Frederick County
County
Downtown Frederick with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance in June 2014
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  "Frederick", "FredCo"
Location of Frederick County in Maryland
Coordinates: 39°28′N 77°24′W / 39.47°N 77.40°W / 39.47; -77.40
Country	United States
State	Maryland
Founded	June 10, 1748
County seat	Frederick
Government
• County Executive	Jessica Fitzwater
• County Council	Renee Knapp (D) Brad Young (D) Jerry Donald (D) Steven McKay (R) M. C. Keegan-Ayer (D) Kavonte Duckett (D) Mason Carter (R)[1]
Area
• Total	667 sq mi (1,730 km2)
• Land	660 sq mi (1,700 km2)
• Water	7.2 sq mi (19 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	271,717
• Density	410/sq mi (160/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST)
• Summer (DST)	EDT
ZIP Codes	21701, 21702, 21703, 21704, 21705, 21709
Area codes	301, 240
Congressional districts	6th
Website	http://www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/

Frederick County is located in Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 271,717.^[2] The county seat is Frederick.^[3]

Frederick County is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Like other outlying sections of the Washington metropolitan area, Frederick County has experienced a rapid population increase in recent^[when?] years.^[4] It borders the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia.

Catoctin Mountain Park in the county is the location of Camp David, a U.S. presidential retreat, and Fort Detrick, a U.S. Army base.

Etymology

The namesake of Frederick County and its county seat is unknown, but it was probably either Frederick, Prince of Wales, or Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore.^[5]

History

Frederick County was created in 1748 by the Province of Maryland from parts of Prince George's County and Baltimore County.

In 1776, following US independence, Frederick County was divided into three parts. The westernmost portion became Washington County, named after George Washington, the southernmost portion became Montgomery County, named after another Revolutionary War general, Richard Montgomery. The northern portion remained Frederick County.

In 1837, a part of Frederick County was combined with a part of Baltimore County to form Carroll County which is east of current day Frederick County.

The county has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.^[6]

Geography

Calvert

Charles

Frederick

Montgomery

Prince George's

Alexandria

Arlington

Clarke

Fairfax

Fairfax County

Falls Church

Fauquier

Loudoun

Manassas

Manassas Park

Prince William

Spotsylvania

Stafford

Fredericksburg

Warren

Washington

Jefferson

class=notpageimage|

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area^[7]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 667 square miles (1,730 km²), of which 660 square miles (1,700 km²) is land and 7.2 square miles (19 km²) (1.1%) is water.^[8] It is the largest county in Maryland in terms of land area.^[9]

Frederick County straddles the boundary between the Piedmont Plateau Region and the Appalachian Mountains. The county's two prominent ridges, Catoctin Mountain and South Mountain, form an extension of the Blue Ridge. The Middletown Valley lies between them.

Attractions in the Frederick area include the Clustered Spires, a monument to Francis Scott Key, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Monocacy National Battlefield and South Mountain battlefields, and the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum.

Adjacent counties

• Adams County, Pennsylvania (north)
• Carroll County (east)
• Franklin County, Pennsylvania (northwest)
• Montgomery County (south)
• Washington County (west)
• Loudoun County, Virginia (southwest)

National protected areas

• Catoctin Mountain Park
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (part)
• Monocacy National Battlefield

Major highways

Demographics

Frederick County has experienced a rapid increase in population in recent^[when?] years, including that of minority groups.^[4]

2020 census

2010 census

At the 2010 United States Census, there were 233,385 people, 84,800 households and 61,198 families residing in the county.^[17] The population density was 353.5 per square mile (136.5/km²). There were 90,136 housing units at an average density of 136.5 per square mile (52.7/km²).^[18] The racial make-up of the county was 81.5% white, 8.6% black or African American, 3.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.9% from other races and 2.8% from two or more races. The total (all races) of those self-identifying as Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.3%, and those persons who were white alone made up 77.8% of the population.^[17] 26.3% of the population cited German ancestry, 17.4% Irish, 12.1% English, 7.2% Italian, and 6.3% American.^[19]

Of the 84,800 households, 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.8% were non-families, and 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age was 38.6 years.^[17]

The median household income was $81,686 and the median family income was $95,036. Males had a median income of $62,494 and females $46,720. The per capita income was $35,172. About 3.2% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.<ref">"DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2016.</ref>

Law, government, and politics

Charter government

On December 1, 2014, Frederick County changed to a "charter home rule government".^[20]

Voters approved this governmental change at the November 6, 2012, election with 62,469 voting for the transition and 37,368 against. Previously, Frederick County had been governed by a five-member county commission that could only legislate in local matters with the prior consent of the Maryland General Assembly. Even that authority was limited to areas authorized by the General Assembly, enabling legislation, or public local laws. As a charter county, Frederick County is now governed by a seven-member county council, with five elected from districts and two elected at-large. A popularly elected county executive is responsible for providing direction, supervision, and administrative oversight of all executive departments, agencies, and offices. The council has broad power to act on most local matters.^[21]

Jan H. Gardner was elected the first Frederick County executive in 2014^[22] and was re-elected in 2018.^[23]

The members of the third Frederick County Council for the term beginning 2022 are:^[24]

The Frederick County state's attorney, first elected November 2, 2010, and re-elected in 2018 and 2022, is Charlie Smith, a Republican.^[24]

The sheriff of Frederick County is Republican Chuck Jenkins.^[24]

The executive director for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development is Helen Propheter. The Office of Economic Development is located at 118 North Market Street, Suite 300, Frederick, MD 21701.

Frederick County's fire and rescue service is handled by a combination career and volunteer service delivery system. The county employs over 450 career firefighters. Volunteers of the 26 volunteer fire and rescue corporations number approximately 300 active operational members. Fire, rescue and emergency medical services, including advanced life support, are handled by career staffing supplemented by volunteers. The county has a Maryland State Police Medevac located at the Frederick Municipal Airport and is designated "Trooper 3". Trooper 3 handles calls throughout the state, but provides immediate assistance to local police, fire and rescue services.

Politics

Like the rest of German-influenced Western Maryland, Frederick County was once staunchly Republican, with Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 being the last Democrat to carry it in a presidential election until Joe Biden carried the county in 2020. The growth of the county with migration from Washington D.C. had begun to narrow the margins starting from 2008, with John McCain only edging out Barack Obama by only 1,157 votes out of over one hundred thousand cast in the 2008 election.

Democratic strength is mostly concentrated in the City of Frederick, while the suburban and rural areas of the county lean more Republican.