Leonardtown is the county seat of St. Mary's County,
Maryland6. The population was 1,896
at the 2000 census. The College of Southern Maryland maintains a small day campus
there; there is both a large public and a Catholic high school, and offices
of the county government. St. Mary's Hospital is located in Leonardtown and serves the entire county. Leonardtown is perhaps most
famous for the national oyster-shucking championship that occurs annually at the County
fairgrounds. Also, the upscale Breton Bay development is just outside of town, notable for both its country club golf course and
pool. Leonardtown's population is growing due to the town's proximity to Patuxent River
Naval Air Base, as well as from migration out of the Washington, DC area. Several new
ethnic restaurants, and an upscale supermarket opened in 2006-07. An old order Mennonite
farming area is a few miles to the northwest, whose members sell furniture, crafts, produce and gardening products.
Geography
Leonardtown is located at 38°17′43″N, 76°38′17″W (38.295332,
-76.637939)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area
of 8.0 km² (3.1 mi²), all land.
History
Leonardtown was founded when Maryland officials moved the county seat from St. Mary's City up to the undeveloped land located
right off of Breton Bay. Farm products were shipped through the port. During the War of 1812 the town was invaded by 1,000
British Marines. During the Civil War, the pro-Confederate town was a hotbed of spying, blockade running, and smuggling of
people, goods, and messages across the river to Virginia. Steamboats carried goods and passengers all over the Chesapeake Bay
area well into the 20th century, and a floating theater docked each year which provided entertainment.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,896 people, 598 households, and 367 families residing in
the town. The population density was 236.1/km² (611.0/mi²). There were 646 housing
units at an average density of 80.5/km² (208.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 72.78% White, 24.00% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population.
There were 598 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were
non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the town the population was spread out with 15.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from
45 to 64, and 30.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 83.0 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,563, and the median income for a family was $42,083. Males had a median
income of $35,417 versus $25,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was
$16,614. About 12.9% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.
See also
External links
Coordinates:
38.295332° N 76.637939°
W
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