Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. State of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania.
It was named for Frederick Calvert, the sixth and last Lord Baltimore. The county seat is Frederick.
This county is a part of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area.
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2 Law/Government 3 Geography 4 Demographics 5 Cities and towns |
History
Frederick County was created in 1748 from parts of Prince George's County and Baltimore County.
In 1776, Frederick County was divided into three parts. The westernmost portion became Washington County, named after George Washington, the easternmost portion became Montgomery County, named after another Revolutionary War general, Richard Montgomery. The central portion remained Frederick County.
In 1837 a part of Frederick County was combined with a part of Baltimore County to form Carroll County.
There are 70,060 households out of which 38.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.10% are married couples living together, 9.40% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% are non-families. 20.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.70% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.16.
In the county the population is spread out with 27.60% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 32.70% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $60,276, and the median income for a family is $67,879. Males have a median income of $42,378 versus $30,564 for females. The per capita income for the county is $25,404. 4.50% of the population and 2.90% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.90% are under the age of 18 and 6.00% are 65 or older.Law/Government
Frederick County is still governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland.County Executive
The county commissioners exercise such executive powers as exist in the government of the county.Geography
Frederick County includes twelve municipalities:
Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people, but they lack local government. The United States Census Bureau recognizes the following Census-Designated Places in Frederick County:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,728 km² (667 mi²). 1,717 km² (663 mi²) of it is land and 12 km² (4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.67% water.Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 195,277 people, 70,060 households, and 51,914 families residing in the county. The population density is 114/km² (295/mi²). There are 73,017 housing units at an average density of 43/km² (110/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 89.33% White, 6.36% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 2.39% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.