Frederick County is located in

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. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 271,717. The

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 Frederick. The county is part of the Capital region of the state. Like other outlying sections of the Washington metropolitan area, Frederick County has experienced a rapid population increase since the 1980s.
It borders the southern border of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and the northeastern border of

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 ...

Catoctin Mountain Park Catoctin Mountain Park is a park located in part of the Monocacy Valley and Catoctin Mountain ridge−range that forms the northeastern rampart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Appalachian Mountains System. The park is approximately 5120 a ...

in the county is the location of

Camp David Camp David is a country retreat for the president of the United States. It lies in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont, Maryland, Thurmont and Emmitsburg, Maryland, Emmitsburg, a ...

, a U.S. presidential retreat, and Fort Detrick, a U.S. Army base.

Etymology

The namesake of Frederick County and its

is unknown, but it was probably either Frederick, Prince of Wales, or Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore.

History

Frederick County was created in 1748 by the

Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an Kingdom of England, English and later British colonization of the Americas, British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the A ...

from parts of Prince George's County and Baltimore County. In 1776, following US independence, Frederick County was divided into three parts. The westernmost portion became Washington County, named after

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, the southernmost 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 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 ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water. It is the largest county in Maryland in terms of land area. Frederick County straddles the boundary between the Piedmont Plateau Region and the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

. The county's two prominent ridges,

Catoctin Mountain Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, forms the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range. The ridge runs northeast–southwest for ...

and South Mountain, form an extension of the Blue Ridge. The Middletown Valley lies between them. Attractions in the Frederick area include the Clustered Spires, a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

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 Adams County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 103,852. Its county seat is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Gettysbu ...

(north) * Carroll County (east) * Montgomery County (south) *

Loudoun County, Virginia Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg. Loudoun County ...

(southwest) * Washington County (west) * Franklin County, Pennsylvania (northwest)

National protected areas

* Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (part) * Monocacy National Battlefield

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

Frederick County has experienced a rapid increase in population since the 1980s, including that of minority groups.

2020 census

2010 census

At the 2010 United States census, there were 233,385 people, 84,800 households and 61,198 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 90,136 housing units at an average density of . The racial make-up of the county was 81.5% white, 8.6% black or African American, 3.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.9% from other races and 2.8% from two or more races. The total (all races) of those self-identifying as Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.3%, and those persons who were white alone made up 77.8% of the population. 26.3% of the population cited German ancestry, 17.4% Irish, 12.1% English, 7.2% Italian, and 6.3% American. Of the 84,800 households, 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, 27.8% were non-families, and 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age was 38.6 years. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $81,686 and the median family income was $95,036. Males had a median income of $62,494 and females $46,720. The per capita income was $35,172. About 3.2% of families and 4.8% 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 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government, and politics

Charter government

On December 1, 2014, Frederick County changed to a "charter

home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

government". Voters approved this governmental change at the November 6, 2012, election with 62,469 voting for the transition and 37,368 against. Previously, Frederick County had been governed by a five-member county commission that could only legislate in local matters with the prior consent of the

Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower ...

. Even that authority was limited to areas authorized by the General Assembly, enabling legislation, or public local laws. As a charter county, Frederick County is now governed by a seven-member county council, with five elected from districts and two elected at-large. A popularly elected county executive is responsible for providing direction, supervision, and administrative oversight of all executive departments, agencies, and offices. The council has broad power to act on most local matters. Jan H. Gardner was elected the first Frederick County executive in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018. The members of the third Frederick County Council for the term beginning 2022 are:
- The Frederick County state's attorney, first elected November 2, 2010, and re-elected in 2018 and 2022, is Charlie Smith, a Republican. The sheriff of Frederick County is Republican Chuck Jenkins. Frederick County's fire and rescue service is handled by a combination career and volunteer service delivery system. The county employs over 450 career firefighters. Volunteers of the 26 volunteer fire and rescue corporations number approximately 300 active operational members. Fire, rescue and emergency medical services, including advanced life support, are handled by career staffing supplemented by volunteers. The county has a Maryland State Police Medevac located at the Frederick Municipal Airport and is designated "Trooper 3". Trooper 3 handles calls throughout the state, but provides immediate assistance to local police, fire and rescue services.

