Dorchester County, Maryland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dorchester County
U.S. county
Dorchester County Courthouse and Jail
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Maryland
Maryland's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Maryland
Founded	1669
Named for	Earl of Dorset
Seat	Cambridge
Largest city	Cambridge
Area
• Total	983 sq mi (2,550 km2)
• Land	541 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Water	442 sq mi (1,140 km2)  45%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	32,531
• Density	60.13/sq mi (23.22/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st

Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 census, the population was 32,531. Its county seat is Cambridge. The county was formed in 1669 and named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts (the founding family of the Maryland colony).

Dorchester County comprises the Cambridge, MD Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Salisbury-Cambridge, MD-DE Combined Statistical Area. It is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Dorchester County is the largest county by total area in Maryland. It is bordered by the Choptank River to the north, Talbot County to the northwest, Caroline County to the northeast, Wicomico County to the southeast, Sussex County, Delaware, to the east, and the Chesapeake Bay to the west. Dorchester County uses the slogan, "The Heart of Chesapeake Country", due to its geographical location and the heart-like shape of the county on a map.

History

Many residents of Dorchester County have historically been watermen and farmers. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries provide harvests of crabs, oysters and many fish species to both commercial and recreational fishermen. Dorchester County was the birthplace of Harriet Tubman, who escaped from slavery and afterward worked to guide other refugee slaves to freedom in the North.

Dorchester County has been hit by two deadly tornadoes. The first occurred on June 23, 1944, in Cambridge, where two people were killed and 33 were injured. The other was on May 8, 1984, in Hurlock, where one death and six injuries were reported. Both storms caused between 500,000 and 5 million dollars of damage.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 983 square miles (2,550 km²), of which 541 square miles (1,400 km²) is land and 442 square miles (1,140 km²) (45%) is water. It is the largest county in Maryland by area.

Climate

Dorchester has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification. The Trewartha climate classification has only the area near the bay as Cf and the remainder of the county as oceanic (Do.) Average monthly temperatures in Cambridge range from 36.1 °F in January to 78.4 °F in July.

Adjacent counties

• Caroline County (north and northeast)
• Sussex County, Delaware (east)
• Talbot County (north)
• Somerset County (southeast)
• Saint Mary's County (southwest)
• Wicomico County (east and southeast)
• Calvert County (west)

National protected area

• Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Dorchester County is sparsely populated and is the least densely populated county in Maryland. The largest town is Cambridge with a population of 12,326 as of the 2010 census. Much of this county is made up of marshlands, forest, and farmland.

2010 census

At the 2010 United States Census, there were 32,618 people, 13,522 households and 8,894 families residing in the county. The population density was 60.3 inhabitants per square mile (23.3/km²). There were 16,554 housing units at an average density of 30.6 per square mile (11.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 67.6% white, 27.7% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.0% were American, 13.9% were English, 11.4% were German, and 11.1% were Irish.

Of the 13,522 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.2% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 43.3 years.

The median household income was $45,151 and the median family income was $56,662. Males had a median income of $40,814 and females $30,184. The per capita income was $25,139. About 9.5% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over. In 2010, the racial makeup of the county was 66.16% Non-Hispanic whites, 27.70% blacks, 0.34% Native Americans, 0.92% Asians, 0.03% Pacific Islanders, 0.09% Non-Hispanics from some other race, 1.64% Non-Hispanics reporting two or more races and 3.64% Hispanic or Latino.

Education

Public schools

Media

The local newspapers are The Dorchester Banner and The Dorchester Star (a free, weekly publication). A regional newspaper, The Star Democrat, serves several counties on the Mid-Shore, including Dorchester.

Dorchester County is included in the coverage area of local television stations WBOC, WMDT and WRDE-LD. It also receives coverage from television stations based in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. It is also by a local LPFM radio station, WHCP-LP (101.5FM), operated by the locally based non-profit Cambridge Community Radio, Inc.

Communities

City

• Cambridge (county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

• Algonquin
• Elliott
• Fishing Creek
• Madison
• Taylors Island

Non-census designated places

• Salem
• Woolford

Notable people

• Harriet Tubman - abolitionist hero
• John Barth - author

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Dorchester (Maryland) para niños