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Cecil County, Maryland
Cecil County MD courthouse entrance
Cecil County Circuit Courthouse in Elkton
Flag of Cecil County, Maryland
Flag
Seal of Cecil County, Maryland
Seal
Map of Maryland highlighting Cecil County
Location in the state of Maryland
Map of the U.S
Maryland's location in the U.S.
Founded June 6, 1674
Named for Cecil Calvert
Seat Elkton
Largest town Elkton
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

418 sq mi (1,083 km²)
346 sq mi (896 km²)
72 sq mi (186 km²), 17
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

103,725
Congressional district 1st
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.ccgov.org

Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,725.[1] The county seat is Elkton.[2] The county was named for Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605–1675), the first Proprietary Governor of the Province (colony) of Maryland. It is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metropolitan Statistical Area.[3] The county is located in Wilmington's Radio Market and Philadelphia's Designated Market Area.

History[]

Seal of Cecil County, Maryland (1674–1968)

Former county seal, used from the 17th century to the 20th century

The area now known as Cecil County was an important trading center long before the county's official organization in 1674 by proclamation of Lord Baltimore. It had previously been a northeastern part of a much larger Baltimore County, in the northeastern portion of the Province. This had included present-day Baltimore City and county, Harford, Carroll, eastern Frederick, and portions of Howard and Anne Arundel counties. At the time of its founding, Cecil County also included modern Kent County and the border on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay went as far south as the Chester River, until its later formation in 1706. The Piscataway traded with the Susquehannocks near Conowingo, and with Lenape of the Delaware valley and their Nanticoke allies near the Elk River and Elk Neck Peninsula. A southern tribe sometimes called the Shawnace also moved into what later became North East, Maryland.[4] Captain John Smith visited the area in 1608. William Claiborne, a Puritan trader based in Virginia, earlier established a trading post at what is now known as Garrett island at the mouth of the Susquehanna River near what became Perryville. Bohemian immigrant Augustine Herman lobbied for Cecil County's creation, and drew the 1674 maps, in exchange for which Herman received extensive land grants, including one developed as Bohemia Manor, where he eventually died. Another early developer was George Talbot, appointed Surveyor-General of Maryland in 1683,[5] who came from Ballyconnell, County Cavan, Ireland.[6] Talbot's original grant of land in Susquehanna, Cecil County is viewable online.[7] Its subsequent history is told in the Crofton Papers, page 153.[8]

Until the American Revolution, Cecil County was an important shipping center, both within the colonies and abroad. It exported not only its own agricultural products but also animal skins from the west and tobacco from the south. St. Francis Xavier Church (Warwick, Maryland) begun as a Jesuit mission in 1704 and rebuilt in 1792, is one of Maryland's oldest churches, though now a museum. St. Mary Anne's Episcopal Church, authorized in 1706 and rebuilt in 1742 is another (and still in use, as well as maintaining a historic graveyard). West Nottingham Academy, founded by Presbyterian Rev. Samuel Finley in 1744, educated Benjamin Rush and Richard Stockton, both of whom signed the Declaration of Independence, and still operates today (though disaffiliated from the Presbyterian church and with additional buildings). The Principio Furnace, founded in 1719, became an important exporter of pig iron. During the American Revolution both British and colonial troops traveled through Cecil County, although no major battles occurred within its borders. The Battle of Cooch's Bridge occurred in nearby Delaware, and both General Howe and General George Washington stopped in Elkton during the summer of 1777. Robert Alexander, the area's delegate to the Continental Congress of 1776, spoke with both sides but ultimately decided to go into exile in England without his wife. She remained a loyal Marylander and received a life estate in some of Elkton property that Maryland confiscated.

The Armory, Elkton, Md (75030)

Early 20th century postcard depicting Cecil County's Elkton Armory

The War of 1812 caused Cecil County considerable damage. Not only did British Admiral George Cockburn blockade the upper Chesapeake Bay, in response to musket fire from colonials at Welch Point, his troops destroyed a trading post known as Frenchtown. They tried to sail further up the Elk River to the county seat at Elkton, but turned back under fire from Fort Defiance, also hindered by a cable across the navigation channel. British troops also destroyed most of Havre de Grace in nearby Harford County, Maryland. Cockburn's ships then traveled up the Sassafras River, and, meeting resistance, destroyed Georgetown, Maryland and Fredericktown, Maryland. Avoiding Port Deposit which rumors called heavily defended, the British destroyed the Principio Iron Works, an important military target.

