аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

Location of state of Maryland in United States in the United States by TUBS –

50 Amazing Facts About Maryland

Maryland is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to its east.

In 1760, Maryland’s current boundaries took form following the settlement of a long-running border dispute with Pennsylvania. In this article, we highlight 50 amazing facts about Maryland.

1. Maryland is the 8th smallest state by land area

Maryland has an area of 12,406.68 square miles and is comparable in overall area with Belgium. It is the 42nd largest and 8th smallest state and is closest in size to the state of Hawaii, the next smallest state. The next largest state, its neighbour West Virginia, is almost twice the size of Maryland.

2. Maryland is the 5th most densely populated area

Front of Maryland State House, Annapolis, MD by Kevin Galens –

Population density is defined as the population per divided by land area. The resident population is from the 2020 census. The land area is from the 2010 Census.

The population density of the United States is lower than that of many other countries because of the United States’ large land area.

3. Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland

Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, the fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020.

Baltimore was designated an independent city by the Constitution of Maryland in 1851, and today it is the most populous independent city in the nation. As of 2021, the population of the Baltimore metropolitan area was estimated to be 2,838,327, making it the nation’s 20th largest metropolitan area.

4. The capital of Maryland is Annapolis

Annapolis by Flickr user –

Annapolis is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. 

Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, 25 miles south of Baltimore and about 30 miles (50 km) east of Washington, D.C., Annapolis forms part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area.

5. Maryland is nicknamed the Old Line State

The Maryland 400 were members of the 1st Maryland Regiment who repeatedly charged a numerically superior British force during the Battle of Long Island during the Revolutionary War, sustaining heavy casualties, but allowing General Washington to successfully evacuate the bulk of his troops to Manhattan. 

This action is commemorated in Maryland’s nickname, the “Old Line State.” A monument in Brooklyn and multiple plaques were put up in memory of this regiment and the fallen soldiers.

6. Maryland was founded by George Calvert

George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore by John Alfred Vinter –

George Calvert was an English politician and colonial administrator. He became the proprietor of Avalon, the first sustained English settlement on the southeastern peninsula on the island of Newfoundland off the eastern coast of modern Canada. 

Discouraged by its cold and sometimes inhospitable climate and the sufferings of the settlers, he looked for a more suitable spot further south and sought a new royal charter to settle the region, which would become the state of Maryland.

7. Maryland was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans

Before its coastline was explored by Europeans in the 16th century, Maryland was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans mostly by Algonquian peoples and, to a lesser degree, Iroquoian and Siouan.

The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups. Historically, the peoples were prominent along the Atlantic Coast and into the interior along the Saint Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. This grouping consists of people who speak Algonquian languages

8. Maryland was an active participant in the American Revolution

The painting depicting the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull –

Maryland was an active participant in the events leading up to the American Revolution, and by 1776, its delegates signed the Declaration of Independence. Many of its citizens subsequently played key political and military roles in the war. 

In 1790, the state ceded land for the establishment of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791.

9. Maryland remained in the Union during the American Civil War

Although then a slave state, Maryland remained in the Union during the American Civil War, its strategic location gave it a significant role in the conflict. 

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union and the Confederacy, the latter formed by states that had seceded. In the context of the American Civil War, the border states were slave states that did not secede from the Union. They were Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri, and after 1863, the new state of West Virginia.

10. Maryland took part in the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution by Niki Walton –

The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, which occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840.

After the Civil War, Maryland took part in the Industrial Revolution, driven by its seaports, railroad networks, and mass immigration from Europe. Since the 1940s, the state’s population has grown rapidly, to approximately six million residents, and it is among the most densely populated U.S. states.

11. Maryland had the highest median household income of any state in 2015

As of 2015, Maryland had the highest median household income of any state, owing in large part to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and a highly diversified economy spanning manufacturing, retail services, public administration, real estate, higher education, information technology, defense contracting, health care, and biotechnology.

12. Maryland is one of the most multicultural states in the United States

Maryland is one of the six states where non-Whites compose a majority of the population, with the fifth-highest percentage of African Americans, and high numbers of residents born in Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and South and East Asia.

