Calvert County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the
U.S. state of
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 ...
. As of the
2020 United States census, the population was 92,783.
Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Prince Frederick.
The county's name is derived from the family name of the
Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of the English
Colony of Maryland. Calvert County is included in the
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. It occupies the
Calvert Peninsula, which is bordered on the east by
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
and on the west by the
Patuxent River. The county has one of the highest median household incomes in the United States. It is one of the older counties in Maryland, after
St. Mary's,
Kent County and
Anne Arundel counties. The county is part of the
Southern Maryland region of the state.
History
Early history
In 1608,
Captain John Smith was the first European to sail past Calvert County while exploring the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. On his map, he accurately represented the Patuxent River as well as several Native-American villages. The area was described as wooded and had been occupied by the
Patuxent people who were overall peaceful to the early Europeans. Their diet was composed of fish from the river and corn cultivated in man-made clearings with a supplement of game from the forests. These clearings were very desirable and conflict occurred when the settlers attempted to seize these areas from the Native Americans.
Leonard Calvert, the first Governor of the Maryland, organized troops of armed men in 1639 to protect the settlers.
[Stein Charles Francis. 1977-1976. A History of Calvert County Maryland. 3d ed. Baltimore Md: Published by the author in cooperation with the Calvert County Historical Society]
The first written mention of European settlers on the northern shore of the Patuxent River is found in the records of the Maryland Assembly in 1642. A Henry Bishop "stood up in the Assembly and exhibited himself as a
Burgess of St. Leonard's and pleaded that it be acknowledged as a
Hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101.
In mathematics
100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
" near St. Leonard's Creek. This shows that European settlement along the river and its tributaries had been taking place for several years already.
By 1646, the colonists had spread all along the Patuxent River and up the Bay side of Calvert County. Most of the transportation of goods and people took place on the water as the land was occupied by dense forests. Large creeks were navigated by sailing boats and plantations used their wharves to ship good. Ferry services were setup across the river and the bay with rates fixed by law.
Creation of Charles County
The county was originally named Charles County (much larger and unrelated to the present-day
Charles County)
[Arnett, pp 92, discusses role of Robert Brooke, Sr.] in 1650 when
Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (8 August 1605 – 30 November 1675) was an English politician and lawyer who was the first List of Proprietors of Maryland, proprietor of Maryland. Born in Kent, England in 1605, he inherited the proprietorsh ...
established it with
Robert Brooke as its "Commander". It was named after
Charles I of England
Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649.
Charles was born ...
. At the time, the new county included the current area of Calvert County as well as the southern and western shores of the Patuxent River up to its headwaters. The county seat was called Calverton (sometimes called Battle Town) and was located on the north shore at the mouth of Battle Creek until 1725.
[African-Americans in Calvert County - A Brief History https://www.calvertcountymd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6107/African-American-History?bidId=] In 1658, the county was renamed Calvert County. It also included all of
Prince George's County and parts of
Montgomery County.
Puritans coming from Virginia had settled in
Anne Arundel County and overflowed into Calvert County. All new settlers in Maryland were required to take an oath of allegiance to Lord Baltimore per the "Conditions of Plantation". This was a major point of tension between the Puritan settlers and Lord Baltimore. The
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
was ongoing in Britain where the Puritans had gained control.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
dismissed Parliament there and assumed the role of Lord Protector. In 1652, he sent a force of 750 men to subdue the plantations of the Chesapeake Bay under the new government. Virginia and Maryland surrendered to the Puritans and Robert Brooke cooperated with the Puritans.
On July 3, 1654, Lord Baltimore abolished Charles County and removed all authority from Brooke. He re-established the county as Calvert County with the same territory. However, the Puritan Assembly was in power and changed the name to Patuxent County on October 20, 1654, after the Patuxent River and to remove any connection with the Calvert family. The county kept this name under the Puritan regime until 1658 when the name of Calvert County was restored.
According to the local "Trail of Souls Project", in 1860 there were 4,609 enslaved people, 1,841 free people of color for a total county population of 10,000 people.