Port Deposit boomed after the Susquehanna Canal opened in 1812. Engineer James Rumsey, who grew up in Bohemia Manor before moving to Bath, Virginia (or Berkeley Springs, West Virginia), invented a steamboat which he demonstrated to George Washington, before traveling to London to secure patents against competition from John Finch. Rumsey died there in 1792, but his lawyer brother Benjamin Rumsey moved south to Joppa, Maryland and served as Maryland's Chief Justice for 25 years. Steamboats, using technology such as by Robert Fulton, came to dominate travel on the bay during the following decades. The Eagle, built in Philadelphia in 1813, transported travelers between Baltimore and Elkton, where they connected with stagecoaches to travel to Wilmington, Philadelphia and other points north. An 1802 attempt to build a canal to connect the Elk River to Christiana, Delaware (connecting the Chesapeake and Delaware watersheds) failed within two years. However, between 1824 and 1829, with financial support from the states of Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania, over 2600 workers built the 14 miles long Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which became for a while the busiest canal in the new nation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers still operates it today, and Chesapeake City, Maryland, which had been Bohemia Manor until 1839, has a museum explaining the canal's importance. Railroads and bridges also proved economically important to Cecil County and surrounding region. The New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad began service in 1831. Railroads crisscrossed Cecil county within three decades, although they ultimately greatly reduced its importance as a trading center. Cities such as Philadelphia and Baltimore could achieve economies of scale impossible for the county's small Chesapeake ports. Even the railroad's Frenchtown section was abandoned in 1859, and the port became a ghost town (though other sections remain in use, operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway).

During the American Civil War, Perryville, Maryland became an important staging ground for Union troops. It had been the halfway point of the railroad line between Wilmington and Baltimore, but damage to the section into Baltimore caused Union troops to embark ferries at Perryville. No Civil War battles occurred in Cecil County, but residents had strongly divided loyalties. Slavery had declined from 3,400 slaves in the county in 1790 to just 800 in 1850. The Underground Railroad had crossed through Cecil County, perhaps assisted by the 'Fighting Quaker,' former Congressman and U.S. Marshall John Conard, who moved to North East between 1834 and 1851 and was reburied at St. Mary Anne's Episcopal Church there`after his death in Philadelphia in 1857. Frederick Douglass crossed Cecil County on his road to freedom in 1838. While Jacob Tome made his fortune in the area and stayed, other Cecil County natives left in search of economic opportunity. David Davis moved to Illinois upon graduating from Yale Law School in 1835, where he became Abraham Lincoln's law partner and later served in that legislature as well as a judge, before moving to Washington D.C. to help President Lincoln, who later named him to the United States Supreme Court. Slavery's abolition affected many local property owners, as well as their slaves. After the war, Perryville again became a railroad town, and later received business from interstate highway travelers crossing the Susquehanna bridges. Although Cecil County had once been one of the wealthiest in Maryland and has worked hard recently to attract industry as well as tourist dollars, the average income of residents is now near that of Americans as a whole.[9]

From the start, Cecil County's future was shaped by its strategic location between the growing cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York. In the 20th century, as modern highways arrived its placement along the heavily traveled northeast corridor brought new opportunities and change to the county. By June 1941, the final segment of the Philadelphia Road, the new dual highway designated as Route 40 was completed across the center of Cecil County. In 1943, the dual highway was dedicated as the Pulaski Highway, to honor the Polish patriot and friend of Revolutionary American, according to the Baltimore Sun. Soon new motels, restaurants, and gas stations started sprouting up along what was once rural fields and woods.[10]

On Nov. 14, 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited Cecil County to formally open and dedicate the Northeastern Expressway (I-95). Motorists were relieved to be "on the clear new road" one editor noted in the Baltimore Sun. After President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, I-95 was rededicated as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. As traffic started zipping along the superhighway, without one light halting the fast trip, a corridor that would yield major dividends to the county had opened. It spurred business growth along the route, as commercial, industrial, and residential development clustered near the interchanges in the decades ahead.[11]

