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Carroll County, Maryland
County
Carroll County
Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster
Flag Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Maryland
Maryland's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 19, 1837
Named for	Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Seat	Westminster
Largest community	Eldersburg
Area
• Total	453 sq mi (1,173 km2)
• Land	448 sq mi (1,160 km2)
• Water	5.1 sq mi (13 km2), 1.1%
Population (est.)
• (2017)	167,781
• Density	375/sq mi (145/km2)
Congressional districts	1st, 8th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC−5/−4
Website	www.carr.org

Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 167,134.^[1] Its county seat is Westminster.^[2]

Carroll County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area. While predominantly rural, the county has become increasingly suburban in recent years.

History

Carroll County was created in 1837^[3] from parts of Baltimore and Frederick Counties, see Hundred (division). It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832), signer of the American Declaration of Independence.^[4]

During the American Civil War, the population of Carroll County was sharply divided between supporters of the Union and the Confederacy.^[5] In 1863, there were significant troop movements through the county as part of the Gettysburg campaign. On June 29, 1863, the cavalry skirmish known as Corbit's Charge was fought in the streets of Westminster, when two companies of Delaware cavalry attacked a much larger Confederate force under General J.E.B. Stuart.

In 2013 the Carroll County Board of Commissioners voted to make English the official language of the county.^[6]

Geography

Farm in Carroll County, Maryland

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 453 square miles (1,170 km²), of which 448 square miles (1,160 km²) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km²) (1.1%) is water.^[7]

Topographically, Carroll County is located within the Piedmont Plateau region, with characteristic upland terrain of rolling hills and deciduous forest. The most prominent relief is Parr's Ridge, which bisects the county from southwest to northeast. The highest point is in the northeastern part of the county on Dug Hill along Deep Run Road.

Carroll County is bordered on the north by the Mason–Dixon line with Pennsylvania, and on the south by Howard County across the South Branch of the Patapsco River. About half of the eastern border, with Baltimore County, is formed by the North Branch of the Patapsco River and by Liberty Reservoir, though the northern half near Manchester and Hampstead is a land border. Carroll County is bordered on the west by Frederick County, across the Monocacy River and Sam's Creek. Other major streams in the county include Big Pipe Creek, Little Pipe Creek, and Double Pipe Creek, Bear Branch, and the headwaters of the Gunpowder Falls. The Piney Run Reservoir is in the southern part of the county.

Three railroad lines cross Carroll County. The old Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Old Main Line crosses the southern part of the county from east to west, with former stations in Sykesville and Mount Airy. The original Western Maryland Railway (WM) main line track runs southeast to northwest through Carrollton, Westminster, New Windsor, and Union Bridge. The old Baltimore and Hanover Railroad (later acquired by WM) runs further to the east through Hampstead, Millers, and Lineboro. Two of these railroad lines are now operated by CSX Transportation; the former WM main line is now operated by Maryland Midland Railway.

Adjacent counties

• 
  York County, Pennsylvania (northeast)


• 
  Baltimore County (east)


• 
  Howard County (south)


• 
  Frederick County (west)


• 
  Adams County, Pennsylvania (northwest)


• Montgomery County (Southwest)

Major highways

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 150,897 people, 52,503 households, and 41,109 families residing in the county. The population density was 336 people per square mile (130/km²). There were 54,260 housing units at an average density of 121 per square mile (47/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.69% White, 2.28% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.5% were of German, 14.0% Irish, 11.1% United States or American, 10.7% English and 7.3% Italian ancestry.

There were 52,503 households out of which 39.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.50% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.70% were non-families. 17.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $60,021, and the median income for a family was $66,430 (these figures had risen to $78,912 and $90,376 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $44,191 versus $30,599 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,829. About 2.70% of families and 3.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.00% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2007, Carroll County was the tenth wealthiest county in the country in its population range of 65,000 to 250,000^[14]

As of the 2010 census the population was 167,134. The racial makeup was 91.20% Non-Hispanic whites, 3.19% blacks, 0.20% Native Americans, 1.45% Asians, 0.03% Pacific Islanders, 0.09% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 1.33% Non-Hispanics reporting two or more races and 2.61% Hispanics.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 167,134 people, 59,786 households, and 45,163 families residing in the county.^[15] The population density was 373.4 inhabitants per square mile (144.2/km²). There were 62,406 housing units at an average density of 139.4 per square mile (53.8/km²).^[16] The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% white, 3.2% black or African American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population.^[15] In terms of ancestry, 33.8% were German, 19.1% were Irish, 14.0% were English, 8.4% were American, 8.2% were Italian, 5.3% were Polish, 2.8% were French and 2.3% were Scottish.^[17]

Of the 59,786 households, 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.5% were non-families, and 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 41.1 years.^[15]

The median income for a household in the county was $81,621 and the median income for a family was $95,825. Males had a median income of $62,322 versus $46,170 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,938. About 4.0% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.^[18]

Economy

JoS. A. Bank Clothiers has its headquarters in an unincorporated area in the county, near Hampstead.^[19][20]

Carroll County Public Schools is the largest employer in Carroll County.