[Trail of Souls at Middleham and St. Peters: Uncovering the History of Slavery in Southern Calvert County http://ccd7fae51be7d3e9b11f-7a238febfb6dc77c392de145b8e7a053.r7.cf2.rackcdn.com/uploaded/t/0e4716290_1449286479_trail-of-souls-full-story.pdf#page=5]
Once made up primarily of farms and tobacco fields, the county's agriculture transformed in the mid-1990s. The prices for tobacco were declining. The State of Maryland instituted the Tobacco Buyout program which offered farmers to transition to different crops and away from tobacco. 195 contracts were signed between Calvert county farmers and property owners and The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission. The funds were used for infrastructure and equipment upgrades. Today the county produces fruits, vegetables, meat as well as other crops.
The county has become a fast-growing
exurb
An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburbs, suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density,
and rela ...
an neighbor of
Washington. Many home prices have nearly quadrupled in the past decade, with many four-bedroom homes in the northern half of the county averaging over $1,000,000. The popular weekend resort towns of
Solomons,
Chesapeake Beach, and
North Beach are notable.
The county has numerous properties 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 ...
.
Politics and government
County government
Calvert County is governed by a Board composed of five elected County Commissioners, the traditional form of county government in the State of Maryland. They meet in Prince Frederick, the county seat.
Emergency services
Calvert County Fire, Rescue, EMS Stations include:
* Co. 1 - North Beach Volunteer Fire Department
* Co. 2 - Prince Frederick Volunteer Fire Department
* Co. 3 - Solomons Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department
* Co. 4 - Prince Frederick Volunteer Rescue Squad
* Co.5 - Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad
* Co. 6 - Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad
* Co. 7 - St. Leonard Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad
* Co. 10 - Calvert Advanced Life Support
* Co. 12 - Calvert Rescue Dive Team
Until 2018, Calvert County was the only county in Maryland that still had a 100% all-volunteer Fire, Rescue, and EMS service. However, on January 20, 2018, the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners approved a phased-in approach of hiring
paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional trained in the medical model, whose main role has historically been to respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), ...
s, starting in
fiscal year
A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...
2019.
National Politics
In the early 19th Century, in the contests between the Hamiltonian
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of deep ...
and Jeffersonian
Democratic-Republican
The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...
parties of the
First Party System, it backed the Federalists four out of seven times, only going for the Democratic-Republicans in their greatest landslides of
1804
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Haiti gains independence from France, and becomes the first black republic.
* February 4 – The Sokoto Caliphate is founded in West Africa.
* February 14 – The First Serbian uprising begins th ...
and
1816 as well as the
1820
Events
January–March
*January 1 – A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament to meet on March 7, becoming the nominal beginning of the "Trienio Liberal" in History of Spain (1 ...
election in which President
James Monroe
James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...
ran effectively unopposed.
In the
1824 election which began the second party system, the people of Calvert County voted for
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...
over
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
, who would go on to help found the Democratic Party before the
1828
Events
January–March
* January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France.
* January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organiz ...
election. Up until the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, Calvert County voted only for the candidates of the
Whig Party, the Democrat's primary opposition. After that party's dissolution in the early 1850s, it supported the Nativist
Know-Nothing party in
1856 and the largely Whiggish
Constitutional Union party in
1860
Events
January
* January 2 – The astronomer Urbain Le Verrier announces the discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan (hypothetical planet), Vulcan at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France.
* January 10 &ndas ...
.
In the Civil War election of
1864, Calvert swung sharply along with the rest of southern Maryland to give over 90% of the vote to Democratic challenger
George McClellan, and again to the Democratic standard-bearer
Horatio Seymour four years later. The brief Democratic era was likely due to strong Confederate sympathy in Southern Maryland.
In Presidential elections, Calvert County has historically and at present leaned strongly towards the Republican Party. It was won by that party in every election from 1884 to 1936 – with the sequence broken in 1940 due to local support for
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
's efforts at helping Britain in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
– and in modern times no Democratic presidential nominee has won Calvert County since
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
did so in 1976.
