Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
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Chesapeake Beach is a town in
Calvert County Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimo ...
,
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. Its major attractions include the Chesapeake Beach Railway Station, the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail, a water park, marinas, piers, and charter boat fishing. The town's population was recorded as 5,753 in the 2010 census.


Geography

Chesapeake Beach is located at (38.695070, -76.536125). 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 town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city has grown out from the intersection of Fishing Creek and the Chesapeake Bay. The creek has been dredged to allow pleasure craft, commercial fisherman and a few small
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
vessels to dock in the city. Fishing Creek is a breeding sanctuary for Crassostrea virginica, as well as Chrysaora chesapeakei. The southern end of the city remains heavily wooded and is distinguished by the large sandstone cliffs called the Randle Cliffs. These cliffs tower as high as 110 feet above the water and are constantly eroding due to freeze/thaw and wave action. The debris from these cliffs has formed a number of shallow sand bars which makes navigation by boat near the cliffs very difficult and the water very shallow for hundreds of yards into the bay. Located at the center of town is the Chesapeake Beach Veterans' Memorial Park. It features a very large
American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...
and a waterfall fountain. A boardwalk along the Bay spans from 17th Street, down to the southern terminus of B Street and the northern entrance to Brownies Beach/Bayfront Park.


Transportation

The primary method of travel to and from Chesapeake Beach is presently by road, and two state highways currently serve the town. Maryland Route 260 follows Chesapeake Beach Road into the town, providing a direct connection between the town and both
Maryland Route 2 Maryland Route 2 (MD 2) is the longest state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from Solomons, Maryland, Solomons Island in Calvert County, Maryland, Calvert County north to an intersection with U.S. Route 1 in Maryland, U ...
and
Maryland Route 4 Maryland Route 4 (MD 4) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Maryland Route 5, MD 5 in Leonardtown, Maryland, Leonardtown north to Southern Avenue (Washington, D.C.), Southern Avenue in Suitland, Maryland, S ...
. MD 2 leads north to
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
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, while MD 4 heads northwest to
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Maryland Route 261 is the other highway directly serving the town, following Bayside Road from south to north through Chesapeake Beach and providing connections to other communities along the Chesapeake Bay. Cox Road is unsigned Maryland Route 775, and is a former alignment of MD 260.


Demographics


2010 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 2010, there were 5,753 people, 2,134 households, and 1,520 families residing in the town. 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 2,354 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 84.8%
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 ...
, 9.8%
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 ...
, 0.6% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.8% 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 2.8% of the population. There were 2,134 households, of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% 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, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.8% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% 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 3.15. The median age in the town was 36.2 years. 28.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 7.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.


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 3,180 people, 1,217 households, and 862 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,331 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.51%
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 ...
, 5.28%
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 ...
, 0.35% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 1.38% 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 1.42% of the population. There were 1,217 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% 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, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $68,365, and the median income for a family was $74,167. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $35,865 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 town was $29,616. About 1.6% of families and 3.8% 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 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.


