Baltimore County, Maryland
U.S. County|
county = Baltimore County|
state = Maryland |
seal = Baltimore County Seal.gif |
map = Map of Maryland highlighting Baltimore County.png |
map size = 250|
founded =
1659| seat =
Towson | area = 1,766
km² (682
mi²) |
area land = 1,550 km² (599 mi²)|
area water = 216 km² (83 mi²) |
area percentage = 12.23% |
census yr = 2005|
pop = 786,113 |
density = 487|
web = www.co.ba.md.us|}}
Baltimore County is a
suburban
county located in the northern portion of
U.S. state of
Maryland.
As of 2000, the population was 754,292. Its
county seat is
Towson. The name of the county was derived from the
barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland colony,
Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, in
County Longford,
Ireland. It should be noted that Baltimore County does
not include the
City of
Baltimore, which was split off as an
independent city in
1851.
This county is a part of the Baltimore portion of the
Baltimore-Washington Metroplex.
The origin of Baltimore County is not known, the earliest known record of the county politically is
January 12,
1659, when a writ was issued to its sheriff. Previously, Baltimore County was more known as a geographical entity than a political one, with its territorial limits consisting of the present day
Baltimore City,
Cecil and
Harford Counties, as well as parts of
Carroll,
Anne Arundel,
Frederick,
Howard and
Kent Counties.
In
1674, a portion of Baltimore County, as well as a portion of
Kent County, was split off to form
Cecil County. In
1748, a portion of Baltimore County, as well as a portion of
Prince George's County, was split off to form
Frederick County. In
1773,
Harford County was split off from Baltimore County. In
1837, a part of Baltimore County was combined with a part of
Frederick County to form
Carroll County. As mentioned above, in
1851 the city of
Baltimore was detached from Baltimore County.
Baltimore County has had a charter government since
1956. The government consists of a County Executive and a seven-member County Council. The County Executive and Councilmen are elected in years of gubernatorial elections, and the County Executive may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.
County Executives
See Also: Baltimore County Executive, 2006 Baltimore County Executive ElectionThe County Executive, oversees the executive branch of the County government that consists of a number of offices and departments. The executive branch is charged with implementing County law and overseeing the operation of the County government. The current County Executive is
Jim Smith, who comes up for relection in
2006.
County Council
The County Council, as the legislative branch, adopts ordinances and resolutions, and has all of the County's legislative powers.
The current members of the County Council are:
Road
Several major interstate highways run through the county, including
I-95,
I-83,
I-195 and
I-70; the latter has its eastern terminus in the county. The majority of the
McKeldin Beltway,
I-695, is contained within the county as well.
Transit
The
Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) operates two rail systems in the Baltimore area; both systems have stations in Baltimore County. The heavy-rail
Metro Subway runs north and west of the city to
Owings Mills; the
Light Rail system runs north of the city to Hunt Valley and south of the city through
Baltimore Highlands. The MTA also operates its bus service into the county, providing links to communities within the county and surrounding areas.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,766
km² (682
mi²). 1,550 km² (599 mi²) of it is land and 216 km² (83 mi²) of it (12.23%) is water.
The highest elevation is approximately 960 feet (292.6 m) above sea level, along the Pennsylvania state line near
Steltz. The lowest elevation is sea level along the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay.
Adjacent Counties
*
York County, Pennsylvania (north)
*
Anne Arundel County (south)
*
Carroll County (west)
*
Harford County (north and east)
*
Howard County (southwest)
*
Baltimore City (independent city, surrounded by Baltimore County except to the south)
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 754,292 people, 299,877 households, and 198,518 families residing in the county. The
population density was 487/km² (1,260/mi²). There were 313,734 housing units at an average density of 202/km² (524/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.39%
White, 20.10%
Black or
African American, 0.25%
Native American, 3.17%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.62% from
other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. 1.83% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 299,877 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.40% were
married couples living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.80% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,667, and the median income for a family was $59,998. Males had a median income of $41,048 versus $31,426 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $26,167. About 4.50% of families and 6.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 7.20% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.
