Wicomico County, Maryland

Wicomico County, Maryland
Seal
Location in the state of Maryland
Maryland's location in the U.S.
Founded	1867
Seat	Salisbury
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	399.79 sq mi (1,035 km²) 377.17 sq mi (977 km²) 22.62 sq mi (59 km²), 5.66%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	98,733 262/sq mi (101/km²)
Website	www.wicomicocounty.org

Wicomico County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Maryland. The county's name is pronounced why-KAHM-ih-koh. It was named for the Wicomico River, which in turn derives from American Indian words wicko mekee, meaning "a place where houses are built," apparently referring to an Indian town on the banks. The county seat is Salisbury. As of 2010, the population was 98,733. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The newspaper of record is The Daily Times.

History

Wicomico County was created from Somerset and Worcester Counties in 1867.

Law/Government

Wicomico County was granted a charter form of government in 1964. The legislative functions of government are vested in the County Council. The County Council consists of seven members five of which are elected from individual districts the other two are elected at-large. Councilwoman Gail M. Bartkovich is the current Council President. Executive authority in the county is vested in the office of County Executive. Rick Pollitt (D), former Fruitland City Manager, is the first to hold the title County Executive. The county executive is elected in a countywide vote.

Law enforcement in the county is provided by the Wicomico County sheriff's office. The sheriff, Mike Lewis (R), is an elected official. Municipal police agencies exist in the town of Delmar and the cities of Fruitland and Salisbury.

Wicomico County Sheriff's Deputy Patrol

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 399.79 square miles (1,035.5 km²), of which 377.17 square miles (976.9 km²) (or 94.34%) is land and 22.62 square miles (58.6 km²) (or 5.66%) is water.

The county's boundary with Delaware is composed of the Mason-Dixon line and the Transpeninsular Line. The intersection of these two historical lines is the mid-point of the Transpeninsular Line, fixed by Mason and Dixon between 1763 and 1767. The mid-point is located about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury, near the center of the Delmarva Peninsula. The county is generally flat, characteristic of the region, with a few small hills in the northeast. The lowest elevation is at sea level and the highest elevation is 98 ft (30 m).

Adjacent Counties

• Dorchester County, Maryland (northwest)
• Somerset County, Maryland (southwest)
• Sussex County, Delaware (north)
• Worcester County, Maryland (southeast)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	15,802		—
1880	18,016		14.0%
1890	19,930		10.6%
1900	22,852		14.7%
1910	26,815		17.3%
1920	28,165		5.0%
1930	31,229		10.9%
1940	34,530		10.6%
1950	39,641		14.8%
1960	49,050		23.7%
1970	54,236		10.6%
1980	64,540		19.0%
1990	74,339		15.2%
2000	84,644		13.9%
2010	98,733		16.6%

As of the census of 2010, there were 98,733 people, 37,220 households, and 24,172 families residing in the county. The population density was 261.7 people per square mile (101/km²). There were 41,192 housing units at an average density of 109.2 per square mile (42.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.7% White, 24.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 1.90% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 4.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest ancestry groups in Wicomico County are 23% African American, 14% English American, 13% German, 12% Irish and 4% Italian.

There were 37,220 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 25% of households had individuals 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 6.2% under age 5, 6.2% age 5 to 9, 6.1% 10 to 14, 9.1% from 15 to 19, 9.5% from 20 to 24, 6.4% from 25 to 29, 5.8% from 30 to 34, 5.7% from 35 to 39, 6.1% from 40 to 44, 7.1% from 45 to 49, 7.1% from 50 to 54, 6.3% from 55 to 59, 5.4% from 60 to 64, 4.1% from 65 to 69, 2.8% from 70 to 74, 2.4% from 75 to 79, 1.9% from 80 to 84, and 1.8% over the age of 85. The median age was 35.7 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. Females made up 52.3% of the population, while males made up the remaining 47.7%.

As of the census of 2000 The median income for a household in the county was $39,035, and the median income for a family was $47,129. Males had a median income of $32,481 versus $23,548 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,171. About 8.70% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over

Cities and towns

This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:

• 2 Cities:
  1. Fruitland (incorporated 1947)
  2. Salisbury (incorporated 1854)
• 6 Towns:
  1. Delmar (incorporated 1888)
  2. Hebron (incorporated 1931)
  3. Mardela Springs (incorporated 1906)
  4. Pittsville (incorporated 1906)
  5. Sharptown (incorporated 1874)
  6. Willards (incorporated 1906)

The United States Census Bureau recognizes no Census-Designated Places in Wicomico County, which is unusual for Maryland counties, which usually have many unincorporated population centers.

Some areas not listed as Census-Designated Places include:

1. Allen
2. Bivalve
3. Nanticoke
4. Parsonsburg
5. Powellville
6. Quantico
7. Tyaskin
8. Whitehaven

Education

Colleges and universities

• Salisbury University
• Sojourner-Douglass College
• Wor-Wic Community College

Primary and secondary schools

Wicomico County Public Schools operates public schools in the county.

Economy

Perdue Farms, Inc., a multi-national poultry and grain corporation employing 22,000, is headquartered in Salisbury, MD, the county seat of Wicomico County. Piedmont Airlines is headquartered in unincorporated Wicomico County, at the airport and near the City of Salisbury.

Media

Periodicals

• The Daily Times
• Wicomico Weekly - weekly publication of the Daily Times
• Metropolitan Magazine - monthly magazine
• Delmarva Youth - bimonthly magazine

Television

• WBOC Channel 16, DT 21.1 CBS
• WBOC-DT2 (Fox 21 Delmarva) DT 21.2 Fox
• WMDT Channel 47, DT 53.1 ABC
• WMDT-DT2 (The CW 3 Delmarva) DT 53.2 The CW
• WCPB Channel 28, DT 58.1 & 58.2 PBS -- additional subchannels 58.3-58.5
• PAC 14 Public, Educational, and Government Access Television Channel 14 (Comcast)

Notable residents

• Joseph Stewart Cottman, (1803–1863), born near Allen, United States Congressman from Maryland
• Sarah Louise Northcott, convicted of murder in 1928 in Riverside County, California for her role in the notorious Wineville Chicken Coop Murders. Northcott served 12 years in a California prison for her crimes. Following her parole in 1940, she moved to Parsonsburg, Maryland, where she resided until her death in 1944. The Chicken Coop Murders gained renewed public interest and attention following the release of the 2008 movie "Changeling", directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie.
• Frank Perdue Former president of Perdue Farms

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wicomico County, Maryland

External links

• Wicomico County government
• Wicomico County Convention and Visitor's Bureau
• Wicomico Public Library
• Your Community Link: A Database of Community, Government, and Non-Profit organizations on the Lower Shore