Prince George's County, Maryland
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Template:US County infobox Prince George's County is a suburban county located in the state of Maryland immediately east of Washington, D.C.. It is notable as the wealthiest majority-African American county in the country.
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.
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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. (Actually, 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.
In 1997, a portion of Prince George's County was transferred to Montgomery County so that the city of Takoma Park, Maryland would be entirely in one county.
Law and government
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.
County Executive
The current county executive is Jack B. Johnson.
List of Prince George's County Executives
2006 Prince George's County Executive Election
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 is water. The total area is 2.61% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 801,515 people, 286,610 households, and 198,047 families residing in the county. The population density is 1,651/mi2 (638/km2). There are 302,378 housing units at an average density of 623/mi2 (241/km2). The racial makeup of the county is 27.04% White, 62.70% African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.87% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.38% from other races, and 2.61% from two or more races. 7.12% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 286,610 households out of which 35.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% are married couples living together, 19.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% are non-families. 24.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.90% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.74 persons and the average family size is 3.25 persons.
In the county the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 91.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $55,256, and the median income for a family is $62,467. Males have a median income of $38,904 versus $35,718 for females. The per capita income for the county is $23,360. 7.70% of the population and 5.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.20% of those under the age of 18 and 6.90% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns
This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:
- 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.
- 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 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:
- 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
- Croom
- East Riverdale
- Forestville
- Fort Washington
- Friendly
- Glenn Dale
- Goddard
- Greater Landover
- 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
Colleges and universities
- Bowie State University, located in Bowie.
- Capitol College, located in Laurel.
- Prince George's Community College, located in Largo.
- University of Maryland, flagship campus of the University System of Maryland; located in College Park.
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. [1] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32382-2005Mar13.html)
External links
- Prince George's County Government Official Site (http://www.goprincegeorges.com/)
- Prince Georgians Care (http://www.pgcares.com/) - news, forums about issues to improve county
- Prince George's County Historical Society (http://www.pghistory.org)
- Open Directory Listings for Prince George's County (http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/North_America/United_States/Maryland/Counties/Prince_George%27s/)
- Prince George's Volunteer Center (http://www.multimax.com/pg/volunteer)
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State of Maryland |
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| State Capital: | |
| 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 |