13. Maryland is the highest number of historic landmarks per capita 

The United States National Historic Landmark Program is designed to recognize and honor the nation’s cultural and historical heritage.

The program is administered by the National Park Service (NPS), a branch of the Department of the Interior. The National Park Service determines which properties meet NHL criteria and makes nomination recommendations after an owner notification process.

14. The original capital of Maryland was St. Mary’s City

The reconstructed Farthing’s Ordinary at St. Mary’s City, Maryland, USA by Acroterion –

St. Mary’s City is a former colonial town that was Maryland’s first European settlement and capital. It is now a large, state-run historic area, which includes a reconstruction of the original colonial settlement, and a living history area and museum complex. 

Half of the area is occupied by the campus of the public honours college, St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

15. Life expectancy in Maryland was about 10 years less than in New England

New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

However, given the incidence of malaria, yellow fever, and typhoid, life expectancy in Maryland was about 10 years less than in New England.

16. Maryland was founded to provide a haven for England’s Roman Catholic minority

St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church of Petersville, Frederick County, Maryland by Jb91archivist –

Although Maryland was the most heavily Catholic of the English mainland colonies, the religion was still in the minority, consisting of less than 10% of the total population.

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian church. It is among the world’s oldest and largest international institutions and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization.

17. After England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688, Maryland outlawed Catholicism

The Glorious Revolution in the Netherlands is the term first used in 1689 to summarise events leading to the deposition of James II and VII of England, Ireland and Scotland in November 1688, and replacement by his daughter Mary II and her husband and James’s nephew William III of Orange, de facto ruler of the Dutch Republic. It has been described both as the last successful invasion of England as well as an internal coup.

In 1704, the Maryland General Assembly prohibited Catholics from operating schools, limited the corporate ownership of the property to hamper religious orders from expanding or supporting themselves, and encouraged the conversion of Catholic children. The celebration of the Catholic sacraments was also officially restricted. This state of affairs lasted until after the American Revolutionary War. Wealthy Catholic planters built chapels on their land to practice their religion in relative secrecy.

18. Maryland was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule

Near the end of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), on February 2, 1781, Maryland became the last and 13th state to approve the ratification of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, first proposed in 1776 and adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1778, which brought into being the United States as a united, sovereign and national state.

19. Maryland freed their slaves in the 20 years after the Revolutionary War

A collection of public domain images of the American Revolutionary War, together in a montage by Eugène Lami –

Influenced by a changing economy, revolutionary ideals, and preaching by ministers, numerous planters in Maryland freed their slaves in the 20 years after the Revolutionary War. 

Across the Upper South, the free black population increased from less than 1% before the war to 14% by 1810. Abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass were born slaves during this time in Dorchester County and Talbot County, respectively.

20. Maryland donated land selected by first President George Washington to the federal government

In December 1790, Maryland donated land selected by first President George Washington to the federal government for the creation of the new national capital of Washington, D.C. The land was provided along the north shore of the Potomac River from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, as well as from Fairfax County and Alexandria on the south shore of the Potomac in Virginia; however, the land donated by the Commonwealth of Virginia was later returned to that state by the District of Columbia retrocession in 1846.

21. Maryland was first recognized as a Free State in 1864

A new state constitution in 1864 abolished slavery and Maryland was first recognized as a Free State in that context.

Following the passage of constitutional amendments that granted voting rights to freedmen, in 1867 the state extended suffrage to non-white males.

22. The Progressive Era brought reforms in working conditions for Maryland’s labour force

The Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought political reforms. In a series of laws passed between 1892 and 1908, reformers worked for standard state-issued ballots obtained closed voting booths to prevent party workers from assisting voters; initiated primary elections to keep party bosses from selecting candidates; and had candidates listed without party symbols, which discouraged the illiterate from participating.

In 1902, the state regulated conditions in mines; outlawed child labourers under the age of 12; mandated compulsory school attendance; and enacted the nation’s first workers’ compensation law. The workers’ compensation law was overturned in the courts, but was redrafted and finally enacted in 1910.

23. Maryland’s urban and rural communities had different experiences during the Great Depression

The Great Depression (1929–1939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States.