In 2013, the county became a Second Amendment sanctuary.[12]

Cecil County has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.[13]

Politics, government and law[]

In the early post-Civil War period, Cecil County, having been generally pro-secession, leaned strongly towards the Democratic Party.[14] It was carried by the Democratic Party nominee in every Presidential election between 1868 and 1920 except that of 1896 when the Northeast was vigorously opposed to William Jennings Bryan’s “free silver” policy. Since Dwight Eisenhower carried the county in 1952, Cecil County has become a solidly Republican county. The last Democrat to carry the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Prior to December 3, 2012, Cecil County was governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland. On that date, Cecil County began governance under a new charter approved via voter referendum in November 2010, which authorized an elected County Executive and a five-member County Council, which separates the legislative and executive functions of local government (unlike the old "board of commissioner" system). Cecil County thus joined most of the other larger, increasingly urban and complex county governments in central Maryland with county executive-county council forms (such as Baltimore, Harford, Anne Arundel, Howard, Prince George's, and Montgomery counties).[15] Elected on November 3, 2020, Danielle Hornberger (R) is the current County Executive.[16]

In addition, Cecil County is an area that has some home rule in its towns, in places such as Perryville and North East, who have town governments, and hence have minimal county reliance.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment of Cecil County[17]
Party Total Percentage
style="background-color:#3333FF;" width=10px | Democratic 21,424 31.57%
style="background-color:#FF3333;" width=10px | Republican 30,261 44.60%
style="background-color:#FFCC00;" width=10px | Independents, unaffiliated, and other 16,167 23.83%
Total 67,852 100.00%
United States presidential election results for Cecil County, Maryland[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 29,439 62.03% 16,809 35.42% 1,214 2.56%
2016 28,868 63.77% 13,650 30.15% 2,751 6.08%
2012 24,806 58.39% 16,557 38.98% 1,117 2.63%
2008 23,855 56.14% 17,665 41.57% 974 2.29%
2004 22,556 59.87% 14,680 38.97% 438 1.16%
2000 15,494 53.66% 12,327 42.69% 1,055 3.65%
1996 10,885 44.50% 10,144 41.47% 3,431 14.03%
1992 10,784 39.47% 10,232 37.45% 6,303 23.07%
1988 13,224 62.51% 7,807 36.90% 124 0.59%
1984 13,111 65.93% 6,681 33.60% 93 0.47%
1980 9,673 51.33% 7,937 42.12% 1,236 6.56%
1976 7,833 46.67% 8,950 53.33% 0 0.00%
1972 10,759 70.82% 4,113 27.08% 319 2.10%
1968 6,462 45.46% 4,517 31.78% 3,235 22.76%
1964 5,330 40.43% 7,854 59.57% 0 0.00%
1960 7,368 54.85% 6,065 45.15% 0 0.00%
1956 7,217 59.38% 4,936 40.62% 0 0.00%
1952 6,482 53.58% 5,590 46.21% 26 0.21%
1948 3,866 46.94% 4,323 52.49% 47 0.57%
1944 3,680 44.11% 4,662 55.89% 0 0.00%
1940 3,878 41.75% 5,360 57.71% 50 0.54%
1936 3,617 42.15% 4,914 57.26% 51 0.59%
1932 3,569 44.84% 4,282 53.80% 108 1.36%
1928 5,706 71.67% 2,201 27.64% 55 0.69%
1924 3,156 50.37% 2,863 45.69% 247 3.94%
1920 3,435 49.37% 3,468 49.85% 54 0.78%
1916 1,959 42.34% 2,587 55.91% 81 1.75%
1912 1,509 31.86% 2,491 52.60% 736 15.54%
1908 2,378 45.04% 2,847 53.92% 55 1.04%
1904 2,425 48.14% 2,554 50.70% 58 1.15%
1900 2,959 48.78% 2,988 49.26% 119 1.96%
1896 3,128 50.21% 2,908 46.68% 194 3.11%
1892 2,310 42.32% 2,898 53.09% 251 4.60%



Geography[]

Farm near Fair Hill MD

Farmland near Fair Hill in northeastern Cecil County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 418 square miles (1,080 km2), of which 346 square miles (900 km2) is land and 72 square miles (190 km2) (17%) is water.[19]

Cecil County is in the northeast corner of Maryland, bounded on the north and east by the Mason–Dixon line with Pennsylvania and Delaware. The western border is defined by the lower reaches of the Susquehanna River and the northernmost coves, flats and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. On the south, the county is bounded by the Sassafras River and Kent County, Maryland. The county is part of the Delmarva Peninsula as well as Maryland's "Eastern Shore."

