Linthicum is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) and
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Anne Arundel 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 10,324 at the 2010 census.
It is located directly north of
Baltimore–Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
Designated as "Linthicum Heights" and zip code 21090 by the
U.S. Postal Service, Linthicum has been traditionally divided into two distinct communities each with its own community association and identity. These two communities, split by the
Baltimore Beltway in 1957, are Linthicum and North Linthicum (or, alternatively, Linthicum-Shipley and North Linthicum.) Both communities developed as a result of their locations adjacent to the
Baltimore and Annapolis Short Line railroad which brought commuters to the original
truck farming community.
As a developed community, Linthicum began with the 1908 founding of the "Linthicum Heights Company", though a "Linthicum" or "Linthicum's" station on the 1887 Annapolis and Baltimore Short Line railroad existed at least as early as 1889. The community's name was from the area's primary land-owning family since an 1801 purchase by Abner Linthicum.
The
Linthicum Heights Historic District 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 2006.
Geography
Linthicum is located at (39.203876, −76.660506)
in northern Anne Arundel County. It extends from the
Patapsco River in the north (the
Baltimore County line) to
Maryland Route 170 (Aviation Boulevard) in the south, and from
Interstate 195 in the west to
Maryland Route 648 (Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard) in the east. It is bordered by the CDPs of
Baltimore Highlands to the north (in Baltimore County),
Brooklyn Park to the east, and
Ferndale to the southeast, and by the Baltimore–Washington International Airport to the south.
The
BWI Business District West Nursery area is located in Linthicum along the West Nursery Road corridor. The business district is home to numerous companies, offices, and commercial services.
Two major highways run through the CDP. The Baltimore Beltway (
Interstate 695) runs northwest–southeast through Linthicum and intersects with the
Baltimore–Washington Parkway (Maryland Route 295), which runs northeast-southwest. By the parkway it is northeast to downtown
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 southwest to
Washington, D.C.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.81%, is water.
Demographics
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 7,539 people, 2,877 households, and 2,206 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,950 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.39%
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 ...
, 1.76%
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 ...
, 0.24%
Native American, 2.44%
Asian, 0.15%
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 ...
, 0.23% from
other races, and 0.80% 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 0.89% of the population.
There were 2,877 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were
married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% 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 2.98.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $61,479, and the median income for a family was $72,821. Males had a median income of $46,586 versus $35,104 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the CDP was $27,559. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% 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 3.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Ciena and
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems are among the companies based in Linthicum.
Public transportation
Linthicum is served by buses and three stops on the
Baltimore Light Rail:
*
Nursery Road, 6825 Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard
*
North Linthicum, 450 N. Camp Meade Road, Linthicum Heights
*
Linthicum, 308 S. Camp Meade Road, Linthicum Heights
From 1887 to February 1950, Linthicum was served by the now-defunct
Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad's line between Baltimore and
Annapolis, Maryland.
North Linthicum
The community of North Linthicum is defined by the North Linthicum Improvement Association as the area bounded by the
Patapsco River from the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) to Old Annapolis Road (MD 648), Old Annapolis Road from the Patapsco River to the Baltimore Beltway, the Baltimore Beltway from Old Annapolis Road to the
Baltimore–Washington Parkway, the Baltimore–Washington Parkway from the Baltimore Beltway to Hammonds Ferry Road, and Hammonds Ferry Road from the Baltimore–Washington Parkway to the Patapsco River.
Adjacent towns
*
Glen Burnie
*
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 ...
*
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
*
Elkridge
Points of interest

*
National Electronics Museum
*
William P. Didusch Center for Urologic History
*Benson-Hammond House
*Friendship
Church of the Brethren
*Overlook Elementary School
*Linthicum Elementary School
*Lindale Middle School
*St. Philip Neri School
*Hutman Artistic "Environment", a library and car art studio
*The Performing Arts Association of Linthicum
*Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church
Notable people
*
Rafael Alvarez (born 1958), journalist, author,
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
writer
*
Helen Delich Bentley (1923–2017),
U.S. congresswoman (1985–1995)
*
Pamela Beidle (born 1958, date questionable), Member,
Maryland State Senate (District 32) and
Maryland House of Delegates (District 32)
*
Diane Lynn Warren Black (born 1951),
U.S. congresswoman (2011–2019),
Tennessee General Assembly (1998–2010)
*
Michael W. Burns (born 1958),
Maryland House of Delegates member (1994–1998), administrative law judge and attorney
*
Robert A. Costa (born 1958),
Maryland House of Delegates member since 2003
*
John C. Inglis (born 1954),
National Security Agency Deputy Director (2006–2014)
*
John Charles Linthicum (1867–1932), U.S. congressman (1911–1932)
*
G. E. Lowman (1897–1965), national radio evangelist
*
Dorothy Mays (born 1957), ''
Playboy'' July 1979
Playmate of the Month
*
Brian Knighton aka
Axl Rotten was found dead in a
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
restroom near a motel in
Linthicum in 2016.
*
Donald E. Murphy (born 1960),
Maryland House of Delegates member (1995–2003)
*
Leonard T. "Max" Schroeder, Jr. (1918–2009),
U.S. Army colonel
*
Jim Spencer (1947–2002),
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player (1968–1982, 1973);
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
References
External links
Linthicum-Shipley Improvement Association North Linthicum Improvement Association ''The Washington Post'', July 11, 2009
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Maryland
Census-designated places in Anne Arundel County, Maryland