Maryland Land Information Guide

Geography and Climate of Maryland

Bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, West Virginia and Virginia to the south, West Virginia to the west and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Maryland is a mixture of sandy dunes, marshlands and forests. The piedmont region has rolling hills of oak and pine forests, including the state tree, the Wye Oak. The Chesapeake Bay cuts the state in half, separating the Eastern Shore.

The western half of Maryland gets extremely narrow, with part of the state only a mile wide. Maryland is also the only state without any natural lakes. Most counties in the western half of Maryland are part of the Appalachia. The Baltimore-Washington area is in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which features sandy, muddy soil and flat topography.

The Potomac River borders part of the state in the south, while the Delmarva Peninsula makes up the Eastern Shore counties. Most rivers drain into the bay, with the exception of the northeast, which flows into the Delaware River. Hoye Crest on Backbone Mountain is the state’s highest point, close to Maryland’s only ski area, Wisp.

The bay and elevation affect Maryland’s climate. The plain has a humid subtropical climate, while the piedmont region is a humid continental climate. Summers are typically hot and humid, while winters range from cool to moderately cold.

In the western half of the state, snowfall is usually over 20 inches per year and temperatures drop. Other areas get less snowfall. Annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 45 inches. Although Maryland is next to the Atlantic coast, most hurricanes weaken to a tropical storm by the time they hit the state.

History of Maryland

Before Europeans explorers sailed near the Eastern Shore in 1498, the Powhatan, Susquehanna and Nanticoke Native American tribes inhabited the Maryland area. George Calvert, 1st Lord Baltimore, asked Charles I for a new royal charter in 1629, which would later become known as the Province of Maryland.

Calvert died in 1632, but the Maryland Colony charter was granted to his son, Cecilius Calvert. Named in honor of the queen, Maryland’s expedition was led by Leonard, Cecilius’ younger brother. By 1634, Lord Baltimore arrived with the first settlers, most of whom were Catholic.

The boundaries drawn between Maryland and Pennsylvania placed Philadelphia between the two states, causing conflict among the Calvert and Penn families and leading the Cresap’s War. King George II intervened, but the dispute was not resolved until 1767 when the Mason-Dixie Line was drawn.

After Puritans began immigrating to the area, a revolt against Catholicism caused the 2nd Lord Baltimore to send an army to put it down. It was soundly defeated by a Puritan army in Annapolis in the Battle of the Severn. Catholicism was outlawed until after the American Revolutionary War.

In 1781, Maryland became the 13th state in the Union, one of the original 13 colonies. Many colonists who arrived were indentured servants earning their freedom. Later on, slave labor increased tobacco production.

Baltimore became the scene set for Francis Scott Key’s poem the Star Spangled Banner, now the national anthem. The song paints a picture of the War of 1812, when the British tried to capture the city’s port.

Although there was support for the Confederacy, especially from wealthy landowners, Maryland did not secede from the Union during the Civil War. In order to prevent Maryland from seceding, President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus and placed troops on Federal Hill to threaten Baltimore. He also imprisoned pro-South state legislature members, including Baltimore’s mayor.

The Battle of Antietam allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, holding off Confederate forces from invasion. Maryland was a slave state, but did not undergo Reconstruction. However, several amendments were proposed and ultimately failed that would have disfranchised African-Americans from voting.

Progressivism grew in the 20th century, leading to changes in state-issued ballots, regulation for mines, child labor, compulsory school, prohibition and workers compensation. The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 blazed through the city and destroyed 70 city blocks.

Under five-term Gov. Ritchie, Maryland implemented a civil service system and streamlined government operations. During the Great Depression, the state instituted an income tax and used New Deal reforms to recover its economy.

Demographics of Maryland

As of 2006, Maryland’s estimated population is 5,615,727. Most people live in the central region of the state in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metro areas.

Maryland has one of the biggest proportions of racial minorities. German is the largest ancestral group at 15 percent, along with Irish, English, Polish and Italian. African-Americans live mostly in Baltimore City, Prince George’s County and the southern Eastern Shore. Hispanics are concentrated in Hyattsville/Langley Park, Gaithersburg and Wheaton.

Maryland has a large and growing Korean-American population, at 1.7 percent. Asian-Americans comprise six percent of the overall population.

Protestants comprise 56 percent of Maryland’s religious makeup, including Baptists, Methodists and Lutherans, along with other denominations. Although Maryland originally established as a Protestant state to practice religion freely, there has been a traditionally large Catholic base in the state, now encompassing 23 percent of the population. Maryland’s Jewish population is four percent, while 13 percent claim to be non-religious.

Maryland’s estimated gross state product for 2006 was $257 billion, making it the richest state in the country. The state also has the lowest poverty rate in the country, at 7.8 percent.

Technical and white-collar jobs, especially in service industries, comprise over a quarter of the Maryland’s labor force. The defense and aerospace industry is huge, along with bioresearch laboratories and biotechnology. Education and medical research are also important sectors.

Commercial fishing for blue crabs, striped bass, oysters and menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean contributes to Maryland’s agricultural outputs. Additional agricultural production consists of poultry, dairy products, tobacco and horticulture crops from the Piedmont region such as watermelons, sweet corn, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and peas.

Maryland Law and Government

Maryland’s current governor is Democrat Martin O’Malley. Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski, both Democrats, serve in the U.S. Senate. Democrat Steny Hoyer is the majority leader for the U.S. House of Representatives. Six out of eight congressional representatives for Maryland are Democrat. Annapolis is the state capital.

Maryland has been largely associated with the Democratic Party since the antebellum period. Although the term “Democrat” has changed over time, the state has maintained its liberal views. Metro areas such as Washington, D.C. and Baltimore are loyal Democrats. Blue-collar workers in more rural areas of the state tend to lean towards Republicans.

Maryland Transportation

The Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport serves the state with daily commercial flights. There are two other regional airports in the state, but residents usually fly out the Baltimore airport, the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport or Dulles International Airport.

I-95 and I-70 connect Baltimore to Washington, D.C., while I-68 travels through the western part of the state. I-83 goes from Baltimore to southern central Pennsylvania, whereas I-97 only goes through one county and links Baltimore with Annapolis.

Route 2 is the longest in the state, running north to south through Anne Arundel County. There are also several Interstate highways, most of which are very congested and encircle Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

The Maryland Transit Administration operates a light rail and short subway system throughout Baltimore and nearby suburbs. MARC commuter trains take passengers to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, while the Washington Metro bus system and subway are used in Maryland as well.

Major Cities and Towns of Maryland

Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland, with a working-class-cum-service based economy. Instead of a centralized downtown, Baltimore comprises hundreds of miniature neighborhoods, often based on ethnicity.

The city’s Little Italy is one of the biggest, along with districts for Poles, Irish and Koreans. Fells Points, once a shady sailor’s dock, is now a tourist destination with shops.

Maryland Educational System

Maryland has a wide range of private schools for elementary and high school. Most affiliate themselves with a religion, including parochial Catholic schools.

The University of Maryland is the state’s flagship university. St. John’s College is the third oldest college in the U.S., while Johns Hopkins University is one of leading medical research institutions and top schools in the nation. The U.S. Naval Academy is located in Annapolis.

Learn more from the Maryland Department of Education.

Maryland Sports Teams and Recreational Activities

With Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Maryland has two metro areas with major league professional sports. The Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens play for the NFL, while the Baltimore Orioles play in the MLB, with the Washington Nationals nearby in D.C. The Washington Capitals play ice hockey in the NHL and the Washington Wizards, who used to play in Maryland, have moved to a D.C. arena. There are also five minor league baseball teams, along with minor league teams in soccer and indoor football.