The following is a list of principal employers in the county, as reported by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development from November 2014 data. This list excludes U.S. post offices and state and local governments, but includes public institutions of higher education.^[21]

Government

Carroll County differs from most counties in the Baltimore-Washington area in that it is strongly Republican. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried Carroll County since Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 landslide, and even LBJ won by a mere 119 votes out of 16,783 cast in that election. Since World War I ended, the only other Democrat to carry Carroll County has been Franklin D. Roosevelt, who managed to achieve this only during his initial 1932 campaign. Before World War I Carroll County had considerable Confederate sympathy and hence leaned Democratic,^[22] although it did vote twice for William McKinley.

In the 2012 presidential election, 65 percent of the county’s vote went for Republican candidate Mitt Romney. In Maryland’s 2014 gubernatorial race, Carroll County voted for Republican Larry Hogan over Democrat Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown by sixty-six percentage points (82 to 16 percent).^[23]

Carroll County is governed by five county commissioners, a “commission” being the traditional form of county government in Maryland.

Several times in the past, Carroll County voters have rejected charter amendments that would call for a government consisting of a County Executive and a County Council.

Commissioners

In 2004 Carroll County voters approved legislation that expanded the number of County Commissioners from three to five. The five Commissioners are elected from five Commissioner districts, as opposed to three Commissioners elected at-large. The change occurred with the 2010 elections, since the Maryland General Assembly did not agree on the districts in time for the 2006 elections.

Commissioners elected in 2014—all Republican^[25]—were:

• Stephen Wantz, Commissioner, District 1 ^[26]


• Richard Weaver, Commissioner, District 2^[27]


• Dennis Frazier, Commissioner, District 3^[28]


• Richard Rothschild, Commissioner, District 4^[29]


• Doug Howard, Commissioner, District 5^[30]

^[31]

Cabinet

Supporting the commissioners is a cabinet, composed of the following departments:^[32]

• Administrative Services


• Citizen Services (Christine Kay, Director)


• Comptroller (Rob Burk, Comptroller)


• County Attorney (Timothy C. Burke, County Attorney)


• Economic Development (Jack Lyburn, Director)


• Land Use, Planning, and Development (Phil Hagar, Director)


• Management and Budget (Ted Zaleski, Director)


• 
  Office of Public Safety Support Services (Scott R. Campbell, Administrator)


• Public Works (Jeffrey Castonguay, Director)

Sheriff

The current elected Sheriff is James Dewees.^[33]

Federal

The current elected U.S Representatives are Democrat Jamie Raskin of the 8th District and Republican Andy Harris of the 1st District.

Education

The Carroll County Public Schools School system is the ninth largest school district in the state of Maryland.

McDaniel College, a small private liberal arts college, is located in Westminster.

Media

The newspaper of record is the Carroll County Times.

Infrastructure

Law enforcement

Law enforcement services for the county are provided by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State Police, as well as several municipalities having their own police forces. In addition to providing police services, the Sheriff's Office also acts as an agent of the courts: serving warrants, enforcing child support laws, ensuring courthouse security, transporting prisoners, etc. On October 4, 2007, the County Commissioners voted to create a police department for the county. The police department would handle primary law enforcement duties while the Sheriff's office would continue to act under the arm of the courts. This move would give the Commissioners power to appoint or fire the chief of police instead of having a popularly elected Sheriff being in charge of all law enforcement. This move falls in line with Maryland's more populated counties who have such a dual system of law enforcement (Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Howard and Baltimore Counties), as Carroll County has begun to have a population increase. Municipal departments, such as Westminster Police, would be unaffected by the change.
[1]^{[permanent dead link]}

Family support services

Communities

This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:

Cities

• 
  Westminster (county seat)


• 
  Mount Airy (partly in Frederick County, Montgomery County, and Howard County)

Towns

• Manchester


• New Windsor


• Union Bridge


• Hampstead


• Sykesville


• Taneytown

Census-designated place

• Eldersburg

Unincorporated communities

Notable residents

• 
  Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star Spangled Banner," was born at his family plantation of Terra Rubra, in what is now northwestern Carroll County.^[34]


• 
  Whittaker Chambers, former communist spy, testified against Alger Hiss
  


• 
  Isaac Roop, first elected (provisional) governor of the newly proposed Nevada Territory; born in Carroll County.^[35]


• 
  Kyle_Snyder_(wrestler), Olympic, World, NCAA Wrestling Champion

In popular culture

• The county was used for scenes in the Tim Allen movie For Richer or Poorer and the Richard Gere and Julia Roberts movie Runaway Bride.


• 
  Chris Rock stood in front of North Carroll Middle School during his speech in the movie Head of State.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Carroll County, Maryland

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carroll County, Maryland.

• 
  Carroll County, Maryland Genealogy and History^{[permanent dead link]}


• Carroll County Government


• Carroll County Public Schools


• Carroll County Times


• Carroll County Today - Carroll County, MD News, Weather, More


• Carroll County Public Library


• Corbit's Charge


• Carroll County Business Directory


• 
  City-Data.com Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Carroll County

Coordinates: 39°34′N 77°01′W / 39.57°N 77.02°W / 39.57; -77.02