List of counties in Maryland

There are twenty-four counties and county-equivalents in the U.S. state of Maryland. Though an independent city rather than a county, the City of Baltimore is considered the equal of a county for most purposes and is a county-equivalent. Many of the counties in Maryland were named for relatives of the Barons Baltimore, who were the proprietors of the Maryland colony from its founding in 1634 through 1771. The Barons Baltimore were Catholic, and George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, originally intended that the colony be a haven for English Catholics, though for most of its history Maryland has had a majority of Protestants.[1]

Independent city and counties of Maryland
LocationState of Maryland
Number23 counties and 1 Independent city
Populations(Counties only): 20,191 (Kent) – 1,004,709 (Montgomery)
Areas(Counties only): 254 square miles (660 km2) (Howard) – 695 square miles (1,800 km2) (Worcester)
GovernmentCounty government
Subdivisions(Counties): cities, towns, unincorporated communities, census designated place
(Independent city): Neighborhoods

History

The last new county formation in Maryland occurred when Garrett County was formed in 1872 from portions of Allegany County.[2] However, there have been numerous changes to county borders since that time, most recently when portions of the city of Takoma Park that had previously been part of Prince George's County were absorbed into Montgomery County in 1997.[3]

Outside of Baltimore (which is an independent city) the county is the default unit of local government. Under Maryland law, counties exercise powers reserved in most other states at the municipal or state levels, so there is little incentive for a community to incorporate. Many of the state's most populous and economically important communities, such as Bethesda, Silver Spring, Columbia, and Towson are unincorporated and receive their municipal services from the county. In fact, there are no incorporated municipalities at all in Baltimore County or Howard County. The county-equivalent is also the provider of public schools—school districts as a separate level of government do not exist in Maryland.

The City of Baltimore generally possesses the same powers and responsibilities as the counties within the state. It is an entity nearly surrounded by but separate from the County of Baltimore, which has its county seat in Towson.

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry.[4] Maryland's code is 24, which when combined with any county code would be written as 24XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

List of counties
County
 FIPS code[5] County seat[2][6] Est.[2][6] Origin[2] Etymology[2]Flag
Seal
 Population[7] Area[6][8] Map
Allegany County 001 Cumberland1789Formed from part of Washington County.From the Lenape Indian word oolikhanna, which means "beautiful stream" 74,012 430 sq mi
(1,114 km2)
Anne Arundel County 003 Annapolis1650Formed from part of St. Mary's County.Anne Arundell was the maiden name of the wife of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Between 1654 and 1658 it was known as Providence County by Puritan settlers 550,488 588 sq mi
(1,523 km2)
Baltimore County 005 Towson1659Formed from unorganized territoryCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first proprietor of the Maryland colony 817,455 682 sq mi
(1,766 km2)
Baltimore City 510 Baltimore City1851Founded in 1729. Detached in 1851 from Baltimore CountyCecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first proprietor of the Maryland colony 621,342 92 sq mi
(238 km2)
Calvert County 009 Prince Frederick1654Formed as Patuxent County from unorganized territory. Renamed Calvert County in 1658The Calvert family; prior to 1658 it was called Patuxent County, after the Patuxent Indians, a branch of the Algonquians 89,628 345 sq mi
(894 km2)
Caroline County 011 Denton1773From parts of Dorchester County and Queen Anne's CountyLady Caroline Eden, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore 32,718 326 sq mi
(844 km2)
Carroll County 013 Westminster1837From parts of Baltimore County and Frederick CountyCharles Carroll of Carrollton, a representative to the Continental Congress and signatory of the Declaration of Independence 167,217 452 sq mi
(1,171 km2)
Cecil County 015 Elkton1672From parts of Baltimore County and Kent CountyCecil is an Anglicized form of the first name of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore 101,696 418 sq mi
(1,083 km2)
Charles County 017 La Plata1658From unorganized territoryCharles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, second proprietor of the Maryland colony 150,592 643 sq mi
(1,665 km2)
Dorchester County 019 Cambridge1668From unorganized territoryDorchester in Dorset, England; the Earl of Dorset was a friend of the Calvert family 32,551 540 sq mi
(1,399 km2)
Frederick County 021 Frederick1748From part of Prince George's CountyFrederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, final proprietor of the Maryland colony 239,582 667 sq mi
(1,728 km2)
Garrett County 023 Oakland1872From part of Allegany CountyJohn Work Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 29,854 656 sq mi
(1,699 km2)
Harford County 025 Bel Air1773From part of Baltimore CountyHenry Harford, illegitimate son of Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore 248,622 527 sq mi
(1,365 km2)
Howard County 027 Ellicott City1851From parts of Anne Arundel County and Baltimore CountyJohn Eager Howard, an American Revolutionary War officer and governor of Maryland 299,430 254 sq mi
(658 km2)
Kent County 029 Chestertown1642From unorganized territoryThe English county of Kent 20,191 414 sq mi
(1,072 km2)
Montgomery County 031 Rockville1776From part of Frederick CountyRichard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general 1,004,709 507 sq mi
(1,313 km2)
Prince George's County 033 Upper Marlboro1696From parts of Calvert County and Charles CountyPrince George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain 881,138 498 sq mi
(1,290 km2)
Queen Anne's County 035 Centreville1706From parts of Talbot CountyAnne, Queen of Great Britain 48,595 510 sq mi
(1,321 km2)
Somerset County 039 Princess Anne1666From unorganized territory.Mary, Lady Somerset, sister-in-law of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore 26,253 611 sq mi
(1,582 km2)
St. Mary's County 037 Leonardtown1637From unorganized territory. Was named Potomac County between 1654 and 1658.The Virgin Mary, first county named in a colony intended to be a haven for Catholics 108,987 611 sq mi
(1,582 km2)
Talbot County 041 Easton1662From part of Kent CountyGrace, Lady Talbot, sister of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore 38,098 477 sq mi
(1,235 km2)
Washington County 043 Hagerstown1776From part of Frederick CountyGeorge Washington, first President of the United StatesLink to image 149,180 468 sq mi
(1,212 km2)
Wicomico County 045 Salisbury1867From parts of Somerset County and Worcester CountyThe Wicomico River; in Lenape, wicko mekee indicated "a place where houses are built," possibly in reference to a settlement 100,647 400 sq mi
(1,036 km2)
Worcester County 047 Snow Hill1742From part of Somerset CountyMary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, son of Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester, and sister of Anne Arundell, the wife of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore 51,578 695 sq mi
(1,800 km2)

Defunct counties
County Years of existence Etymology
Old Charles County 1650–1654 King Charles I of England
Durham County 1669–1672 The English County Durham
Old Worcester County 1672–1685 Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, son of the 1st Marquess of Worcester,
and sister of Anne Arundell, wife of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore

References
  1. Brugger, Robert J. (1988). Maryland: A Middle Temperament, 1634–1980. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. ISBN 0-8018-3399-X.
  2. "Counties". Maryland Manual Online. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  3. Brown, Deneen (June 28, 1997). "As Unification Nears, Takoma Park Residents Still a Divided People". The Washington Post. pp. A1. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  4. "FIPS Publish 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. Archived from the original on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  5. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Archived from the original on 2004-09-28. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  6. National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  8. "Maryland QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2007-06-22.

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