Maryland’s urban and rural communities had different experiences during the Great Depression. The Bonus Army marched through the state in 1932 on its way to Washington, D.C.

24. Maryland instituted its first income tax in 1937

An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities in respect of the income or profits earned by them. Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Taxation rates may vary by the type or characteristics of the taxpayer and the type of income. Maryland instituted its first income tax in 1937 to generate revenue for schools and welfare.

25. Maryland experienced population growth after World War II

Infobox collage for WWII by Staberinde –

Beginning in the 1960s, as suburban growth took hold around Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, the state began to take on a more mid-Atlantic culture as opposed to the traditionally Southern and Tidewater culture that previously dominated most of the state. 

Agricultural tracts gave way to residential communities, some of them carefully planned such as Columbia, St. Charles, and Montgomery Village. Concurrently the Interstate Highway System was built throughout the state, most notably I-95, I-695, and the Capital Beltway, altering travel patterns. In 1952, the eastern and western halves of Maryland were linked for the first time by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which replaced a nearby ferry service.

26. Maryland’s regions experienced economic changes following WWII

Heavy manufacturing declined in Baltimore. In Maryland’s four westernmost counties, industrial, railroad, and coal mining jobs declined. On the lower Eastern Shore, family farms were bought up by major concerns and large-scale poultry farms and vegetable farming became prevalent. In Southern Maryland, tobacco farming nearly vanished due to suburban development and a state tobacco buy-out program in the 1990s.

27. Maryland possesses a variety of topography within its borders

It ranges from sandy dunes dotted with seagrass in the east, to low marshlands teeming with wildlife and large bald cypress near the Chesapeake Bay, to gently rolling hills of oak forests in the Piedmont Region, and pine groves in the Maryland mountains to the west.

28. The highest point in Maryland is Hoye Crest on Backbone Mountain

Historical marker at Hoye-Crest, the high point of Maryland by Brian M. Powell –

The highest point in Maryland, with an elevation of 3,360 feet (1,020 m), is Hoye Crest on Backbone Mountain, in the southwest corner of Garrett County, near the border with West Virginia, and near the headwaters of the North Branch of the Potomac River. 

Close to the small town of Hancock, in western Maryland, about two-thirds of the way across the state, less than 2 miles (3.2 km) separates its borders,[52] the Mason–Dixon line to the north, and the northwards-arching Potomac River to the south.

29. Earthquakes in Maryland are infrequent

Earthquakes in Maryland are infrequent and small due to the state’s distance from seismic/earthquake zones.

The M5.8 Virginia earthquake in 2011 was felt moderately throughout Maryland. Buildings in the state are not well-designed for earthquakes and can suffer damage easily.

30. Maryland has no natural lakes

Maryland has no natural lakes, mostly due to the lack of glacial history in the area. All lakes in the state today were constructed, mostly via dams. 

Buckel’s Bog is believed by geologists to have been a remnant of a former natural lake. Maryland has shale formations containing natural gas, where fracking is theoretically possible.

31. Maryland’s plant life is abundant and healthy

As is typical of states on the East Coast, Maryland’s plant life is abundant and healthy. A modest volume of annual precipitation helps to support many types of plants, including seagrass and various reeds at the smaller end of the spectrum to the gigantic Wye Oak, a huge example of white oak, the state tree, which can grow over 70 feet (21 m) tall.

32. The Appalachian Mountains of western Maryland are home to Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

South Mountain, Maryland by Ken Lund –

The Appalachian Mountains often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachian–Blue Ridge forests are an ecoregion in the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Biome, in the Eastern United States.

The Appalachian Mountains of western Maryland are home to Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests. These give way to Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests near the West Virginia border.

33. Maryland harbors a considerable number of white-tailed deer

The state harbours a considerable number of white-tailed deer, especially in the woody and mountainous west of the state, and overpopulation can become a problem. Mammals can be found ranging from the mountains in the west to the central areas and include black bears, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and otters.

The white-tailed deer, also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America.

34. Maryland has over 435 other species of birds

Double-crested Cormorant at Conowingo, Maryland by john581 –

This list of birds of Maryland includes species credibly documented in the U.S. state of Maryland and accepted by the Maryland / District of Columbia Records Committee of the Maryland Ornithological Society as of 2022. 

