Baltimore County, Maryland

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.

History

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.

Law and government

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 Election

The 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:

District	Name	Party
District 1	Samuel Moxley	Democrat
District 2	Kevin B. Kamenetz	Democrat
District 3	T. Bryan McIntire	Republican
District 4	Kenneth M. Oliver	Democrat
District 5	Vincent J. Gardina	Democrat
District 6	Joseph Bartenfelder	Democrat
District 7	John A. Olszewski, Sr.	Democrat

Councilman Olszewski is the current Chairman.

Transportation

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 -- one light rail and one rapid transit -- 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.

Geography

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)

Demographics

As of the census ² 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^*. 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.

Unincorporated Census Designated Places

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: