Dorchester County, Maryland

Dorchester County, Maryland
Dorchester County Courthouse
Seal of Dorchester County, Maryland Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Maryland
Maryland's location in the U.S.
Founded	1669
Named for	Earl of Dorset
Seat	Cambridge
Largest city	Cambridge
Area
• Total	983 sq mi (2,546 km2)
• Land	541 sq mi (1,401 km2)
• Water	442 sq mi (1,145 km2), 45%
Population
• (2010)	32,618
• Density	60/sq mi (23/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.docogonet.com

Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,618. Its county seat is Cambridge. The county was formed in 1669 and named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts (the founding family of the Maryland colony).

Dorchester County comprises the Cambridge, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area. It is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Dorchester County is the largest county on the Eastern Shore. It is bordered by the Choptank River to the north, Talbot County to the northwest, Caroline County to the northeast, Wicomico County to the southeast, Sussex County, Delaware, to the east, and the Chesapeake Bay to the west. Dorchester County uses the slogan, "The Heart of Chesapeake Country," due to its geographical location and the heart-like shape of the county on a map.

History

Many of the residents of Dorchester County make their living as farmers or working on the water. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries provide bountiful harvests of crabs, oysters, and many fish species to commercial and recreational fisherman alike. Dorchester County, Maryland is the birthplace of Harriet Tubman, known widely for her work of guiding slaves to freedom. Dorchester County has also been hit by two deadly tornadoes. The first one occurred on June 23, 1944 in Cambridge, where 2 people were killed and 33 were injured. The other was on May 8, 1984 in Hurlock, where one death and 6 injuries were reported. Both storms caused between 500,000 and 5 million dollars in damage.

Law and government

Dorchester County operates under the Charter Home Rule form of government and the affairs of the County are managed by five County Council Members, one from each of the five Council districts defined within the County. Meetings of the County Council are held weekly. The agenda and the minutes of each week’s proceedings are public record.

Law enforcement

The county is policed by the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office (DCSO), the Maryland State Police, and the DNR Police. The DCSO is a full service agency, currently headed by Sheriff James W. Phillips Jr.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 983 square miles (2,550 km²), of which 541 square miles (1,400 km²) is land and 442 square miles (1,140 km²) (45%) is water. It is the largest county in Maryland by total area.

Adjacent counties

• Caroline County (north)
• Sussex County, Delaware (northeast)
• Wicomico County (east)
• Somerset County (southeast)
• Talbot County (northwest)

National protected area

• Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	15,875		—
1800	16,346		3.0%
1810	18,108		10.8%
1820	17,759		−1.9%
1830	18,686		5.2%
1840	18,843		0.8%
1850	18,877		0.2%
1860	20,461		8.4%
1870	19,458		−4.9%
1880	23,110		18.8%
1890	24,843		7.5%
1900	27,962		12.6%
1910	28,669		2.5%
1920	27,895		−2.7%
1930	26,813		−3.9%
1940	28,006		4.4%
1950	27,815		−0.7%
1960	29,666		6.7%
1970	29,405		−0.9%
1980	30,623		4.1%
1990	30,236		−1.3%
2000	30,674		1.4%
2010	32,618		6.3%
Est. 2014	32,578		−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2010

Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

• 67.6% White
• 27.7% Black
• 0.3% Native American
• 0.9% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 1.9% Two or more races
• 1.2% Other races
• 3.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 30,674 people, 12,706 households, and 8,500 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 14,681 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.45% White, 28.39% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 1.26% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.1% were of American, 12.7% English, 9.8% German and 8.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 12,706 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.50% were married couples living together, 15.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.10% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.30% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,077, and the median income for a family was $41,917. Males had a median income of $29,014 versus $22,284 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,929. 13.80% of the population and 10.10% of families were below the poverty line. 18.10% of those under the age of 18 and 14.20% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

As of 2010 the racial makeup of the county was 66.16% Non-Hispanic whites, 27.70% blacks, 0.34% Native Americans, 0.92% Asians, 0.03% Pacific Islanders, 0.09% Non-Hispanics from some other race, 1.64% Non-Hispanics reporting two or more races and 3.64% Hispanic or Latino.

Education

Public schools

• Dorchester County School of Technology
• Choptank Elementary School
• Hurlock Elementary School
• Maple Elementary School
• Sandy Hill Elementary School
• South Dorchester K-8
• Vienna Elementary School
• Warwick Elementary School
• Mace's Lane Middle School
• North Dorchester Middle School
• Cambridge South Dorchester High School
• North Dorchester High School

Sister counties

• - Düren (district), since 2005

Media

The local newspapers are The Daily Banner and The Dorchester Star (a free, weekly publication). A regional newspaper, The Star Democrat, serves several counties including Dorchester.

Dorchester County is included in the coverage area of local television stations WBOC, WMDT and WRDE. It also receives coverage from television stations based in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.. WBOC's Tyler Butler is based in Cambridge, at the station's Mid-Shore Bureau.

Communities

City

• Cambridge (county seat)

Towns

• Brookview
• Church Creek
• East New Market
• Eldorado
• Galestown
• Hurlock
• Secretary
• Vienna

Census-designated places

• Algonquin
• Elliott
• Fishing Creek
• Madison
• Taylors Island

See also

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

External links

• Dorchester County Government
• Dorchester County Tourism
• Dorchester County Economic Development
• Geographic data related to Dorchester County, Maryland at OpenStreetMap