Topographically, Cecil County straddles the border between the rolling hills of the Piedmont Plateau north of U.S. Route 40 and the flatlands of the Atlantic Coastal Plain to the south. The highest and most rugged hills are found in the northwestern and north-central parts of the county, reaching 534 feet (163 m) just south of the Mason–Dixon line near Nottingham, Pennsylvania and just east of U.S. Route 1. The lowest elevation is sea level along the Chesapeake Bay.

Cecil County is primarily rural, with denser development around the county seat of Elkton and along U.S. Route 40. The county is bisected from east to west by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which connects the Delaware River to the Chesapeake Bay by way of the Elk River. The canal passes through the town of Chesapeake City, where a high-level bridge facilitates the passage of large ships beneath Maryland Route 213.

Cecil County is also bisected east-to-west by Interstate 95, known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway in Maryland. The highway provides a major artery for traffic between the Baltimore-Washington area to the southwest and the Philadelphia and New York/New Jersey regions to the northeast. The Office of Management and Budget has designated Cecil County as part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metropolitan area.

Adjacent counties[]

Climate[]

Cecil County has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) except in higher northern areas where a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) exists. There are four distinct seasons and seven months average above 50 °F (10 °C.) The hardiness zone is mostly 7a.

Climate data for Elkton, Maryland
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 75
(24)
79
(26)
89
(32)
94
(34)
97
(36)
100
(38)
105
(41)
103
(39)
100
(38)
90
(32)
85
(29)
75
(24)
105
(41)
Average high °F (°C) 41
(5)
45
(7)
55
(13)
66
(19)
76
(24)
84
(29)
88
(31)
85
(29)
79
(26)
68
(20)
57
(14)
46
(8)
66
(19)
Average low °F (°C) 23
(−5)
25
(−4)
32
(0)
41
(5)
51
(11)
60
(16)
65
(18)
64
(18)
57
(14)
44
(7)
34
(1)
28
(−2)
44
(7)
Record low °F (°C) −10
(−23)
−8
(−22)
4
(−16)
14
(−10)
28
(−2)
38
(3)
41
(5)
42
(6)
33
(1)
23
(−5)
12
(−11)
−6
(−21)
−10
(−23)
Precipitation inches (mm) 3.47
(88.1)
2.73
(69.3)
4.04
(102.6)
3.53
(89.7)
4.41
(112)
4.06
(103.1)
4.49
(114)
4.01
(101.9)
4.28
(108.7)
3.38
(85.9)
3.39
(86.1)
3.56
(90.4)
45.35
(1,151.9)
Snowfall inches (cm) 5.7
(14.5)
4.4
(11.2)
1.2
(3)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.4
(1)
2.3
(5.8)
14
(36)
Source: [20]

Transportation[]

Major roads and highways[]

I-95 SB from MD 316 overpass

I-95 southbound past MD 279 in Cecil County

  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1I-95 I-95
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1US 1 US 1
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1US 40 US 40
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1US 222 US 222
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1US 301 US 301
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]] Template:Jct/abbrev/UNK
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]
  • Template:Jct/plate/MD/1 [[Template:Infobox road/MD/link MD|Template:Infobox road/MD/abbrev MD]]

Public transportation[]

The county operates Cecil Transit, which provides fixed-route bus and demand responsive transport service throughout Cecil County.

The northern terminus of MARC's Penn Line commuter rail service to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. is in Perryville. Recently, the Wilmington Area Planning Council conducted a study on the travel patterns of residents in the county, and they suggested that the MARC line extends from Perryville up to Newark or even Wilmington, where it meets SEPTA and Amtrak lines.

The county is one of only two areas on Amtrak's Acela that does not have local services.

