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Frederick County, Maryland
Seal of Frederick County, Maryland
Seal
Map of Maryland highlighting Frederick County
Location in the state of Maryland
Map of the U.S
Maryland's location in the U.S.
Founded 1748
Seat Frederick
Largest city Frederick
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

667.34 sq mi (1,728 km²)
662.88 sq mi (1,717 km²)
4.46 sq mi (12 km²), 0.67%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

271,717
352/sq mi (135.9/km²)
Website FrederickCountyMD.gov

Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 271,717.[1] It is a part of the Washington Metropolitan Area, yet is also sometimes recognized as part of Western Maryland. The county is home to Catoctin Mountain Park (encompassing the presidential retreat Camp David) and to the U.S. Army's Fort Detrick. The county seat is Frederick, which was home to several celebrated historical figures like Francis Scott Key, Thomas Johnson (governor), Roger B. Taney, and Barbara Fritchie. The county (and the county seat) may have been named for Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore.[2]

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 southern most 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.[3]

Politics[]

Historically a strong Republican county, Frederick County has trended toward the Democratic Party in recent elections. No Democratic presidential candidate had carried Frederick County since Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide until Joe Biden won the county in 2020, although it just narrowly voted for Republicans John McCain in 2008, Mitt Romney in 2012, and Donald Trump in 2016. McCain edged out Barack Obama by only 1,157 votes out of over one hundred thousand cast in the 2008 election.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment of Frederick County[4]
Party Total Percentage
Democratic 71,364 38.66%
Republican 68,459 37.09%
Independents, unaffiliated, and other 44,775 24.25%
Total 184,598 100.00%
United States presidential election results for Frederick County, Maryland[5]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 63,682 43.73% 77,675 53.34% 4,258 2.92%
2016 59,522 47.36% 56,522 44.97% 9,633 7.66%
2012 58,798 50.21% 55,146 47.09% 3,171 2.71%
2008 55,170 49.62% 54,013 48.58% 2,003 1.80%
2004 59,934 59.58% 39,503 39.27% 1,157 1.15%
2000 45,350 57.65% 30,725 39.06% 2,586 3.29%
1996 34,494 52.82% 25,081 38.41% 5,728 8.77%
1992 31,290 48.37% 21,848 33.77% 11,553 17.86%
1988 32,575 65.32% 17,061 34.21% 231 0.46%
1984 29,606 68.67% 13,411 31.11% 96 0.22%
1980 22,033 56.31% 13,629 34.83% 3,468 8.86%
1976 17,941 55.23% 14,542 44.77% 0 0.00%
1972 19,907 69.48% 8,235 28.74% 509 1.78%
1968 13,649 51.87% 8,316 31.60% 4,348 16.52%
1964 9,264 38.90% 14,548 61.10% 0 0.00%
1960 13,408 57.50% 9,910 42.50% 1 0.00%
1956 14,387 65.38% 7,619 34.62% 0 0.00%
1952 14,562 64.86% 7,851 34.97% 38 0.17%
1948 9,934 57.77% 7,142 41.53% 121 0.70%
1944 11,367 57.13% 8,528 42.87% 0 0.00%
1940 10,485 48.02% 11,255 51.55% 93 0.43%
1936 9,500 46.83% 10,722 52.85% 64 0.32%
1932 7,144 39.64% 10,686 59.29% 194 1.08%
1928 12,569 62.57% 7,406 36.87% 114 0.57%
1924 8,441 49.35% 7,740 45.25% 925 5.41%
1920 9,559 54.57% 7,747 44.22% 212 1.21%
1916 5,725 47.61% 6,094 50.67% 207 1.72%
1912 2,813 24.76% 5,545 48.81% 3,002 26.43%
1908 5,966 52.72% 5,158 45.58% 192 1.70%
1904 5,788 52.83% 5,004 45.67% 164 1.50%
1900 6,391 51.30% 5,820 46.72% 246 1.97%
1896 6,352 53.20% 5,214 43.67% 374 3.13%
1892 5,502 48.12% 5,643 49.35% 289 2.53%



In state-level elections, 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 Mikulski 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. In the 2014 Maryland Gubernatorial race Republican Larry Hogan won Frederick County strongly with 63 percent of the vote compared to Democrat Anthony Brown's 35 percent.[6] In the 2018 elections, despite increased support for Hogan, the Democrats experienced significant gains, securing a majority on the County Council and winning District 3B in the House of Delegates.[7][8][9] The election also saw incumbent U.S. Senator Ben Cardin win Frederick County with 51.7% of the vote.[10]

The official language of Frederick County is English.[11]

Geography[]

FrederickCountyMD

A farm in Frederick County, Maryland

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.

