Arbutus is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
and a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in
Baltimore County,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, United States. The population was 20,483 at the 2010 census.
The census area also contains the communities of
Halethorpe and
Relay
A relay
Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts
An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off
A relay is an electrically operated switc ...
, in which all three names were used during the 1960 census when the area had a population of 22,402.
Geography
Arbutus is located at (39.244406, −76.693928).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of , all land.
Herbert Run, a stream, runs through Arbutus and surrounding areas which splits, and becomes Herbert Run East and West.
History
The original Relay was an important station on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
. It was where traffic from Baltimore merged with that from Washington, before continuing west along the railroad's main line towards
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...
(prior to 1863, Virginia). It was also a key junction for the railroad's telegraph system (the first major system in the country). The
Thomas Viaduct is also located in Relay. The bridge is now operated by
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...
, which acquired the B&O in 1987.
Demographics
2020 census
2010 census
As of the 2010 census Arbutus had a population of 20,483. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 76.6% non-Hispanic white, 9.5% non-Hispanic black, 0.2% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 6.5% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race, 2.3% from two or more races and 2.9% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 20,116 people, 8,120 households, and 5,204 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 8,380 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.21%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 6.27%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.28%
Native American, 6.10%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.48% from
other races, and 1.63% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.53% of the population.
There were 8,120 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $47,792, and the median income for a family was $54,003. Males had a median income of $37,766 versus $29,129 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the CDP was $22,456. About 4.5% of families and 6.8% 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 ...
, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Emergency services
Fire and emergency medical services are provided by the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department Baltimore County Station 35, as well as Halethorpe's Baltimore County Station 5. These stations provide fire protection, heavy rescue, swift water rescue, and paramedic-level emergency medical services to the citizens of Arbutus and the surrounding communities. Mutual aid is provided by the surrounding Baltimore County stations as well as the Baltimore City and Howard County fire departments.
Police protection is provided mainly by the Baltimore County Police Department, Wilkens Precinct. Additional police service is provided by the Baltimore County Sheriff's Office, UMBC Police, Maryland State Police, and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
Education
Colleges and universities:
*
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a Public university, public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 un ...
(UMBC) is located adjacent to Arbutus and the neighboring unincorporated municipality of
Catonsville
Catonsville () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland. The population was 44,701 at the 2020 US Census. The community is a streetcar suburb of Baltimore along the city's western border. The town is known for its proximit ...
.
Primary and secondary schools are operated by
Baltimore County Public Schools
Baltimore County Public Schools is the school district in charge of all public schools in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is the 25th largest school system in the US as of 2013. The school system is managed by the board of educatio ...
.
Notable attractions
*
Arbutus Oak, a large white oak tree east of Arbutus in the middle of the I-95/I-695 interchange
*
Conservation and Environmental Research Areas of UMBC
Conservation and Environmental Research Areas (CERA) of University of Maryland, Baltimore County is a nature preserve on the grounds of the UMBC campus in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populo ...
, a research forest park utilized by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
*
Guinness Open Gate Brewery, the first Guinness brewery opened in the United States in the historic Calvert Distillery
*
Patapsco Valley State Park
Patapsco Valley State Park is a Maryland state park extending along of the Patapsco River south and west of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The park encompasses multiple developed areas on over acres of land, making it Maryland's largest st ...
, a large state park along the
Patapsco River
The Patapsco River ( ) mainstem is a river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howar ...
*Relay, a historic neighborhood south of Arbutus with examples of Victorian architecture
*
Thomas Viaduct, a railroad bridge over the
Patapsco River
The Patapsco River ( ) mainstem is a river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howar ...
that was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1966.
Notable people
*
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads.
Byrne has ...
, lead singer of
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.[Talking Heads](_blank)
*
Robert Ehrlich
Robert Leroy Ehrlich Jr. (born November 25, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of Governors of Maryland, 60th governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Ehrlich represe ...
, 60th Governor of Maryland, U.S. Congressman
*
Duane A. Gamble, retired United States Army general
*
Wild Bill Hagy
William Grover "Wild Bill" Hagy (June 17, 1939 – August 20, 2007) was an American baseball fan and cab driver from Dundalk, Maryland, who led famous "O-R-I-O-L-E-S" chants during the late 1970s and early 1980s from section 34 in the upper ...
, well-known Baltimore Orioles fan
Notes
References
Further reading
''The Thomas Viaduct at Relay, Maryland''(1925)
External links
*
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Baltimore County, Maryland
Census-designated places in Maryland