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Revision as of 13:15, 19 October 2006 by Gardez Bien (talk | contribs) (→History: Portions of Va were given back to continue slave trade. stop messing with the facts Jkatzen and go back to Va)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Prince George's County | |
|---|---|
| County | |
| Official seal of Prince George's CountySeal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Maryland | |
 Maryland's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 38°50′N 76°51′W / 38.83°N 76.85°W / 38.83; -76.85 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Maryland |
| Founded | 1696 |
| Seat | Upper Marlboro |
| Population | |
| • Total | 842,967 |
| Website | www |
Prince George's County is one of two counties (the other being Montgomery County, Maryland) that donated the land for the United States capital, Washington, D.C. Prince George's is located in the U.S. state of Maryland immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. It is home to the United States Department of Agriculture's Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center, Andrews Air Force Base, the National Archives and Records Administration's College Park, Maryland facility, the University of Maryland's flagship College Park campus, Six Flags America and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Ikea,FedEx Field (home of the Washington Redskins) and soon to be completed National Harbor, the largest single project on the entire east coast.
The county was named for Prince George of Denmark, the brother of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway, and husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain. Its county seat is Upper Marlboro.
The county is a part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.
History
Prince George's County was created in 1696 from portions of Charles and Calvert Counties, and a portion was detached in 1748 to form Frederick County. Since Frederick County was subsequently divided to form the present Allegany, Garrett, Montgomery, and Washington counties, all of these counties in addition were derived from what had up to 1748 been Prince George's County. Another portion later became part of the District of Columbia when that entity was formed in 1791.
On July 1, 1997, the Prince George's County section of the city of Takoma Park, Maryland, which straddled the boundary between Prince George's and Montgomery counties, was transferred to Montgomery County. This was done after city residents voted to be under the sole jurisdiction of Montgomery County, and subsequent approval by both counties and the Maryland General Assembly. This was the first change in Prince George's County's boundaries since 1791, and the first alteration of the boundaries of any county in Maryland since the early 1900s. This event passed with little controversy, yet to this day many residents question why the Prince George's County Council so easily allowed the boundary to be changed, which resulted in a loss of several thousand residents and a great amount of property tax revenue.
Law and government
| Year | Republican | Democrat |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 17.4% 55,532 | 81.8% 260,532 |
| 2000 | 18.4% 49,987 | 79.5% 216,119 |
| 1996 | 21.9% 52,697 | 73.5% 176,612 |
| 1992 | 24.5% 62,955 | 65.7% 168,691 |
| 1988 | 38.8% 86,545 | 60.0% 133,816 |
| 1984 | 41.0% 136,063 | 58.6% 95,121 |
| 1980 | 40.7% 78,977 | '50.9% 98,757 |
| 1976 | 42.0% 81,027 | 58.0% 111,743 |
| 1972 | 58.5% 116,166 | 40.3% 79,914 |
| 1968 | 41.2% 73,269 | 40.3% 71,524 |
| 1964 | 36.2% 46,413 | 63.8% 81,806 |
| 1960 | 42.0% 44,817 | 58.0% 62,013 |
Since 1792, the county seat has been Upper Marlboro. Prior to 1792, the county seat was located at Mount Calvert, a 76 acre (308,000 m²) estate along the Patuxent River on the edge of what is now in the unincorporated community of Croom.
Prince George's County was granted a charter form of government in 1970.
Prince George's is a heavily Democratic jurisdiction. The county regularly provides wide margins to Democrats, even in years when Democrats struggle nationally. Prince George's along with its neighbor Montgomery County pull Maryland statewide politics significantly left. With no other region to counterbalance the sheer volume of pro-Democratic votes cast in these two counties, Maryland typically leans left.
County Executive
| Name | Party | Term |
|---|---|---|
| William W. Gullett | Democrat | 1970-1974 |
| Win Kelly | Democrat | 1974-1978 |
| Lawrence Hogan | Republican | 1978-1982 |
| Parris N. Glendening | Democrat | 1982-1994 |
| Wayne K. Curry | Democrat | 1994-2002 |
| Jack B. Johnson | Democrat | 2002- |
State's Attorney
The current State's Attorney is Glenn F. Ivey.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 498 mi² (1,291 km²). 485 mi² (1,257 km²) of it is land and 13 mi² (34 km²) of it (2.61%) is water.
The Patuxent River forms the county's eastern border with Howard, Anne Arundel, and Calvert Counties.
Adjacent Jurisdictions
- Anne Arundel County (east)
- Calvert County (southeast)
- Charles County (south)
- Howard County (north)
- Montgomery County (northwest)
- Fairfax County, Virginia (southwest)
- Alexandria, VA (southwest)
- Washington, DC (west)
Demographics
As of the estimated census² of 2005, there were 846,123 people, 286,610 households, and 198,047 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,651/mi² (638/km²). There were 308,929 housing units at an average density of 1,651.1/mi² (241/km²).
The racial makeup of the county was:
- 62.70% African American
- 27.04% White
- 7.12% Hispanic or Latino
- 3.87% Asian
- 3.38% Other races
- 2.61% Two or More of any race
- 0.35% Native American
- 0.06% Pacific Islander
There were 286,610 households out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% were married couples living together, 19.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 persons and the average family size was 3.25 persons.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 33.00% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 7.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $55,256, and the median income for a family was $62,467. Males had a median income of $38,904 versus $35,718 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,360. About 5.30% of families and 7.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.20% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over. Prince George's County is the most affluent county with an African American majority in the United States.