Since then, Calvert County has remained mostly aligned with the Republican Party. It briefly turned in favor of the Democrats in the
dealigned 1960s and 70s, after which it became a Republican stronghold in the 1980s. In modern elections, it leans Republican though Democrats have gained votes. President
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
came only 5% from winning the county in
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, the closest any Democrat has come since Jimmy Carter carried it in 1976.
It is part of the
5th Congressional District, along with much of Southern Maryland. The current representative is Democratic former House Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer
Steny Hamilton Hoyer ( ; born June 14, 1939) is an American politician and retired attorney who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1981. He also served as House Majority Leader from 2007 to 20 ...
.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (38%) is water.
It is the smallest county in Maryland by land area and third-smallest by total area. The county also includes
five islands:
Solomons Island,
Broomes Island, Buzzard Island, Hog Island, and Molly's Leg.
The county's coast along the Chesapeake Bay is a long, relatively smooth
bight, a feature that is unique in the Chesapeake Bay.
Geology
A geological formation spanning across Maryland,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, and
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
is named after the county: the
Calvert Formation. It is visible within the
Calvert Cliffs State Park where it is exposed in cliffs. Located on the western shore of the county, Calvert Cliffs are famous for their fossil deposits and are a popular collecting location of marine vertebrates, shark teeth, birds as well as fresh water and marine turtles and tortoises. Some crocodile teeth have also been found which indicates that they may have been nesting in the sands at the time the formation was created.
The county landscape is composed of three platforms: the Talbot Terrace, the Wicomico Terrace, and the Sunderland Terrace (also known as the Ridge). These terraces correspond to three periods where the water level rose and later fell, leaving sand deposits. The oldest was created during the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
Age when the entire county peninsula found itself underwater. Marine deposits, clay, and mud containing sea shells and fossils were left behind leading to what we see at Calvert Cliffs today after the sea receded and the waves started erroring the deposit. These three terraces are visible in various parts of the county and are most obvious on the Bay side of the county where they rise to a height of 100 feet.
Climate
Calvert County lies in the
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
zone (''Cfa'') in the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, with hot, humid summers and mild to chilly winters with plentiful precipitation year-round. In the
Trewartha climate classification the county is classified as
oceanic (''Do'') except in the extreme south which is ''Cf''. Its proximity to the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
has a moderating effect on temperatures compared with locales further inland. Average monthly temperatures in Prince Frederick range from 35.9 °F in January to 77.9 °F in July.
Adjacent counties
*
Anne Arundel County (north)
*
Prince George's County (northwest)
*
Charles County (west)
*
Dorchester County (east)
*
Talbot County (northeast)
*
St. Mary's County (south)
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
2010 United States census, there were 88,737 people, 30,873 households, and 23,732 families residing in the county.
The population density was . There were 33,780 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the county was 81.4% white, 13.4% black or African American, 1.4% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.7% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 19.6% were
German, 17.6% were
Irish, 13.9% were
English, 8.4% were
Italian, and 7.4% were
American.
Of the 30,873 households, 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.1% were non-families, and 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.23. The median age was 40.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $90,838 and the median income for a family was $102,638. Males had a median income of $66,909 versus $49,337 for females. The per capita income for the county was $36,323. About 2.8% of families and 4.4% 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 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2010 Census the racial and ethnic make-up of the Calvert County Population was 79.65% Non-Hispanic whites, 13.44% blacks, 0.37% Native Americans, 1.42% Asians, 0.05% Pacific Islanders, 0.12% Non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 2.40% Non-Hispanics reporting multiple races and 2.75% Hispanic.
2000 census
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 74,563 people, 25,447 households, and 20,154 families residing in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...
was . There were 27,576 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 83.93%
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 ...
, 13.11%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
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 ...
, 0.30%
Native American, 0.88%
Asian, 0.03%
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 ...