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1790 13,625
1800 9,018 −33.8%
1810 13,066 44.9%
1820 16,048 22.8%
1830 15,432 −3.8%
1840 17,232 11.7%
1850 18,939 9.9%
1860 23,862 26.0%
1870 25,874 8.4%
1880 27,108 4.8%
1890 25,851 −4.6%
1900 24,662 −4.6%
1910 23,759 −3.7%
1920 23,612 −0.6%
1930 25,827 9.4%
1940 26,407 2.2%
1950 33,356 26.3%
1960 48,408 45.1%
1970 53,291 10.1%
1980 60,430 13.4%
1990 71,347 18.1%
2000 85,951 20.5%
2010 101,108 17.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[21]
1790-1960[22] 1900-1990[23]
1990-2000[24] 2010[25] 2020[26]

2020 census[]

Cecil County, Maryland - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[25] Pop 2020[26] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 88,348 83,485 87.38% 80.49%
Black or African American alone (NH) 6,080 7,500 6.01% 7.23%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 246 231 0.24% 0.22%
Asian alone (NH) 1,078 1,232 1.07% 1.19%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 43 23 0.04% 0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 90 408 0.09% 0.39%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 1,816 5,396 1.80% 5.20%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3,407 5,450 3.37% 5.25%
Total 101,108 103,725 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 census[]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 101,108 people, 36,867 households, and 26,681 families living in the county.[27] The population density was 292.0 inhabitants per square mile (112.7 /km2). There were 41,103 housing units at an average density of 118.7 per square mile (45.8 /km2).[28] The racial makeup of the county was 89.2% white, 6.2% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.0% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.4% of the population.[27][29]

Of the 36,867 households, 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.6% were non-families, and 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 38.9 years.[27]

The median income for a household in the county was $64,886 and the median income for a family was $75,742. Males had a median income of $54,379 versus $39,933 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,640. About 6.3% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.[30]

2000 census[]

As of the census[31] of 2000, there were 85,951 people, 31,223 households, and 23,292 families living in the county. The population density was 247 people per square mile (95/km2). There were 34,461 housing units at an average density of 99 per square mile (38/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% White, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.9% were of German, 16.1% Irish, 13.8% English, 13.8% American and 6.5% Italian ancestry.

There were 31,223 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,510, and the median income for a family was $56,469. Males had a median income of $40,350 versus $28,646 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,384. About 5.4% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Maryland state planning data suggest that the population of the county could double in the next thirty years, reaching 160,000 by 2030.[Tangel]

As of the 2010 Census, the racial makeup of Cecil County was 87.4% Non-Hispanic white, 6.2% black, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 1.8% Non-Hispanics of two or more races and 3.4% Hispanics.

Cecil County is home to a small Amish community in the Cecilton area that was founded in 1999.[32] Amish families moved to the area from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania because of increasing costs and the declining amount of farmland there.[33]

Education[]

There are 17 elementary schools, six middle schools, five high schools, and the Cecil County School of Technology, which specializes in career and technology education, all operated by Cecil County Public Schools.[34]

Cecil College has four campuses in Cecil County.[35]

Libraries[]

There are 7 branches of the Cecil County Public Library and the Library also does significant outreach throughout the county.

Crime rates[]

The 2017 census accounted a population of 102,746 people.[36] On a scale of one, being low crime, to 100, being high crime, these statistics compare Cecil County's crime rates to US crime averages. In regards to violent crime, which includes murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, the rate is 40.8 compared to the U.S. average of 31.1.[37] In property crime, including offenses being burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson, the rate is 39.3 compared to the U.S. average of 38.1.[37]

Populated areas[]

Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Blue Ball Village
  • Calvert
  • Carpenter Point
  • Childs
  • Colora
  • Conowingo
  • Earleville
  • Elk Mills
  • Elk Neck
  • Fair Hill
  • Fredericktown
  • Perry Point
  • Red Point
  • Warwick
  • Westminister
  • White Crystal Beach

Notable people[]

