Frederick County, Maryland

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Frederick County, Maryland
Seal of Frederick County, Maryland Seal
Location in the state of Maryland
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. 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.

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.

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
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

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. 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. The election also saw incumbent U.S. Senator Ben Cardin win Frederick County with 51.7% of the vote.

The official language of Frederick County is English.

Geography

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. It is the largest county in Maryland in terms of area.

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

• Adams County, Pennsylvania (north)
• Carroll County (east)
• Howard County (southeast)
• Franklin County, Pennsylvania (northwest)
• Montgomery County (south)
• Washington County (west)
• Loudoun County, Virginia (southwest)

National protected areas

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

Major highways

• Interstate 70
• Interstate 270
• U.S. Route 15
• U.S. Route 40
• 
  U.S. Route 40 Alternate
• U.S. Route 340

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

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

• Maryland Route 355
• 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:

• 81.5% White
• 8.6% Black
• 0.3% Native American
• 3.8% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 2.8% Two or more races
• 3.0% Other races
• 7.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

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. Frederick County has a strong agricultural component of its economy, and it is the largest producer of milk in Maryland.

Communities

Map of urban areas in Frederick County

As of the census 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.

Brunswick

Burkittsville

Emmitsburg

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

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

References

• "Major Frederick County Employers". Frederick County Office of Economic Development. http://www.discoverfrederickmd.com/business/directory/majoremployers.cfm. Retrieved May 25, 2007. 
• The newspaper of record is The Frederick News-Post.
• Fire Rescue Information: Frederick County Volunteer Fire Rescue Association

External links

• Frederick County government
• Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS)
• Frederick County Public Libraries (FCPL)
• Frederick County Tourism
• Frederick County, Maryland at the Open Directory Project
• Frederick County Restaurants
• Frederick County Board of County Commissioners