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Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, on its Eastern Shore. It was named for the county of the same name in England (see Kent.) The county seat is Chestertown. As of 2000, the population was 19,197. It is the least populous county in Maryland.
History
In 1642, the Governor and Council appointed commissioners for the Isle and County of Kent. This act appears to represent the creation of Kent County.
Law and government
Kent County was granted home rule in 1970 under a state code.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,073 km² (414 mi²). 724 km² (279 mi²) of it is land and 349 km² (135 mi²) of it (32.55%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Cecil County (north)
- New Castle County, Delaware (northeast)
- Kent County, Delaware (southeast)
- Queen Anne's County (south)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 19,197 people, 7,666 households, and 5,136 families residing in the county. The population density was 27/km² (69/mi²). There were 9,410 housing units at an average density of 13/km² (34/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.64% White, 17.41% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 2.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,666 households out of which 26.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.70% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.80% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 23.70% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 19.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,869, and the median income for a family was $46,708. Males had a median income of $31,899 versus $24,513 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,573. About 9.30% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.00% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.
Schools
- Kent County High School
- Chestertown Middle School
- Galena Middle School
- Rock Hall Middle School
- Garnett Elementary School
- Millington Elementary School
- Rock Hall Elementary School
- Worton Elementary School
- The Kent School
Cities and towns
- Betterton (incorporated 1906)
- Chestertown (incorporated 1805)
- Galena (incorporated 1858)
- Millington (incorporated 1890) (This town is partly in Kent County and partly in Queen Anne's County.)
- Rock Hall (incorporated 1908)
All five are classified as towns under Maryland law.
The United States Census Bureau recognizes no Census-Designated Places in Kent County, which is unusual for Maryland counties, which usually have many unincorporated population centers.
Miscellaneous
- The newspaper of record is The Kent County News.
- Kent County Public Schools were some of the last in the country to integrate, but this was because of construction delays in opening the desegregated high school.
External links
Trivia
Kent County, Maryland, is one of the few counties in the United States to border its namesake in another state--in this case, Kent County, Delaware.
"Kent County, Maryland"