Carroll County, Maryland

Carroll County is a located in the  of. In 2000, its population was 150,897. It was named for (-), signer of the. Its is.

This county is a part of the. While predominantly, the county has become increasingly in recent years.

History
Carroll County was created in from parts of  and, see.

During the American Civil War, the population of Carroll County was sharply divided between supporters of the Union and the Confederacy. In 1863, there were significant troop movements through the county as part of the campaign. 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.

Notable citizens of Carroll County include:
 * , author of the, was born at his family plantation of Terra Rubra, in what is now western Carroll County.
 * , former communist and accuser of

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

Several times in the past, Carroll County voters have rejected charter amendments that would call for a government consisting of a County Executive and a County Council.

In Carroll County voters approved legislation that will expand the number of County Commissioners from three to five. The five Commissioners will be elected from five Commissioner districts, as opposed to three Commissioners elected at-large. This change will occur beginning with the 2010 elections. The change was to take effect beginning with the 2006 elections, but the Maryland General Assembly could not agree on the districts.

The incoming commissioners are:


 * , President of the Commission, former mayor of
 * , from
 * , a Lawyer

Republicans hold every county-wide elected office.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,172 (452 ). 1,163 km² (449 sq mi) of it is land and 8 km² (3 sq mi) of it (0.72%) is water.

Carroll County is bordered on the north by the. The Patapsco River forms its southern border, and Liberty Reservoir forms part of its eastern border. Carroll County is bordered on the west by the Monacacy River and Sam's Creek. Other major streams include Big Pipe Creek, Little Pipe Creek, Bear Branch, and the headwaters of the Gunpowder River. The Piney Branch Reservoir is in the southern part of the county.

The terrain consists of largely of rolling piedmont hills. The most significant of these is Parrs Ridge, which bisects the county extends from southwest to northeast. The highest point is in the northeastern part of the county on Dug Hill along Deep Run Road.

There are three separate railroads that transit Carroll County. The old B&O Main Line crosses the southern part of the county, with stations in Sykesville and Mount Airy. The Western Maryland Railroad tracks go through Carrollton, Westminster, New Windsor, and Union Bridge. The old Baltimore and Hanover Line goes through Hampstead, Millers, and Lineboro. All three railroad lines are currently operated by.

Adjacent Counties

 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (south)
 * (west)
 * (northwest)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 150,897 people, 52,503 households, and 41,109 families residing in the county. The was 130/km² (336/sq mi). There were 54,260 housing units at an average density of 47/km² (121/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 95.69%, 2.28% or , 0.22% , 0.75% , 0.02% , 0.31% from , and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.99% of the population were or  of any race. 30.5% were of, 14.0% , 11.1% or American, 10.7%  and 7.3%  ancestry according to.

There were 52,503 households out of which 39.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.50% were living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.70% were non-families. 17.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $60,021, and the median income for a family was $66,430. Males had a median income of $44,191 versus $30,599 for females. The for the county was $23,829. About 2.70% of families and 3.80% of the population were below the, including 4.00% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns
This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:


 * 2 :
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 * 6 s:
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 * (incorporated )
 * (incorporated ) (This town is partly in Carroll County, partly in, and .)
 * (incorporated )
 * (incorporated )
 * (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:



Other unincorporated communities include:


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Public schools
The School system is the ninth largest  in the state of Maryland.

Miscellaneous

 * The newspaper of record is the .
 * The county was used for scenes in the movie ' and the  and  movie '.

stood in front of North Carroll Middle School during his speech in the movie "Head of State."