Caroline County, Maryland

Caroline County is a rural located in the  of  on its. It is bordered by to the north,  to the west,  to the south,  to the east, and  to the southeast. As of, the population was 29,772. It was named for, daughter of , sister of , and wife of Maryland's last colonial governor, (-). Its is.

The newspaper of record is . A second local publication, the , circulates monthly and is free of charge.

History

 * Caroline County was created in from parts of  and.
 * The local delegation allowed future Maryland governor to sit with them at the 1776 Maryland Constitutional Convention when he was deemed too radical by . Residents Henry Dickinson, Richard Mason, Nathaniel Potter, and William Richardson also were named to the state convention.


 * is home to the, circa 1682. During the it supplied grain to 's troops.

The county features seventeen Maryland "Registered Historic Places."

Law and government
Caroline County was granted home rule in 1984 under state code in an initiative led by County Commissioner.

The current county commissioners through 2010 are:
 * - Republican
 * - Republican
 * - Republican

A major issue that Caroline County and several other Mid-Shore counties are facing is growth. More and more people are moving to the area to retire or to commute to regional urban areas. The county commissioners have fought to preserve the rural nature of the Caroline County but are embroiled in a dispute with the town government of over the placement of big box retail stores and the annexation of a property outside of current town limits to develop.

It is the only county in the state not represented by a resident legislator in the. Caroline last enjoyed a home delegate in the session. Redistricting and a sparse population are to blame.

Former  confirmed during a  trip to the county during her campaign for governor that, the daughter of 35th president , was so named because of his fondness for the county during his own campaign swing through the  in.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 844 (326 ). 829 km² (320 sq mi) of it is land and 15 km² (6 sq mi) of it (1.82%) is water. Notable waterways include the and  as well as the man-made.

Caroline County currently ranks seventh nationally in terms of land protected under the Ag Preservation Program.

Its eastern border is the.

Caroline is the only Eastern Shore county not to touch either the or ; it is the only Maryland county that does not have an  or  running through it. Caroline County is the only county east of the to never feature any heavy industry besides.

and are located in Caroline County.

gazed upon the county during his 1608 voyage up the.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 29,772 people, 11,097 households, and 8,156 families residing in the county. The was 36/km² (93/sq mi). There were 12,028 housing units at an average density of 15/km² (38/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 81.69%, 14.77% or , 0.37% , 0.55% , 0.02% , 1.26% from , and 1.34% from two or more races. 2.65% of the population were or  of any race. 17.4% were of or American, 14.8%, 14.4%  and 9.9%  ancestry according to.

There were 11,097 households out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,832, and the median income for a family was $44,825. Males had a median income of $31,119 versus $21,915 for females. The for the county was $17,275. About 9.00% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over. It is regularly ranked among the poorest of all 23 Maryland counties.

Notable natives and residents

 * , hero of the in the.
 * , who was killed in a duel in by future.
 * Infamous slave kidnapper operated out of the county, owning a house in Reliance. Runaway slaves  and  also lived in the county for part of their lives.
 * , early  and businessman.
 * , early 20th Century author and benefactor of the largest undergraduate literary prize in the nation -- at in.
 * , of  from -.
 * , of  from -.
 * Two dogs owned by former president, and , were born in Caroline County.
 * , noted jurist and Congressman.
 * , US Senator from.

Schools

 * North Caroline High School
 * Caroline Career and Technology Center
 * Lockerman Middle School
 * Colonel Richardson Middle School
 * Denton Elementary School
 * Federalsburg Elementary School
 * Greensboro Elementary School
 * Preston Elementary School
 * Ridgely Elementary School
 * Wesleyan Christian School
 * Wesleyan Christian School

Cities and towns
This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:


 * 1) (incorporated )
 * 2) (incorporated )
 * 3) (incorporated )
 * 4) (incorporated )
 * 5) (incorporated )
 * 6) (incorporated )
 * 7) (incorporated )
 * 8) (incorporated )
 * 9) (incorporated )
 * 10) (incorporated ) (This town is partly in Caroline County and partly in .)

All ten of these are classified as s under Maryland law.

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

Other unincorporated communities include:



Maryland State Highways in Caroline County

 * Caroline's "major artery" is, four lanes in some parts but two lanes in others. It is chiefly used in the summertime by non-local beachgoers heading to , or.



Entertainment

 * The citizens of the towns of &  were once recognized by the tv show . In fact, the Hickman segment is the episode featured in the comedy wing of the.
 * Baseball Hall of Famer began his career as a semipro catcher in.
 * Rocker played Caroline County bars while in college at the  before hitting the big time.
 * The South Caroline baseball team made it to the  World Series in, and placed third in the nation.
 * Summerfest is held each August in.
 * The is held each August in.