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 667.34 square miles (1,728.4 km2), of which 662.88 square miles (1,716.9 km2) (or 99.33%) is land and 4.46 square miles (11.6 km2) (or 0.67%) is water.[12] It is the largest county in Maryland in terms of area.[13]

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[]

  • Catoctin Mountain Park
  • Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (part)
  • Monocacy National Battlefield

Major highways[]

  • I-70 (MD) Interstate 70
  • I-270 (MD) Interstate 270
  • US 15 U.S. Route 15
  • US 40 U.S. Route 40
  • Alt plate
    US 40 U.S. Route 40 Alternate
  • US 340 U.S. Route 340

  • MD Route 17 Maryland Route 17
  • MD Route 26 Maryland Route 26
  • MD Route 27 Maryland Route 27
  • MD Route 28 Maryland Route 28
  • MD Route 31 Maryland Route 31
  • MD Route 75 Maryland Route 75
  • MD Route 76 Maryland Route 76

  • MD Route 77 Maryland Route 77
  • MD Route 79 Maryland Route 79
  • MD Route 80 Maryland Route 80
  • MD Route 85 Maryland Route 85
  • MD Route 180 Maryland Route 180
  • MD Route 194 Maryland Route 194
  • MD Route 351 Maryland Route 351

  • MD Route 355 Maryland Route 355
  • MD Route 550 Maryland Route 550

Demographics[]

Historical populations
of Frederick County
Year Population
1790 30,791
1800 31,523
1810 34,437
1820 40,459
1830 45,789
1840 36,405
1850 40,987
1860 46,591
1870 47,572
1880 50,482
1890 49,512
Year Population
1900 51,920
1910 52,673
1920 52,541
1930 54,440
1940 57,312
1950 62,287
1960 71,930
1970 84,927
1980 114,792
1990 150,208
2000 195,277
2010 233,385

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 $60,276, and the median income for a family was $67,879. Males had a median income of $42,378 versus $30,564 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,404. About 2.90% of families and 4.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.90% of those under age 18 and 6.00% of those age 65 or over.

Fort Detrick is the largest employer in Frederick County. The largest employers aside from the government are the Frederick Memorial Healthcare System, Bechtel, SAIC and Wells Fargo.[14] Frederick County has a strong agricultural component of its economy, and it is the largest producer of milk in Maryland.[15]

Communities[]

Fred ua

Map of urban areas in Frederick County

As of the census[16] 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 racial 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.

Downtown Brunswick 009

Brunswick

Burkittsville street

Burkittsville

Emmitsburg Pano

Emmitsburg

2008 03 28 - Frederick - City Hall 2

Frederick, the county seat and largest community in Frederick County.

Middletown, Maryland Main Street

Middletown

Frederick County contains the following incorporated municipalities:

  • 2 cities:
    1. Brunswick (incorporated 1890)
    2. Frederick (incorporated 1816)
  • 9 towns:
    1. Burkittsville (incorporated 1894)
    2. Emmitsburg (incorporated 1824)
    3. Middletown (incorporated 1833)
    4. Mount Airy (This town is partly in Frederick County and partly in Carroll County.) (incorporated 1894)
    5. Myersville (incorporated 1904)
    6. New Market (incorporated 1878)
    7. Thurmont (incorporated 1831)
    8. Walkersville (incorporated 1892)
    9. Woodsboro (incorporated 1836)
  • 1 Village:
    1. Rosemont (incorporated 1953)

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 United States Census Bureau, the United States Postal Service, 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 census-designated places in the county:

  1. Ballenger Creek
  2. Braddock Heights
  3. Clover Hill
  4. Discovery-Spring Garden (a combination of the communities of Discovery and Spring Garden recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
  5. Green Valley
  6. Linganore-Bartonsville (a combination of the communities of Linganore and Bartonsville recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
  7. Urbana

Other unincorporated areas include:

  1. Adamstown
  2. Buckeystown
  3. Graceham
  4. Ijamsville
  5. Jefferson
  6. Knoxville
  7. Ladiesburg
  8. Lewistown
  9. Libertytown
  10. Lake Linganore
  11. Monrovia
  12. New Midway
  13. Petersville
  14. Point of Rocks
  15. Rocky Ridge
  16. Sabillasville
  17. Sunny Side
  18. Tuscarora
  19. Utica
  20. Wolfsville

See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Frederick County, Maryland

Notes[]

  1. ^ "Frederick County QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/24/24021.html. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
  2. ^ "Frederick County, Maryland — Government". Maryland State Archives. March 5, 2008. http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/36loc/fr/html/fr.html. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
  4. ^ "Summary of Voter Activity Report". Maryland State Board of Elections. August 2020. https://elections.maryland.gov/pdf/vrar/2020_08.pdf. 
  5. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  6. ^ http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/277460
  7. ^ "2018 Maryland Election Results: Governor's race, statewide offices" (in en). 2018-11-06. https://wtop.com/local-politics-elections-news/2018/11/2018-maryland-election-results-governors-race-statewide-offices/. 
  8. ^ "2018 county election results in Maryland" (in en). 2018-11-07. https://wtop.com/local-politics-elections-news/2018/11/2018-county-election-results-in-maryland/. 
  9. ^ "2018 Maryland House of Delegates Election Results" (in en). 2018-11-06. https://wtop.com/local-politics-elections-news/2018/11/2018-maryland-house-of-delegates-election-results/. 
  10. ^ "Maryland Election Results 2018: Live Midterm Map by County & Analysis" (in en). https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/maryland. 
  11. ^ McCarthy, Pete (February 22, 2012). "County Makes English Official Language". Frederick News-Post. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=132165. 
  12. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
  13. ^ "Frederick News-Post Local Section". The Frederick News-Post. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/local/. Retrieved March 16, 2007. 
  14. ^ Frederick County Office of Economic Development
  15. ^ Frederick County Office of Economic Development (Fast Facts#Brief Economic Facts)
  16. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

References[]

External links[]

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


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Frederick County, Maryland. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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