Annapolis, Maryland
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Annapolis is the capital of Maryland, a state of the United States of America, and the county seat of Anne Arundel County. As of the 2000 census, its population is 35,838. The city is a part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, 28 miles east of Washington D.C.. It is also home to the United States Naval Academy and St. John's College.
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History
A settlement named Providence was founded on the north shore of the Severn River in 1649 by Puritan settlers, led by William Stone. The settlers moved to a better-protected harbour on the south shore and the town was renamed Anne Arundel's Towne after the wife of Lord Baltimore who died soon afterwards. It was only in 1695 when Sir Francis Nicholson moved the capital of the royal colony there, that the town received the name which is holds today, Annapolis, named for Queen Anne, soon to be the monarch of Great Britain. After several decades as a wealthy seaport, Annapolis became the temporary capital of the United States after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
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State House
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The Maryland state house is the oldest in continuous legislative use in the United States. Construction started in 1772, and the Maryland legislature first met there in 1779. It is topped by the largest wooden dome built without nails in the nation. The Maryland state house housed the workings of the government from November 26 1783 to August 13 1784, and the Treaty of Paris was ratified there on January 14, 1784, so Annapolis became the first peacetime capital of the US.
It was in the Maryland state house that George Washington famously resigned his commission before the Continental Congress on December 23 1783. George Washington, who had argued vigorously for Annapolis to become the permanent home to the United States Capitol, had a strong attachment to the Maryland state house and instructed Pierre L'Enfant to model the dome of the Capitol building in Washington DC after it.
To the north of the state house is a monument to Thurgood Marshall, the first black justice of the US Supreme Court and formerly a Maryland lawyer who won many important civil rights cases.
Facilities
VLF-transmitter NSS Annapolis
Geography
Annapolis is located at 38°58'23" North, 76°30'4" West (38.972945, -76.501157)Template:GR, 28 miles east of Washington DC, and is the closest state capital to the national capital, Washington, DC.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.7 km² (7.6 mi²). 17.4 km² (6.7 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 11.70% water.
The city is a part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and is relatively flat. The climate is mild subtropical, with hot summers and mild winters.
Demographics
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As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 35,838 people, 15,303 households, and 8,676 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,056.0/km² (5,326.0/mi²). There are 16,165 housing units at an average density of 927.4/km² (2,402.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 62.66% White, 31.44% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.81% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.22% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 6.42% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 15,303 households out of which 24.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% are married couples living together, 16.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% are non-families. 32.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.93.
In the city the population is spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $49,243, and the median income for a family is $56,984. Males have a median income of $39,548 versus $30,741 for females. The per capita income for the city is $27,180. 12.7% of the population and 9.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.8% of those under the age of 18 and 10.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Facts
The centre of Annapolis is the city dock, developed as a port for the tobacco trade in the 17th and 18th century. The city claims to have more 18th century buildings than any other city in the US.
The United States Naval Academy was built in 1854 on the site of Fort Severn, and now occupies large areas or reclaimed land by the sea.
The city's African-American heritage is celebrated by the Banneker-Douglass Museum, dedicated to Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass, and memorials to Alex Haley, author of Roots, and his ancestor, Kunta Kinte, who arrived in Annapolis on the slave ship Lord Ligonier in 1767.
Annapolis is the birthplace of James M. Cain.
External links
- Annapolis official website (http://www.ci.annapolis.md.us/)
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State of Maryland |
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| State Capital: |
Annapolis |
| Regions: |
Western | Southern | Eastern Shore | Baltimore-Washington Metro Area | Chesapeake | Delaware Valley |
| Notable Cities: | Baltimore | Bowie | College Park | Cumberland | Frederick | Gaithersburg | Greenbelt | Hagerstown | Laurel | Rockville | Salisbury | Takoma Park | Westminster |
| Counties: |
Allegany | Anne Arundel | Baltimore City | Baltimore County | Calvert | Caroline | Carroll | Cecil | Charles | Dorchester | Frederick | Garrett | Harford | Howard | Kent | Montgomery | Prince George's | Queen Anne's | St. Mary's | Somerset | Talbot | Washington | Wicomico | Worcester |