History

Chesapeake Beach was established as a resort community at the end of the
Chesapeake Beach Railway The Chesapeake Beach Railway (CBR), now defunct, was an American railroad of southern Maryland and Washington, D.C., built in the 19th century. The CBR ran 27.629 miles from Washington, D.C., on tracks laid by the Southern Maryland Railroad and ...
, a
short line railroad A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the United States and Canada. In the former, railroads are ...
from
Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
. It was the site of many slot machines in the early twentieth century (despite efforts to prohibit them) as part of the "Little Nevada" area of southern Maryland. Between steamer ships from
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
and trains from Washington, the weekend population of Chesapeake Beach reached into the 10,000s during the 1920s, until
economic depression An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economic downturn that is the result of lowered economic activity in one or more major national economies. It is often understood in economics that economic crisis and the following recession ...
, and a bad hotel fire, brought an end to the railroad. The construction of the Bay Bridge to the
Eastern Shore of Maryland The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula that Ma ...
in the 1950s enabled many of the visitors who used to spend their summers in Chesapeake Beach to now spend their time in
Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States c ...
instead. A museum at the old railroad station still exists today in Chesapeake Beach with many historic photos and an old passenger car from the railroad. It 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 1980. In the new millennium a boardwalk and pier, and a new condominium development have risen in Chesapeake Beach. There is also a recreational water park with water slides, a newly opened resort spa hotel, and a seafood restaurant right on the bay. The Herrington Harbour (Rose Haven) marina resort, which was voted by Marina Dock Age magazine as the best marina in the United States, is a few miles north. Until the 1950s and early 1960s, Chesapeake Beach was segregated by race, as were many other beaches along the Chesapeake Bay at the time. The resort's amenities and amusement parks remained segregated until the passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
, which prohibited racial segregation in public spaces. African-Americans frequented the nearby beaches of
Carr's Beach Carr's Beach, founded in 1926, was a beachfront resort on the Chesapeake Bay that catered to African Americans, African American patrons during segregation. Located just south of Annapolis, Maryland, Carr's Beach was established as a recreational ...
and Sparrow's Beach. While discriminated against as visitors, African-Americans were essential to the construction and maintenance of the tourist infrastructure, working jobs in rail and retail. Chesapeake Beach is also host to the United States
Naval Research Laboratory The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Located in Washington, DC, it was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, appl ...
Chesapeake Bay Detachment that experiments with various military radar systems and fire suppression technology. Perched atop the sandstone cliffs along the Western Shore of 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 ...
the lab is able to use their radars against a variety of surface and air targets in the Bay. Nearby
Naval Air Station Patuxent River Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Comm ...
has several aircraft that assist in the Research lab's mission.
Hurricane Isabel Hurricane Isabel was a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the east coast of the United States in September 2003. The ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Isabel formed in the eastern Atlantic ...
struck Chesapeake Beach and the adjacent city of
North Beach, Maryland North Beach is a town in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,978 at the 2010 U.S. Census. In addition to a boardwalk, North Beach has multiple parks, including Wetlands Overlook Park, Sunrise Garden, Callis Park, and th ...
in 2003. The storm surge pushed flood waters into both towns, damaging residences and businesses in North Beach, and knocking out electrical services for nearly a week. On June 4, 2008, a tornado struck Chesapeake Beach, damaging many homes in Richfield Station and Bayview Hills. On April 3, 2019, a large townhouse fire in the Courtyards at Fishing Creek neighborhood resulted in the destruction of 2 rows of townhouses, and the deaths of a woman and her 13-year-old granddaughter.


Neighborhoods/subdivisions

The old grid streets of the town are generally divided into the North Side and South Side. East-west-running streets are numbered 10 through 31, and north–south-running streets are lettered B through J. The North Side consists of 26th through 31st Streets and C through G Streets. The South Side consists of 10th through 19th Streets and B through J Streets. 2nd through 25th Streets are located in the Summer City community and are not within Chesapeake Beach's city limits. These streets run north-to-south like the lettered streets within the town proper. First Street is located to the north of 31st Street and is shared with North Beach. There is no 21st, 22nd or 23rd Street. Other neighborhoods include: *The Highlands *Bayview Hills *Richfield Station *Stinnett *Courtyards at Fishing Creek *Windward Key *Seagate Square *Bay Crest *Captain's Quarters *Chesapeake Station *Chesapeake Village *North Calvert Woods (not a part of the incorporated town of Chesapeake Beach) *Randle Cliff *Brookeside *Dory Brooks *Lake Karylbrook *Locust Grove *Holiday Beach *Camp Roosevelt *Heritage Woods


Notable people

*
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 * Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., president of the
Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...
* Christopher Wilkinson, screenwriter, producer, and director


References


External links


Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum

Chesapeake Beach official website

Bruce "Snake" Gabrielson Surf Art Gallery and Museum
{{authority control Towns in Maryland Towns in Calvert County, Maryland Maryland populated places on the Chesapeake Bay Beaches of Maryland