land and 336 km² (130 sq mi) of it (37.65%) is water.

Famous Residents
Living:
 * Best selling author
 * Former Anchor and  journalist
 * Executive editor for Bloomberg News
 * weatherman
 * Dr.
 * Former State Senator and  advocate

Deceased:
 * Maryland's first jury composed entirely of women was used in the trial of.
 * , the U.S.  who presided over the  decision.
 * Former
 * , first in the American colonies and the original namesake for
 * , the first elected of  and U.S.  justice
 * , wife of U.S. President
 * , wife of U.S. President
 * Former and Maryland
 * Former member
 * Nineteenth century professional player

Adjacent Counties

 * (north)
 * (northwest)
 * (west)
 * (east)
 * (east)
 * (south)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 74,563 people, 25,447 households, and 20,154 families residing in the county. The was 134/km² (346/sq mi). There were 27,576 housing units at an average density of 49/km² (128/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 83.93%, 13.11% or , 0.30% , 0.88% , 0.03% , 0.49% from , and 1.27% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were or  of any race. 15.5% were of, 15.0% , 12.0% , 11.5% or American and 7.1%  ancestry according to.

There were 25,447 households out of which 41.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.80% were living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.80% were non-families. 16.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the county the population was spread out with 29.60% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $65,945, and the median income for a family was $71,545. Males had a median income of $48,664 versus $32,265 for females. The for the county was $25,410. About 3.10% of families and 4.40% of the population were below the, including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns
Calvert County includes two municipalities, both classified as s under Maryland law:
 * 1) (incorporated )
 * 2) (incorporated )

Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people and listed in many collections of towns, but they lack local government. Various organizations, such as the, the , and local chambers of commerce, define the communities they wish to recognize differently, and since they are not incorporated, their boundaries have no official status outside the organizations in question. The Census Bureau recognizes the following s in the county:


 * 1) (a combination of the communities of  and  recognized as a unit by many people)
 * 2) (a combination of the communities of  and  recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)

,, , , , and  have all been designated by Calvert County government as being "town centers." The "town center" designation means while these communities may not have incorporated central governments, they do have specified boundaries surrounding the central business and residential areas for purposes. The reason behind the "town center" designation is to cluster new development within established areas with existing infrastructure, thus discouraging. The implementation of the "town center" concept in Calvert County over the past two decades has for the most part been successful in preserving rural and agricultural areas outside the designated "town centers", and stands as a key example of the planning strategy.

Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include:



Highways and Roads
The main artery serving Calvert County is (which begins in  as  before crossing into  and ). Route 4 in Calvert County begins at the very northern tip of the county at Lyons Creek, approximately 3 miles north of. At, Route 4 meets (traveling south as a two-lane road from ) and the two roads merge as Maryland Route 2-4. Route 2-4 continues south through, and. At, Routes 2 and 4 split again, with Route 2 heading towards downtown and Route 4 crossing the  at the  into.

Route 2-4 is designated Solomons Island Road throughout much of the county, with the section south of being recently renamed Louis Goldstein Highway in memory of, the former  of  and Calvert County resident.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Route 2-4 underwent an extensive expansion project, with the formerly two-lane road becoming a four-lane dual highway. Certain portions of the highway were re-aligned, with the former roadway becoming. The final portion of the dualized Route 2-4 between and  was completed in 1988.

Other major roadways in Calvert County include:
 * , which travels west from to the, ultimately crossing the river at the  into.
 * , which starts at an overpass interchange at the Calvert-Anne Arundel border and travels southeast to . A portion of Route 260 is a four-lane dual highway.