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Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of 2000, the population was 120,546. Its county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637-1715), third Baron Baltimore. This county is a part of the Washington portion of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.
History Charles County was created in 1658 by an Order in Council. It should be noted that from 1650 to 1653 there was an earlier Charles County, sometimes referred to in historic documents as Old Charles County. On April 28, 2002, a tornado cut through the County and destroyed much of downtown La Plata. Law/Government Charles County is governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,666 km² (643 mi²). 1,194 km² (461 mi²) of it is land and 472 km² (182 mi²) of it (28.33%) is water. Adjacent Counties Demographics The county is experiencing a dramatic growth in African American population between 1990 and 2004. Although census figures here are shown from 2000: As of the census² of 2000, there were 120,546 people, 41,668 households, and 32,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 101/km² (262/mi²). There were 43,903 housing units at an average density of 37/km² (95/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.51% White, 26.06% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 1.82% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. 2.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 41,668 households out of which 41.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 14.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.50% were non-families. 17.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.21. In the county the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 33.20% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $62,199, and the median income for a family was $67,602. Males had a median income of $43,371 versus $34,231 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,285. About 3.70% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns All three are classified as towns under Maryland law. Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include: Colleges and universities Notable residents | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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