Kent County, Maryland
| Kent County, Maryland | ||
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 Location in the state of Maryland |
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 Maryland's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1642 | |
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| Seat | Chestertown | |
| Largest city | Chestertown | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
414.31 sq mi (1,073 km²) 279.43 sq mi (724 km²) 134.87 sq mi (349 km²), 32.55% |
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| PopulationEst. - (2011) - Density |
20,197 72/sq mi (27.8/km²) |
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| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www.kentcounty.com | |
Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, on its Eastern Shore. It was named for the county of Kent in England. Its county seat is Chestertown. As of the 2010 census, its population was 20,197.[1] It is the least populous of Maryland's 23 counties.
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History [edit]
In 1642, the governor and council appointed commissioners for the Isle and County of Kent. This act appears to have led to the establishment of Kent County.
The county has a number of properties which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] A peninsula along the southern shore of the Sassafras River containing several large farms and a large pond that were assembled into one property by the former owners of The Sassafras Boat Company marina and Sassafras House restaurant at Georgetown, Liz Maytag and Mike Revuke, has been preserved as a wildlife sanctuary. Among the airplane and automobile collection of Mike, was a C-47 that he had painted with Mayan hieroglyphics depicting the "feathered serpent" and flew around the world to properties he owned.
Kent County is the smallest county on the Eastern Shore and the second smallest in Maryland. It has a 209 mile shoreline with an island referred to as Eastern Neck. The Chesapeake Bay is on the West, Sassafras River on the North, and the Chester River on the South. In 1793, this county had it's first newspaper printed referred to as Apollo, or Chestertown Spy which later became known as the Chestertown Gazette. Chestertown was a shipping center known as the Eastern Shore Custom House. In 1675,the first county town was New Yarmouth. Washington College is the oldest college in Maryland and is located in Kent County. Before the revolution New Town now referred to as Chestertown was a port entry for the counties of Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne's.[3]
Government and politics [edit]
Kent County was granted home rule in 1970 under a state code. Kent County is the most politically competitive county on Maryland's eastern shore. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won it with 52% of the vote to Democrat John Kerry's 46%. In the 2008 United States Presidential Election, Barack Obama won Kent County by 48 votes more than John McCain.[4]
The Sheriff of Kent County is John Price IV.
The commissioners of Kent County are - Ronald H. Fithian (D) President, William W. Pickrum (D) and William A. Short (R)
Geography [edit]
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 414.31 square miles (1,073.1 km2), of which 279.43 square miles (723.7 km2) (or 67.44%) is land and 134.87 square miles (349.3 km2) (or 32.55%) is water.[5]
According to the Maryland Geological Survey, the highest point in Kent County is 102 ft above sea level, approximately 2.25 mi west of Coleman's Corner (shown on maps as "Coleman"), just northeast of the mouth of Still Pond Creek. [6]
Adjacent counties [edit]
- Cecil County (north)
- New Castle County, Delaware (northeast)
- Kent County, Delaware (southeast)
- Queen Anne's County (south)
Kent County in Maryland and Kent County in Delaware are two of twenty-two counties or parishes in the United States with the same name to border each other across state lines. The others are Union Parish, Louisiana and Union County, Arkansas, Big Horn County, Montana and Big Horn County, Wyoming, Sabine County, Texas and Sabine Parish, Louisiana, Bristol County, Massachusetts and Bristol County, Rhode Island, Escambia County, Alabama and Escambia County, Florida, Pike County, Illinois and Pike County, Missouri, Teton County, Idaho and Teton County, Wyoming, Park County, Montana and Park County, Wyoming, San Juan County, New Mexico and San Juan County, Utah, and Vermilion County, Illinois and Vermillion County, Indiana. respectively. (Note, despite the different spellings, the source of the name is the same for Vermilion County, Illinois and Vermillion County, Indiana--the Vermillion River which flows through both counties.)
National protected area [edit]
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 12,836 |
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| 1800 | 11,771 | −8.3% | |
| 1810 | 11,450 | −2.7% | |
| 1820 | 11,453 | 0% | |
| 1830 | 10,501 | −8.3% | |
| 1840 | 10,842 | 3.2% | |
| 1850 | 11,386 | 5.0% | |
| 1860 | 13,267 | 16.5% | |
| 1870 | 17,102 | 28.9% | |
| 1880 | 17,605 | 2.9% | |
| 1890 | 17,471 | −0.8% | |
| 1900 | 18,786 | 7.5% | |
| 1910 | 16,957 | −9.7% | |
| 1920 | 15,026 | −11.4% | |
| 1930 | 14,242 | −5.2% | |
| 1940 | 13,465 | −5.5% | |
| 1950 | 13,677 | 1.6% | |
| 1960 | 15,481 | 13.2% | |
| 1970 | 16,146 | 4.3% | |
| 1980 | 16,695 | 3.4% | |
| 1990 | 17,842 | 6.9% | |
| 2000 | 19,197 | 7.6% | |
| 2010 | 20,197 | 5.2% | |
| Est. 2012 | 20,191 | 0% | |
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[1] |
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2010 [edit]
Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:
- 80.1% White
- 15.1% Black
- 0.2% Native American
- 0.8% Asian
- 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- 1.8% Two or more races
- 2.0% Other races
- 4.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
2000 [edit]
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,197 people, 7,666 households, and 5,136 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 people per square mile (27/km²). There were 9,410 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile (13/km²). 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. 15.7% were of English, 14.2% German, 12.4% Irish and 11.3% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
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 [edit]
- Kent County High School
- Kent County Middle School
- Galena Elementary School
- Judy Center (Pre-school)
- Henry Highland Garnett Elementary School
- Millington Elementary School
- Rock Hall Elementary School
- Worton Elementary School
- Kent School
- Chestertown Christian Academy
- Echo Hill Outdoor School
- Radcliffe Creek School
- Washington College
- Chesapeake College
Cities and towns [edit]
This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:
- Betterton (incorporated 1906) Mayor- Carolyn C. Sorge
- Chestertown (incorporated 1805) Mayor- Margo G. Bailey
- Galena (incorporated 1858) Mayor- Harry J. Pisapia
- Millington (incorporated 1890) (This town is partly in Kent County and partly in Queen Anne's County.) Mayor- T. Edward Robinson
- Rock Hall (incorporated 1908) Mayor- Bob Willis
All five are classified as towns under Maryland law.
The United States Census Bureau recognizes the following communities as Census-Designated Places in Kent County:
Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include:
Miscellaneous [edit]
- The newspaper of record is the Kent County News.
- Kent County Public Schools were some of the last in the country to fully integrate, but this was because of construction delays in opening the desegregated high school, which opened in the fall of 1969. Primary grade feeder schools in the Kent County system were integrated before the opening of the centrally located high school.
- 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.
- In 1790 Kent County contained the centre of population of the United States, according to the US Census Bureau.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "2010 Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
- ^ Clark, Charles (1950). The Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 917–938. More than one of
|author=and|last=specified (help) - ^ "CNN Maryland Results 2008 election". http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "Maryland Geological Survey". Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
External links [edit]
Coordinates: 39°14′N 76°06′W / 39.23°N 76.10°W
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Cecil County | New Castle County, Delaware | |
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| Chesapeake Bay |  |
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| Queen Anne's County | Kent County, Delaware |
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