Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of
Maryland. In 2004, its population was estimated to be
233,340. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford
County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan
Area.
History
Harford County was formed in 1773 from the eastern part of Baltimore
County. It contains Tudor Hall, birthplace of Abraham
Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Harford County also hosted the signers
of the Bush Declaration, a precursor document to the American Revolution.
The county was named for Henry Harford (ca. 1759-1834), illegitimate son of
Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore. Harford was the last
Proprietary Governor of Maryland, but did not inherit his father's title because of his
illegitimacy.
Havre de Grace, an incorporated city in Harford County, was once under
consideration to be the capital of the United States
rather than Washington, D.C.. It was favored for its strategic location at the top of
the Chesapeake Bay; this location would facilitate trade
while being secure in time of war. Today, the waterways around Havre de Grace have been silted, one of the primary environmental
issues of Harford County.
Environmental History
Harford County has been a hotbed of environmental issues in three major areas: land use,
water pollution/runoff, and soil contamination/groundwater contamination.
The county's past, present, and future population booms and development have created conflicts between farmers and developers/homeowners wishing to create subdevelopments. The county
was one of the first in the country to implement a development envelope plan, in which new
development is channeled into specific areas of the county.
Because the county sits at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay along the
Susquehanna River, it plays a key rôle in controlling sediment and fertilizer runoff into
the bay as well as fostering submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) regrowth. The county has had to
balance the needs of land owners to practice agriculture and/or pave land (creating
impervious surfaces) with effects of runoff into the bay.
Harford County has been burdened by soil contamination and groundwater contamination since the creation of Aberdeen Proving Ground. The military installation performs research for the U.S. Army and has released various chemical agents into soil and groundwater, including
mustard gas and perchlorate. The bordering towns of
Aberdeen and Edgewood have both been
affected by this contamination. [citation needed] Aberdeen Proving Ground contains three superfund priority sites as of 2006. Groundwater contamination by MTBE, a mandatory gasoline additive, has also affected Fallston. [citation needed]
Law and government
Harford County was granted a charter form of government in 1772.The Harford County
Government includes the Harford County Public
Library service and the Harford County Sheriff's
Office, which now has precincts in Bel Air, Edgewood and Jarrettsville.
The Harford County Executive is David R. Craig (Republican). The County Council comprises a President (elected at-large) and 6
council members (elected from single-member districts). The current President is Billy Boniface.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,364
km² (527 mi²). 1,140 km² (440 mi²) of it is land
and 224 km² (86 mi²) of it (16.40%) is water.
The terrain rises in elevation and relief from south to north, with flat areas south of U.S. Route 40. The highest elevation,
at 805 ft., is located near the Pennsylvania border in the county's northwestern corner. The lowest elevation is sea level along
the Chesapeake Bay.
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were
218,590 people, 79,667 households, and 60,387 families residing in the county. The population density was 192/km² (496/mi²). There were 83,146 housing units at an average density of
73/km² (189/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.77% White, 9.27% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 1.91% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.5% were of German, 13.1% Irish, 9.8% Italian, 9.2%
English, 8.1% "American" and 6.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.
By 2006 the population of Harford County had risen 10.4% to 241,402.[1]
The 2005 report on race and ethnicity indicated the county's population was 82.8% non-Hispanic whites. The proportion of
African-Americans in the county had risen to 11.5%. Hispanics were now 2.4% of the total population.[2]
In 2000 there were 79,667 households out of which 38.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were
married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and
24.20% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65
years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 23.70%
from 45 to 64, and 10.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00
males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $57,234, and the median income for a family was $63,868. Males had a
median income of $43,612 versus $30,741 for females. The per capita income for the
county was $24,232. About 3.60% of families and 4.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.80% of those under age 18 and 6.70% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
Harford County contains the following incorporated municipalities:
Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people and listed in many collections of towns, but they lack local
government. Various organizations, such as the United States Census Bureau,
the United States Postal Service, and local chambers of commerce, define
the communities they wish to recognize differently, and since they are not incorporated, their boundaries have no official status
outside the organizations in question. The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county:
Other unincorporated areas include:
- Abingdon
- Cardiff
- Gunpowder
- Belcamp
- Castleton
- Churchville
- Darlington
- Dublin
- Forest Hill
- Joppa
- Norrisville
- Pylesville
- Street
- Whiteford
- White Hill
Sports
Though there are not any major league teams in the county, Harford County is home to a minor league baseball team, the
Aberdeen IronBirds. The team was founded by former Baltimore Orioles player and hall of famer Cal Ripken, who
was raised in Aberdeen. Harford County is also home to Kimmie Meissner, who lives in Bel Air. Meissner competed in figure
skating in the 2006 Winter Olympics and won a gold medal in the 2006
World Figure Skating Championships in Calgary, Alberta.
Major sports facilities include:
- Ripken Stadium minor league baseball facility in Aberdeen, capacity of 6,200
Education
For an entire list of schools see List of Schools in Harford
County
Elementary Schools
There are thirty-two elementary schools in Harford County. Homestead-Wakefield, William Paca/Old Post Road and Youth's Benefit
Elementary schools are two-building campuses housing primary students (Kindergarten-2nd Grade) in one building and intermediate
students (3rd Grade-5th Grade) in the other building.
Middle Schools
There are currently 8 Middle Schools in Harford County, which all run from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., except North Harford Middle
School which runs from 7:40 to 2:15.
High Schools
There are currently 8 High Schools in Harford County along with one Technical High School; all run from 7:45 a.m. to 2:15
p.m., with the exception of North Harford High School, which runs from 7:40 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., Aberdeen High School which runs
7:35 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.,and C Milton Wright High School which runs from 7:40 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.. There are also two private high
schools, one that runs from 8:00 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. and one that runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Colleges
There are no 4-year universities in Harford County. Harford Community College, located in Churchville, offers 2-year
Associates degrees and vocational programs.
Employment
The single largest employer in Harford County is Aberdeen Proving Ground,
with over 11,000 civilian employees. Following the recommendations of the Base
Realignment and Closure Commission of 2005, approximately 5,300 jobs will be moved to Aberdeen Proving Ground within the
following decade.
Miscellaneous
The newspaper of record is The Aegis.
The Conowingo Dam is on the eastern border of Harford County; the dam operations and
offices are on the Harford County side of the river.
Many scenes from the films Tuck Everlasting and From
Within were filmed in various places around Harford County.
References
External links
Coordinates: 39°′N 76°′W / 39.54, -76.30
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