Cities and towns
- 10 Cities:
- Bowie (incorporated 1882)
- College Park (incorporated 1945)
- District Heights (incorporated 1936)
- Glenarden (incorporated 1939)
- Greenbelt (incorporated 1937)
- Hyattsville (incorporated 1886)
- Laurel (incorporated 1870)
- Mount Rainier (incorporated 1910)
- New Carrollton (incorporated 1953)
- Seat Pleasant (incorporated 1931)
- The city of Takoma Park was formerly partly in Prince George's County, but since 1997 has been entirely in Montgomery County. The part of Takoma Park that changed counties is in a single residential neighborhood, Carole Highlands; part of this neighborhood is still in Prince George's County.
- 17 Towns:
- Berwyn Heights (incorporated 1896)
- Bladensburg (incorporated 1854)
- Brentwood (incorporated 1922)
- Capitol Heights (incorporated 1910)
- Cheverly (incorporated 1931)
- Colmar Manor (incorporated 1927)
- Cottage City (incorporated 1924) (note that, despite the name, Cottage City is a town and not a city.)
- Eagle Harbor (incorporated 1929)
- Edmonston (incorporated 1924)
- Fairmount Heights (incorporated 1935)
- Forest Heights (incorporated 1945)
- Landover Hills (incorporated 1945)
- Morningside (incorporated 1949)
- North Brentwood (incorporated 1924)
- Riverdale Park (incorporated 1920)
- University Park (incorporated 1936)
- Upper Marlboro (incorporated 1870)
Unincorporated places
- Accokeek
- Adelphi
- Andrews Air Force Base
- Beltsville
- Brandywine
- Calverton (This CDP is shared between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.)
- Camp Springs
- Carmody Hills-Pepper Mill Village (a combination of the communities of Carmody Hills and Pepper Mill Village recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
- Chillum
- Clinton
- Coral Hills
- East Riverdale
- Forestville
- Fort Washington
- Friendly
- Glenn Dale
- Goddard
- Greater Landover (Which houses the neighborhoods of Kentland, Palmer Park, Brightseat, Lansdowne Village, and portions of Largo and Capitol Heights)
- Greater Upper Marlboro
- Hillandale (This CDP is shared between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.)
- Hillcrest Heights
- Kettering
- Lake Arbor
- Langley Park
- Lanham-Seabrook (a combination of the communities of Lanham and Seabrook recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
- Largo
- Marlow Heights
- Marlton
- Mitchellville
- Oxon Hill-Glassmanor (a combination of the communities of Oxon Hill and Glassmanor recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
- Rosaryville
- South Laurel
- Springdale
- Suitland-Silver Hill (a combination of the communities of Suitland and Silver Hill recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
- Temple Hills
- Walker Mill
- West Laurel
- Woodlawn (Note: this is also the name of a CDP in Baltimore County!)
- Woodmore
Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include:
- Aquasco
- Ardmore
- Avondale
- Berwyn
- Carole Highlands
- Cedar Heights
- Cheltenham
- Green Meadow
- Lewisdale
- Montpelier
- North College Park
- North Englewood
- Rogers Heights
- South Bowie
- Tuxedo
- West Bowie
- West Hyattsville
And two localities: Muirkirk (near Montpelier) and Chapel Oaks (near Fairmount Heights)
Sister Cities
Prince George's County has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
Religion
The county is home to over 800 churches, as well as a number of mosques, synagogues, and Hindu temples. Property belonging to religious entities makes up 3,450 acres (14 km²) of land in the county.
Hospital
The main hospital facility, The Prince George's Hospital Medical Center, is located in Cheverly.
Education
Colleges and universities
- Bowie State University, located in Bowie
- Capitol College, in Laurel
- Prince George's Community College, located in Largo
- TESST College of Technology, located in Beltsville
- University of Maryland, College Park, in College Park
Public schools
The county's schools are run by the Prince George's County Public Schools system.
Transportation
Four terminus stations of the Washington Metro subway system are located in Prince George's County, at Greenbelt, New Carrollton, Largo, and Branch Avenue. The County also contains a large portion of the Capital Beltway. Also see Intercounty Connector.
The MARC Train (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) train service has two lines that traverse Prince George's County. The Camden Line runs between Baltimore Camden Station and Washington Union Station and has six stops in the county in Riverdale Park, College Park, Greenbelt, Muirkirk, Laurel and Laurel Racetrack. The Penn Line runs on the AMTRAK route between Baltimore Penn Station and Washington Union Station. It has three stops in the county: Bowie, Seabrook, and New Carrollton.
The College Park Airport is the world's oldest.
Notable residents
- Leonard Covington (1768-1813), born in Aquasco, United States Congressman from Maryland
- Dr. John Bayne, 19th-century founder of the University of Maryland, superintendent of county schools, Union Army physician, and one of the first Americans to grow and eat a tomato, proving they were not poisonous as had been thought.
- Sumner Welles, U.S. Undersecretary of State to Franklin Roosevelt, lived in the home "Oxon Hill Manor"
- Roger Easton, Sr., Naval scientist, the chief inventor of G.P.S. (global positioning system through satellite tracking) and winner of the 2005 Presidential National Medical of Technology.
- Martin Lawrence, actor and comedian.
References
G. Gordon Liddy. Watergate
External links
- Prince George's County Government Official Site
- Prince George's County Historical Society
- The Dilemma of the Black Middle Class - includes perceptive analysis of the reality behind the dry statistics presented here.
- Internet radio in and for Prince George’s County social issues
- Prince Georgians Care site for and about county residents