  • John Smith, (1580-1631), the first white man to explore what is now known as Cecil County[38]
  • William Paca, (1740-1799), a Statesman and Revolutionary War leader, served Continental Congress and was later the Governor of Maryland, signer of the Declaration of Independence[38]
  • George Read, (1733-1798), judge and Revolutionary War Statesman, served as a member of 2nd Continental Congress, later became a U.S. Senator and Delaware State Chief Justice[38]
  • Robert Alexander, born in Cecil County, delegate to the Continental Congress[39]
  • John Andrews, (1746–1813), professor and clergyman[39]
  • Robert Somers Brookings, founder of the Brookings Institution
  • Emma Alice Browne (1835-1890), poet
  • Annie McCarer Darlington (1836-1907), poet
  • David Davis, Associate Supreme Court Justice
  • Levi Davis, Illinois State Auditor and lawyer

In popular culture[]

  • In MacKinlay Kantor's If the South Had Won the Civil War, Cecil County counter-secedes from Maryland to join the State of Delaware, following Maryland's secession from the U.S. after R.E. Lee's victory against the U.S. at Gettysburg.

See also[]

  • Cecil Whig - the local newspaper.
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Cecil County, Maryland
  • Cecil County Sheriff's Office
  • Cecil County Circuit Courthouse
  • Long Creek (Back Creek tributary)

References[]

  1. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/cecilcountymaryland,US/POP010220. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Office of Management and Budget. "OMB BULLETIN NO. 13-01". Office of Management and Budget. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/bulletins/2013/b-13-01.pdf. 
  4. ^ "Archived copy". https://www.ccgov.org/tourism/history.cfm. 
  5. ^ "A Look Inside the History of Cecil County, Maryland" (in en-US). 2012-07-20. https://www.accessible-archives.com/2012/07/a-look-inside-the-history-of-cecil-county-maryland/. 
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ [2]
  8. ^ [3]
  9. ^ Maryland locations by per capita income
  10. ^ admin (2018-12-01). "Route 40 Opens in Cecil County" (in en-US). http://cecilcountyhistory.com/route-40-crosses-cecil-county/. 
  11. ^ "Kennedy Highway Changed Cecil County -" (in en-US). 2013-11-20. http://cecilcountyhistory.com/kennedy-highway-changed-cecil-county/. 
  12. ^ "Second Amendment sanctuary? | Sunnyside Sun". 2019-03-06. https://www.sunnysidesun.com/news/2016/sep/30/second-amendment-sanctuary/#h230778-p14. 
  13. ^ "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. 
  14. ^ Levine, Mark V.; ‘Standing Political Decisions and Critical Realignment: The Pattern of Maryland Politics, 1872-1948’; The Journal of Politics, volume 38, no. 2 (May, 1976), pp. 292-325
  15. ^ [4]
  16. ^ "Office of the County Executive | Cecil County". http://www.ccgov.org/government/office-of-the-county-executive. 
  17. ^ "Summary of Voter Activity Report". Maryland State Board of Elections. August 2020. https://elections.maryland.gov/pdf/vrar/2020_08.pdf. 
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  19. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_24.txt. 
  20. ^ "Intellicast - Elkton Historic Weather Averages in Maryland (21921)". http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USMD0143. 
  21. ^ "Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000". US Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html. 
  22. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  23. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/md190090.txt. 
  24. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  25. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Cecil County, Maryland". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US24015&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2. 
  26. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Cecil County, Maryland". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US24015&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  27. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US24015. 
  28. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US24015. 
  29. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US24015. 
  30. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US24015. 
  31. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  32. ^ "Maryland Amish". Amish America. http://amishamerica.com/maryland-amish/. 
  33. ^ Guy, Chris (June 27, 2003). "Match made in Cecil County". The Baltimore Sun. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-06-27/news/0306270364_1_amish-families-cecil-county-lancaster-county. 
  34. ^ "Directory" (in en). http://www.ccps.org/site/Default.aspx?PageType=1&SiteID=4&ChannelID=102&DirectoryType=6. 
  35. ^ "Locations & Hours". Cecil College. https://www.cecil.edu/about-us/locations-hours. 
  36. ^ "Cecil County, Maryland; UNITED STATES". July 1, 2017. http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/cecilcountymaryland.. 
  37. ^ a b "Cecil County, Maryland Crime". https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/county/maryland/cecil. 
  38. ^ a b c "History | Cecil County". http://www.ccgov.org/government/tourism/explore/history. 
  39. ^ a b Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 39°34′N 75°57′W / 39.57, -75.95


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Cecil 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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