Politics

Frederick County was once, like the rest of

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

n and German-influenced Western Maryland, staunchly Republican, with Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 being the last Democrat to carry it in a presidential election until Joe Biden carried 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 growth of the county with migration from Washington D.C. had begun to narrow the margins starting from 2008, with John McCain only edging out

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

by only 1,157 votes out of over one hundred thousand cast in the 2008 election. Democratic strength is mostly concentrated in the City of Frederick, while the suburban and rural areas of the county lean more Republican. In state-level elections, Republicans in Frederick rebounded to more historical levels in the 2010 Maryland gubernatorial and 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 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 Senate election also saw incumbent U.S. Senator Ben Cardin win Frederick County with 51.7% of the vote. After Biden's win in 2020, the trend towards Democrats continued in 2022, as Democrats increased their majority on the County Council by one seat and gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore won the county with over 53% of the vote compared to 43% for Republican and Emmitsburg resident Dan Cox, the first time Frederick County voted for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate since William Donald Schaefer's landslide victory in 1986. In the Senate election also held in 2022, incumbent Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen won the county 55.3% to 44.6% over Republican Chris Chaffee.

Public safety

The Frederick County Sheriff's Office provides court protection, jail management and morgue operation for the entire county. It provides police patrol and detective services within the unincorporated areas of Frederick County. The entire county entails a population of 222,938 within . Frederick City, Brunswick, Mount Airy, Emmitsburg and Thurmont have municipal police departments. Middletown contracts with the Sheriff's Office for its policing.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported for each type of offense from 2012 to 2019.

Economy

The U.S. Census Bureau reported the following data for Frederick County, June 6, 2011. According to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the following are the principal employers in Frederick County. This list excludes U.S. post offices and state and local governments, but includes public institutions of higher education.Major Employers in Frederick County, Maryland
Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. Frederick County leads Maryland in

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

production; the county's dairy herds account for one-third of the state's total. However, the dairy market is unstable, and the county, like the state more broadly, has lost dairy farms.

Communities

Cities

* Brunswick * Frederick (county seat)

Towns

* Burkittsville * Emmitsburg * Middletown * Mount Airy (partly in Carroll County) * Myersville * New Market * Thurmont * Walkersville * Woodsboro

Village

* Rosemont

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: * Adamstown * Ballenger Creek * Bartonsville * Braddock Heights * Buckeystown * Green Valley * Jefferson * Libertytown * Linganore *

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

* Point of Rocks * Sabillasville * Spring Ridge * Urbana

Unincorporated communities

* Charlesville * Clover Hill * Creagerstown *

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

* Garfield * Graceham * Ijamsville *

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

* Ladiesburg * Lewistown * Lake Linganore * Linganore *Mountaindale * Mount Pleasant * New Midway * Petersville * Rocky Ridge * Spring Garden * Sunny Side * Tuscarora * Unionville * Utica * Wolfsville

Education

The school district for the county is Frederick County Public Schools. A statewide school for the deaf, Maryland School for the Deaf, is in Frederick.

Notable people

Notable people from Frederick County include: * Shadrach Bond, first

governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

* Lawrence Everhart, soldier in the American Revolutionary War * Barbara Fritchie, Unionist subject of 1863

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 ...

poem by John Greenleaf Whittier * Thomas Johnson, delegate to

First Continental Congress The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of twelve of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia at the beginning of the American Revolution. The meeting was organized b ...

and U.S. Supreme Court judge * Francis Scott Key, wrote "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

" in 1814, which became the U.S.

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

in 1931 * Adamson Tannehill, soldier and member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Roger B. Taney Roger Brooke Taney ( ; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 186 ...

, fifth U.S. Supreme Court chief justice

References

External links

*Fire Rescue Information
Frederick County Volunteer Fire Rescue Association
*
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS)Frederick County Public Libraries (FCPL)Frederick County Board of County Commissioners
{{authority control 1748 establishments in Maryland Maryland counties Maryland counties on the Potomac River Populated places established in 1748 Washington metropolitan area