Baltimore County's Population History from the U.S. Census Bureau
The following is a population history for Baltimore County[
1]. The ranking compares the population of Baltimore County to those of the other 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City.
*
1900........90,755......2nd (after Balt. City)
*
1910.......122,349......2nd
*
1920........74,817......2nd (Baltimore City annexed 46.5 square miles from the county in 1917)
*
1930.......124,565......2nd
*
1940.......155,825......2nd
*
1950.......270,273......2nd
*
1960.......492,428......2nd
*
1970.......621,077......3rd (after Prince George's)
*
1980.......655,615......2nd (Prince George's fewer)
*
1990.......692,134......4th (Montgomery 2nd, Prince George's 3rd)
*
2000.......754,292......3rd (Balt. City drops to 4th)
*
2004.......780,821......3rd
Of note:
*Until
1950, only Baltimore City and County crossed the 100,000 population threshold.
Baltimore County has
no incorporated municipalities, yet contains many unincorporated areas of local distinction.
Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people and listed in many collections of towns, but they lack local government. Various organizations, such as the
United States Census Bureau, the
United States Postal Service, and local chambers of commerce, define the communities they wish to recognize differently, and since they are not incorporated, their boundaries have no official status outside the organizations in question. The Census Bureau recognizes the following
census-designated places in the county:
#
Arbutus#
Bowleys Quarters#
Carney#
Catonsville#
Cockeysville#
Dundalk#
Edgemere#
Essex#
Garrison#
Hampton#
Kingsville#
Lansdowne-Baltimore Highlands (a combination of the communities of
Lansdowne and
Baltimore Highlands recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)#
Lochearn#
Lutherville-Timonium (a combination of the communities of
Lutherville and
Timonium recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)#
Mays Chapel#
Middle River#
Milford Mill#
Overlea#
Owings Mills#
Parkville#
Perry Hall#
Pikesville#
Randallstown#
Reisterstown#
Rosedale#
Rossville#
Towson#
White Marsh#
Woodlawn (
Note: this is also the name of a CDP in Prince George's County)
Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include:
#
Baldwin#
Boring#
Brooklandville#
Butler#
Chase#
Fork#
Fort Howard#
Germantown#
Glen Arm#
Glencoe#
Glyndon#
Halethorpe#
Hereford#
Hunt Valley#
Hydes#
Jacksonville#
Long Green#
Maryland Line#
Monkton#
Oella#
Parkton#
Phoneix#
Ruxton#
Sparks#
Sparrows Point#
Stevenson#
Upper Falls#
Upperco#
White HallColleges and universities
The
University System of Maryland maintains two universities in Baltimore County:
*
Towson University in
Towson*
University of Maryland Baltimore County in
CatonsvilleThere are also two private schools in Baltimore County:
*
Goucher College (in
Towson)
*
Villa Julie College (campuses in Stevenson and
Owings Mills)
Other schools having a campus in Baltimore County:
*
Loyola College in Maryland (in
Hunt Valley, main campus in
Baltimore)
Finally, there is a
Community College system known as
Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), with campuses in
Catonsville,
Essex, and
Dundalk.
Public schools
All public schools in Baltimore County are operated by
Baltimore County Public Schools.
*
Spiro Agnew, former
Vice President of the United States, former
Baltimore County Executive, Agnew was also the 55th
governor of the state of
Maryland from 1967 to 1969.
*
David Byrne, lead singer
Talking Heads*
Lee Gatch, artist (born in a small rural community near
Baltimore)
*
Elaine Hamilton O'Neal,
abstract expressionist artist and
Fulbright scholar (born in
Catonsville)
*
Emily Spencer Hayden, photographer
*
Harvey Ladew, designer of
Ladew Topiary Gardens*
Jane Frank, (1918-1986) artist (born in
Baltimore, lived in
Owings Mills and
Towson most of her adult life)
*
Michael Phelps,
Olympic swimmer
*
Animal Collective, music group
*
Baltimore County Government*
Baltimore County Public Library system*
Baltimore Co. Public Schools
