Wicomico County, Maryland

Wicomico County is located in the southeastern part of the of. It was named for the, which in turn derives from words wicko mekee, meaning "a place where houses are built," apparently referring to an Indian town on the banks. The is. As of 2000, the population was 84,644. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland.

History
Wicomico County was created from and  in.

Law/Government
Wicomico County was granted a charter form of government in. The legislative functions of government are vested in the County Council. In November 2006, at-large councilman John Cannon (R)was elevated by his peers to the Council Presidency. Executive authority in the county is vested in the office of County Executive. Rick Pollitt (D), former Fruitland City Manager, is the first to hold the title County Executive.

Law enforcement in the county is provided by the Wicomico County sheriff's office. The sheriff, Mike Lewis (R), is an elected official. Municipal police agencies exist in the town of Delmar and the cities of Fruitland and Salisbury.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,035 (400 ). 977 km² (377 sq mi) of it is land and 59 km² (23 sq mi) of it (5.66%) is water.

The county is located near the center of the Delmarva Peninsula, and is generally flat, characteristic of the region, with a few small hills in the northeast. The lowest elevation is at sea level and the highest elevation is 98 ft.

Adjacent Counties

 * , Maryland (northwest)
 * , Maryland (southwest)
 * (north)
 * , Maryland (southeast)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 84,644 people, 32,218 households, and 21,779 families residing in the county. The was 87/km² (224/sq mi). There were 34,401 housing units at an average density of 35/km² (91/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 72.58%, 23.29% or , 0.22% , 1.75% , 0.02% , 0.80% from , and 1.34% from two or more races. 2.18% of the population were or  of any race. 14.6% were of, 13.3% , 11.0% and 9.9%  ancestry according to.

There were 32,218 households out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,035, and the median income for a family was $47,129. Males had a median income of $32,481 versus $23,548 for females. The for the county was $19,171. About 8.70% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns
This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:


 * 2 :
 * (incorporated )
 * (incorporated )
 * 6 s:
 * (incorporated )
 * (incorporated )
 * (incorporated )
 * (incorporated )
 * (incorporated )
 * (incorporated )

The recognizes no Census-Designated Places in Wicomico County, which is unusual for Maryland counties, which usually have many unincorporated population centers.

Some areas not listed as Census-Designated Places include:



Primary and secondary schools
operates public schools in the county.

Miscellaneous
Wicomico County's boundary with Delaware is composed of the and the. The intersection of these two historical lines is the mid-point of the Transpeninsular Line, fixed by and  between  and. The mid-point is located about 8 miles northwest of.

The newspaper of record is .

Notable residents

 * , (1803-1863), born near Allen, from Maryland