There are 456 species included in the official list. Eight additional species of questionable origin and two of exotic origin per the MRC are also included on this page. Of the 460 species, 121 are rare anywhere in the state, 64 are rare in some part of the state, six have been introduced to North America, two are extinct, and two have been extirpated.

35. Maryland was named the fifth greenest state in the country

In 2007, Forbes.com rated Maryland as the fifth greenest state in the country, behind three of the Pacific States and Vermont. Maryland ranks 40th in total energy consumption nationwide, and it managed less toxic waste per capita than all but six states in 2005.

In April 2007, Maryland joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) a regional initiative, formed by all the Northeastern states, Washington, D.C., and three Canadian provinces, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

36. Maryland’s state insect is the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly

The Baltimore checkerspot is a North American butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It has been the official state insect of the U.S. State of Maryland since 1973. The Baltimore checkerspot was named for the first Lord Baltimore due to the similarity of colours in the family crest.

Despite the species’ status as a Maryland state insect, the population in Maryland has faced a significant decline and is currently listed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a rare, threatened, and endangered animal list.

37. Maryland has a wide array of climates

Due to local variances in elevation, proximity to water, and protection from colder weather due to downslope winds. The eastern half of Maryland which includes the cities of Ocean City, Salisbury, and Annapolis, and the southern and eastern suburbs of Washington, D.C., and Baltimore lies on the Atlantic Coastal Plain, with flat topography and sandy or muddy soil. 

This region has a humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and a cool to cold winter; it falls under USDA Hardiness zone 8a.

38. Maryland is  vulnerable to tropical cyclones

Storm total rainfall map of Tropical Depression Five during August 2010 by David Roth, Weather Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Maryland –

Because of its location near the Atlantic Coast, Maryland is somewhat vulnerable to tropical cyclones, although the Delmarva Peninsula and the outer banks of North Carolina provide a large buffer, such that strikes from major hurricanes occur infrequently. 

More often, Maryland gets the remnants of a tropical system that has already come ashore and released most of its energy. Maryland averages around 30–40 days of thunderstorms a year, and averages around six tornado strikes annually.

39. The majority of Maryland’s population is concentrated in Washington, D.C.

Most of the population of Maryland lives in the central region of the state, in the Baltimore metropolitan area and Washington metropolitan area, both of which are part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. 

The majority of Maryland’s population is concentrated in the cities and suburbs surrounding Washington, D.C., as well as in and around Maryland’s most populous city, Baltimore. Historically, these and many other Maryland cities developed along the Fall Line, the line along which rivers, brooks, and streams are interrupted by rapids and waterfalls. 

40. Maryland has a large African-American population

As a former slave state, Maryland has had a large African-American population for much of its history; African American populations have increased over time with the Great Migration to the D.C. and Baltimore areas, and in more recent times with the New Great Migration and with movement out from Washington D.C. into Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Charles counties, as a result of gentrification and rising housing costs in D.C. causing many African Americans to leave. Prince George’s County in particular has been a magnet for African Americans from D.C. to move to for decades; it is often referred to as Ward 9 of D.C.

41. Maryland’s poverty rate is the slowest in the United States

Two of Maryland’s counties, Howard and Montgomery, are the second and eleventh wealthiest counties in the nation respectively. Maryland has the most millionaires per capita in 2013, with a ratio of 7.7 per cent.

Also, the state’s poverty rate of 7.8 per cent is the lowest in the country. Per capita, personal income in 2006 was $43,500, fifth in the nation. As of March 2022, the state’s unemployment rate was 4.6 per cent.

42. Maryland has a large food-production sector

Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the Queen Anne’s County side, Maryland, USA by Acroterion –

A large component of this is commercial fishing, centered in the Chesapeake Bay, but also includes activity off the short Atlantic seacoast. 

The largest catches by species are the blue crab, oysters, striped bass, and menhaden. The Bay also has overwintering waterfowl in its wildlife refuges. The waterfowl support the tourism sector of sportsmen.