, 0.49% from
other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were
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. 15.5% were of
Irish, 15.0%
German, 12.0%
English, 11.5%
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
or American and 7.1%
Italian ancestry.
There were 25,447 households, out of which 41.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.80% 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, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.80% were non-families. 16.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.60% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $65,945, and the median income for a family was $71,545 (these figures had risen to $88,989 and $100,229 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $48,664 versus $32,265 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 county was $25,410. About 3.10% of families and 4.40% 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 5.10% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is located on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay at
Lusby, as is the
Cove Point LNG Terminal.
The
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, part of the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is located in
Solomons.
A branch of the
United States Naval Research Laboratory is located at
Chesapeake Beach.
The
Patuxent River Naval Air Station is located immediately to the south of Calvert County, in
St. Mary's County.
Top employers
According to the county's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,
the top employers in the county are:
Education
Calvert County is served by
Calvert County Public Schools. The county's education system consists of 13 elementary schools, six middle schools, four high schools, a vocational education center, and a variety of other facilities.
There is also one private K-12 school, The Calverton School. Additionally, there is a private Catholic Pre-K-8 school-Cardinal Hickey Academy- located in Owings.
Transportation
The main artery serving Calvert County is
Maryland Route 4 (which begins in
Washington, D.C. as
Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...
before crossing into
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...
and
Anne Arundel County, Maryland). Route 4 in Calvert County begins at the very northern tip of the county at Lyons Creek, approximately 3 miles north of
Dunkirk
Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
. At
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, Route 4 meets
Maryland Route 2 (traveling south as a two-lane road from
Annapolis
Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
) and the two roads merge as Maryland Route 2–4. Route 2-4 continues south through
Prince Frederick,
St. Leonard and
Lusby. At
Solomons, Routes 2 and 4 split again, with Route 2 heading towards downtown
Solomons and Route 4 crossing the
Patuxent River at the
Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge into
St. Mary's County.
Route 2-4 is designated Solomons Island Road throughout much of the county, with the section south of
Prince Frederick being recently renamed Louis Goldstein Highway in memory of
Louis L. Goldstein, the former
comptroller
A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...
of
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 ...
and Calvert County resident.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Route 2-4 underwent an extensive expansion project, with the formerly two-lane road becoming a four-lane dual highway. Certain portions of the highway were re-aligned, with the former roadway becoming
Maryland Route 765. The final portion of the dualized Route 2-4 between
St. Leonard and
Solomons was completed in 1988. In 2009, a portion of Route 2–4 in Prince Frederick was expanded to three lanes, along with sidewalks added.
Other major roadways in Calvert County include:
*
Maryland Route 231, which travels west from
Prince Frederick to the
Patuxent River, ultimately crossing the river at the
Benedict Bridge into
Charles County.
*
Maryland Route 260, which starts at an overpass interchange at the Calvert-Anne Arundel border and travels southeast to
Chesapeake Beach. A portion of Route 260 is a four-lane dual highway.
Communities
Towns
*
Chesapeake Beach
*
North Beach
Census-designated places
The Census Bureau recognizes the following
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 ...
s in the county:
*
Broomes Island
*
Calvert Beach
*
Chesapeake Ranch Estates
*
Drum Point
*
Dunkirk
Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
*
Huntingtown
*
Long Beach
*
Lusby
*
Owings
*
Prince Frederick (county seat)
*
St. Leonard
*
Solomons
Dunkirk
Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
,
Huntingtown,
Lusby,
Owings,
Prince Frederick,
St. Leonard and
Solomons have all been designated by Calvert County government as being "town centers". The "town center" designation means while these communities may not have incorporated central governments, they do have specified boundaries surrounding the central business and residential areas for
zoning
In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...
purposes. The reason behind the "town center" designation is to cluster new development within established areas with existing infrastructure, thus discouraging
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...
. The implementation of the "town center" concept in Calvert County over the past two decades has for the most part been successful in preserving rural and agricultural areas outside the designated "town centers", and stands as a key example of the
smart growth planning strategy.
