Government: Maryland Governor:

Martin O’Malley

Lt. Governor:

Anthony G. Brown

County Executive:

John R. Leopold

Annapolis Mayor:

Joshua J. Cohen

Population:

490,413* -- About 9 percent of Maryland’s total population.

Location:

Anne Arundel is the most centrally located county in Maryland, bordered to the north by Baltimore City and County, to the east by the Chesapeake Bay, to the south by Calvert County, and to the west by the Patuxent River, Prince George's, and Howard counties. The capital city of Annapolis is just 26 miles from Baltimore and 32 miles from Washington D.C.

Highways:

East/West – U.S. 50/301; Routes 32 and 100; I-195 and I-695. North/South – I-97; Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Route 295); and Route 2. Easy access to I-95.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge starts in Anne Arundel County and connects Maryland’s Western Shore to the Eastern Shore.

Mass Transit:

Light rail connects Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) with Baltimore City and business and retail centers in northern Anne Arundel County. A light rail station serves the international pier at BWI. Municipal bus service links Baltimore City and Annapolis. Private bus operators provide transportation in northern and western Anne Arundel County. The Maryland Mass Transit Administration and Annapolis Transit provide transportation throughout the county. For more information, visit the Annapolis Department of Transportation website ; the Annapolis Regional Transportation Management Association (ARTMA) website; and the Maryland Transit Administration website.

Air Transit:

The region’s strongest airport, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), is located in the northwestern part of Anne Arundel County. BWI served nearly 19.74 million passengers in 2005.

Rail Transit:

Amtrak passenger service and MARC commuter rail link BWI Airport with Baltimore and Washington, D.C. CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern provide freight carriage.

Water Transit:

Port of Baltimore, closest deep water port to the Midwest; served by two major railroads; immediate access to major interstate highways; six public terminals, including a state-of-the-art Intermodal Container Transfer Facility.

Climate:

Four distinct seasons with moderately cold winter and hot, humid summer. Average annual rainfall is 41.9 inches. Average summer temperature is 74.3 degrees F. The average winter temperature is 34.8 degrees F.

Chesapeake Bay:

Anne Arundel County is bordered by North America’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. The county has more coastline along the Chesapeake Bay than any other region in Maryland. The Bay and its tributaries account for 534 miles of shoreline in the county. Maryland has nearly 4,000 miles of shoreline -- more than any other state. Elevations in Anne Arundel County range from sea level to 300 feet.

Farming:

Over 34,000 acres are comprised of farms. The major farm products are: soybeans, corn, hay, vegetables, and wheat.

Land Area:

418 square miles.

Attractions:

Annapolis, America’s Sailing Capital, is home to the U.S. Naval Academy with its 4,000-strong Brigade of Midshipmen. Maryland’s capital city boasts more 18th-century buildings than anywhere else in the country, including the homes of all four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence. William Paca’s home features the only two-acre 18th-century pleasure garden of its kind in the country. The Hammond-Harwood House boasts the most beautiful doorway in America. Annapolis is home to the oldest State House in continuous legislative use in the nation. It was here that General George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in 1783 and Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.

Opportunities for shopping, boating, and exploring history and the rural countryside abound in Anne Arundel County. Highlights include: Maryland’s largest, ongoing archaeological dig at Historic London Town and Gardens in Edgewater and the State’s official repository for African-American history at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis. Popular sites in the county’s BWI Gateway Community include: one of the top three shopping attractions in the nation, Arundel Mills Mall; the National Cryptologic Museum; and the Benson-Hammond House. Southern Anne Arundel County is home to the Captain Salem Avery House Museum in Shady Side and the Heritage Museum in Galesville.

Hotels:

More than 10,440 rooms in Historic & Greater Annapolis and the BWI Gateway Community. A variety of conference facilities featuring more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space is available.

Brief History:

The first settlers in the county, a group of Virginia Puritans fleeing religious persecution, arrived in 1649. Within a year, the legislature established a new county, named after Lady Anne Arundel, the late wife of Cecil Calvert, second Lord of Baltimore and proprietor of the Maryland Colony. The area’s climate and soil favored the growth of tobacco, the main Colonial cash crop. Ports like London Town and Ann Arundell Towne were strengthened by the burgeoning tobacco trade. In 1695, Ann Arundell Towne, on the south side of the Severn River, was made the new capital city and was rechristened Annapolis in honor of King James II’s daughter, Princess Anne.
 

Colleges: The United States Naval Academy and St. John's College are based in Annapolis. Founded in 1796, St. John's is a liberal arts college that teaches from the great books. It is the third oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The county is also home to Anne Arundel County Community College.

*Source: Anne Arundel County Office of Planning and Zoning, December 2004.