Galena is a town in Kent County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, United States. The population was 612 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Galena is located at (39.341680, -75.878444). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

History

Galena was founded in 1763 under the name Down's Cross Roads, after William Downs, a local tavern owner. The name was later changed to Georgetown Cross Roads sometime before 1813, and finally to Galena in 1858. The name comes from a supposed

silver mine Silver mining is the extraction of silver from minerals, starting with mining. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires elaborate technologies. In 2008, ca.25,900 metric tons were consumed ...

in the vicinity of the town, which extracted the metal from the lead ore known as galena. There is, however, no geological evidence for galena deposits on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and the story is likely apocryphal.

Transportation

The primary means of transportation to and from Galena is by road, and several state highways serve the town.

Maryland Route 213 Maryland Route 213 (MD 213) is a state highway located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the United States. The route runs from MD 662 in Wye Mills, Queen Anne's County, north to the Pennsylvania border in Cecil County, where ...

is the most prominent of these, entering the town from the north and exiting to the west on its generally north-south route along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland Route 290 does the opposite, entering from the south and departing towards the east, with the two highways meeting at a crossroads in downtown Galena. A third highway,

Maryland Route 313 Maryland Route 313 (MD 313) is a state highway located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the United States. The route runs from U.S. Route 50 (US 50) in Mardela Springs, Wicomico County north to MD 213 and MD ...

, runs concurrently along MD 290 from its junction with MD 213 southwards, separating from MD 290 a short distance south of town on its way towards the southern Delmarva.

Businesses

Galena is home to a variety of small businesses for its size. Along with many antique shops, there is a diner, confectionery shop, convenience store and deli, organic and healthfoods market, pizza parlor, and recording studio, and wedding videography studio.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 612 people, 271 households, and 169 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 284 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 3.9% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 6.0% of the population. There were 271 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the town was 45.1 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 20.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 428 people, 190 households, and 121 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 202 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.79%

, 3.50%

, and 0.70% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.70% of the population. There were 190 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 1.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $47,813, and the median income for a family was $53,068. Males had a median income of $35,096 versus $22,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $18,858. About 1.6% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including none of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the

Kent County Public Schools Kent County Public Schools (KCPS) is a school district headquartered in Rock Hall, Maryland. It operates public schools in Kent County, where it is the sole school district. it had about 1,800 students, making it the smallest school district in ...

. Galena Elementary School is in the town. Kent County Middle School is in Chestertown, and Kent County High School is in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

with a Worton postal address. The former Galena High School consolidated into Kent County High in 1971, with the former Galena High becoming Galena Middle. The former Galena Middle School consolidated into Kent County Middle in Chestertown in 2010. The former middle school building is now (as of 2021) Galena Elementary School. Before Galena Elementary existed, it was assigned to Millington Elementary. Kent County public library maintains the North County Branch.

References

External links

Map of Galena
, from the Historical Society of Kent County collection {{authority control Towns in Maryland Towns in Kent County, Maryland