Galena is a town in Kent 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 612 at the 2010 census.

Geography

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

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 , all land.

History

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

silver mine Silver mining is the extraction of silver by mining. Silver is a precious metal and holds high economic value. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires the use of complex technologies. In ...

in the vicinity of the town, which extracted the metal from the lead ore known as

galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crysta ...

. There is, however, no geological evidence for galena deposits on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and the story is likely

apocrypha Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...

Transportation

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

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

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

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

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

Businesses

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

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 612 people, 271 households, and 169 families living 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 284 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no 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 ...

, 2.3%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 3.9% from other races, and 2.0% 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 6.0% of the population. There were 271 households, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were

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

2000 census

As of the

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

, 3.50%

, and 0.70% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population. There were 190 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were

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

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or 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 $18,858. About 1.6% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

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

Education

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

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a 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 ...

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

References

External links

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