43. Maryland is a major centre for life sciences research and development

With more than 400 biotechnology companies located there, Maryland is the fourth largest nexus in this field in the United States. Institutions and government agencies with an interest in research and development located in Maryland include the Johns Hopkins University, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, more than one campus of the University System of Maryland, Goddard Space Flight Center, the United States Census Bureau, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Celera Genomics company, the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), and AstraZeneca (formerly MedImmune).

44. Maryland is a popular tourist spot

A lithograph of Fort Marshall, Baltimore, Maryland, 1863 by J. Thomas Scharf –

Many tourists visit Baltimore, the beaches of the Eastern Shore, and the nature of western Maryland. Attractions in Baltimore include the Harborplace, the Baltimore Aquarium, Fort McHenry, as well as the Camden Yards baseball stadium. Ocean City on the Atlantic Coast has been a popular beach destination in summer, particularly since the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was built in 1952 connecting the Eastern Shore to the more populated Maryland cities.

The state capital of Annapolis offers sites such as the state capitol building, the historic district, and the waterfront. Maryland also has several sites of interest to military history, given Maryland’s role in the American Civil War and in the War of 1812. Other attractions include the historic and picturesque towns along the Chesapeake Bay, such as Saint Mary’s, Maryland’s first colonial settlement and original capital.

45. Maryland has a state highway system

The system contains routes numbered from 2 through 999, however, most of the higher-numbered routes are either unsigned or are relatively short. Major state highways include Routes 2 (Governor Ritchie Highway/Solomons Island Road/Southern Maryland Blvd.), 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue/Southern Maryland Blvd./Patuxent Beach Road/St. Andrew’s Church Road), 5 (Branch Avenue/Leonardtown Road/Point Lookout Road), 32, 45 (York Road), 97 (Georgia Avenue), 100 (Paul T. Pitcher Memorial Highway), 210 (Indian Head Highway), 235 (Three Notch Road), 295 (Baltimore-Washington Parkway), 355 (Wisconsin Avenue/Rockville Pike/Frederick Road), 404 (Queen Anne Highway/ Shore Highway), and 650 (New Hampshire Avenue).

46. The government of Maryland is conducted according to the state constitution

Government House, the residence of the Governor of Maryland in Annapolis, Maryland, USA by Acroterion –

The government of Maryland, like the other 49 state governments, has exclusive authority over matters that lie entirely within the state’s borders, except as limited by the Constitution of the United States.

Power in Maryland is divided among three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The Maryland General Assembly is composed of the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate.

47. Same-sex couples began marrying in Maryland in 2013

On March 1, 2012, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed the freedom to marry bill into law after it was passed in the state legislature. Opponents of same-sex marriage began collecting signatures to overturn the law. 

The law faced a referendum, as Question 6, in the November 2012 election. A January 2011 Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies poll showed 51% support for marriage in the state. Voters upheld the bill, passing Question 6 with 52% to 48% on November 6, 2012. Same-sex couples began marrying in Maryland on January 1, 2013.

48. Maryland has major and minor professional sports franchises

Baltimore Ravens Marching Band by Kevin Galens –

With two major metropolitan areas, Maryland has a number of major and minor professional sports franchises. Two National Football League teams play in Maryland, the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore and the Washington Commanders in Landover. The Baltimore Colts represented the NFL in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983 before moving to Indianapolis.

The Baltimore Orioles are the state’s Major League Baseball franchise. The National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals and the National Basketball Association’s Washington Wizards formerly played in Maryland, until the construction of an arena in Washington, D.C. in 1997. University of Maryland’s team is the Maryland Terrapins.

49. Maryland has a broad range of private primary and secondary schools

Many of these are affiliated with various religious sects, including parochial schools of the Catholic Church, Quaker schools, Seventh-day Adventist schools, and Jewish schools. 

In 2003, Maryland law was changed to allow for the creation of publicly funded charter schools, although the charter schools must be approved by their local Board of Education and are not exempt from state laws on education, including collective bargaining laws.

50. The official state sport of Maryland, since 2004 is Lacrosse

The 1955 national championship Maryland Terrapins men’s lacrosse team by University of Maryland –

Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century.

The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame is located in Sparks, Maryland at the USA Lacrosse headquarters. In 2008, intending to promote physical fitness for all ages, walking became the official state exercise. Maryland is the first state with an official state exercise.