Unincorporated communities
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Adelina
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Barstow
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Bowens
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Chaneyville
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Dares Beach
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Dowell
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Johnstown
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Lower Marlboro
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Mutual
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Parran
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Pleasant Valley
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Port Republic
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Scientists Cliffs
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Stoakley
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Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
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Wallville
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Wilson
Notable people
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Louisa Adams,
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
, wife of President
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...
*
Charles Ball, an
enslaved man famous for his epic journey to freedom, his service in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
and his
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
*
Harriet Elizabeth Brown, Calvert County school teacher, catalyst in education in Maryland and throughout the US for equal pay
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Judith Catchpole, an
indentured servant
Indentured servitude is a form of Work (human activity), labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as paymen ...
who in 1656 was tried and
acquitted
In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...
of murdering her unborn child by one of the earliest all-female
juries
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence, make findings of fact, and render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Most trial juries are " petit juries", an ...
in the United States
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Brett Cecil, professional baseball pitcher for the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
and
St. Louis Cardinals
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Cupid Childs, professional baseball player
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Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...
, author
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Bernie Fowler, former
Maryland State Senator and
Patuxent River advocate
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Jon Franklin, two-time Pulitzer winner and author
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Louis L. Goldstein, former
Comptroller of Maryland
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Earl F. Hance, Calvert County Commissioner and Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture
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Doug Hill,
WJLA-TV weatherman
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Al Hunt,
Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg T ...
executive editor
*
Thomas Johnson, first elected
governor of Maryland,
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...
delegate,
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a Justice (title), justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the J ...
*
Joseph Kent,
U.S. senator, governor of Maryland
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Cliff Kincaid, investigative journalist with
Accuracy in Media and American Survival, Inc.
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Robert McClain, pro football player for the Atlanta Falcons
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Thomas V. Miller, Jr.
Thomas Vincent Miller Jr. (December 3, 1942 – January 15, 2021), known as Mike Miller, was an American politician from Maryland. He had been a Maryland Senate, state senator representing the 27th District (Calvert County, Maryland, Calvert, Ch ...
, Maryland Senate president
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J. C. Price, football coach
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Augustus Rhodes Sollers,
congressman
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Arthur Storer, first
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
in the
American colonies, original namesake for
Halley's Comet
Halley's Comet is the only known List of periodic comets, short-period comet that is consistently visible to the naked eye from Earth, appearing every 72–80 years, though with the majority of recorded apparitions (25 of 30) occurring after ...
*
Roger Brooke Taney,
Chief Justice of the United States
The chief justice of the United States is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States and is the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. federal judiciary. Appointments Clause, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution g ...
, presided over the
''Dred Scott'' decision
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Margaret Taylor,
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
, wife of President
Zachary Taylor
*
Robert Ulanowicz,
theoretical ecologist
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Wax, rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and comedian
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Michael Willis, actor
*
Judy Woodruff
Judy Carline Woodruff (born November 20, 1946) is an American broadcast journalist who has worked in local, network, cable, and public television news since 1970. She was the anchor and managing editor of the ''PBS NewsHour'' through the end of 20 ...
, news anchor and journalist
In popular culture
Calvert County has been the setting for several movies and television programs. The opening scene of the 1993
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...
movie ''
In the Line of Fire'' was filmed at Flag Harbor Marina in
St. Leonard. More recently, the Calvert County Sheriff's Department has been featured on several
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
programs, including ''
Speeders'' on the
truTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable Television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts reruns of Television comedy, comedy, Reality television, docusoaps and reality shows, with a rec ...
network, ''
MTV's Busted
''MTV's Busted'' is a reality television series that depicts young adults (mostly students in college) getting arrested and penalized by police. Most arrests are for alcohol-related crimes, such as drunk driving and underage drinking. Arrests fo ...
'', and was featured weekly on A&E's ''
Live PD''.
See also
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National Register of Historic Places listings in Calvert County, Maryland
References
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;General
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External links
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{{Authority control
1654 establishments in Maryland
Populated places established in 1654
Maryland counties on the Chesapeake Bay