08-25-2024 Guidebook - Flipbook - Page 4
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NEED TO KNOW
CENTURIES OF HISTORY
Fast facts about Anne Arundel County
People try to beat the heat with an afternoon at Sandy Point State Park. PAUL W. GILLESPIE/STAFF
By Bridget Byrne
Anne Arundel County brims with
centuries of historic places and is home
to the state capital Annapolis, the seat of
county and city governments.
The Anne Arundel County Economic
Development Corp. estimates the county’s population is over 596,000. The
median age of the county is 38. Residents
age 65 and older make up about 16% of
the population, according to Census
Bureau estimates. They have access to
eight senior centers — in Annapolis,
Arnold, Brooklyn Park, Odenton, Pasadena, Glen Burnie, Severn and Edgewater.
The median household income in
the county is about $121,800 with about
135,000 residents earning more than
$100,000. Roughly 13,300 households
earn less than $20,000, according to estimates by the Anne Arundel Economic
Development Corp.
Much of the county’s eastern border
is made up of 533 miles of shoreline, and
most of its boundaries are defined by
water, principally the Chesapeake Bay.
It is also known for its water-related
recreational activities and regularly hosts
historic ships in its harbor.
After its founding, Annapolis was
a shipping port and point of entry for
immigrants and ships carrying enslaved
people. There were many prosperous homes that reflected the wealth of
the city. These homes hosted many of
the Founding Fathers and to this day,
Annapolis has more of those original 18th
century structures standing than any
other city in the nation, according to the
city.
Annapolis had a few different names
before its present-day name. Originally
called “Providence” when settled by the
Puritans, it was later changed to “Anne
Arundel’s Towne” after Lord Baltimore’s
wife who owned the proprietary colony.
When the capital of the state moved to
Annapolis from St. Mary’s City, it was
named as we know it today.
The county is home to not only the
Naval Academy but also Fort Meade.
Approximately 1,200 candidates swear
in as plebes each year on Induction Day
to attend the Naval Academy. Every year
in May, the graduating class participates
in Commissioning Week. Most graduates
are commissioned as officers in the Navy
or Marine Corps.
About 64,000 people work at Fort
Meade, which was established during
World War I to train troops for battle in
France and was expanded during World
War II. Fort Meade is now home to the
National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber
Command and other units.
Not far from Fort Meade is BWI
Marshall Airport, which has continued to
break records for the number of passengers it handles each year. President
Harry S. Truman dedicated the airport,
formerly known as Friendship International Airport, in 1950. At the time it was
considered the most advanced facility
in the nation and in 1957 it was the East
Coast terminus of the record-breaking
transcontinental flight by the first Boeing
707 jetliner, according to the county
website.
On the cover: The Pride of Baltimore II goes through pre-race maneuvers before the 2023 Governor’s Cup sailing race. PAUL W. GILLESPIE/STAFF
