Queen Anne's County, Maryland facts for kids

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Queen Anne's County

U.S. county

Queen Anne's County Courthouse in Centreville, Maryland

Flag

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Maryland

Maryland's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Maryland

Founded

1706

Largest community

Area

• Total

511 sq mi (1,320 km²)

• Land

372 sq mi (960 km²)

• Water

139 sq mi (360 km²) 27%

Population

(2020)

• Total

49,874

• Density

97.60/sq mi (37.68/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional district

1st

Queen Anne's County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2020, about 49,874 people lived there. Its main town and most populated area is Centreville. The community of Stevensville is the county's largest, with 7,442 people in 2020.

The county is named after Queen Anne of Great Britain. She was the queen when the county was created in 1706. Queen Anne's County is part of Maryland's Mid-Eastern Shore region.

It is also part of the larger Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area is also included in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area. Queen Anne's County is the easternmost county in both of these large areas.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge connects Kent Island in Queen Anne's County to Anne Arundel County. This bridge crosses the wide Chesapeake Bay. The American Discovery Trail, a long walking and biking path, also goes through the county.

History of Queen Anne's County

Queen Anne's County has 265 miles of waterfront. A lot of this is along the shores of Kent Island. Kent Island sticks out into the Chesapeake Bay. People who work on the water, called watermen, have caught oysters, crabs, and terrapins here for a long time.

Many migrating waterfowl, like geese and ducks, spend the winter here. Hunting these birds has been an important part of the county's history.

Early Settlements and Growth

The first English settlement in Maryland was on Kent Island. It started on August 21, 1631. About twenty-five settlers lived in a manor house, a fort, and other buildings. This settlement was sometimes called Winston's Island. The first homes were like log cabins.

Today, nothing remains of this first settlement. However, Queen Anne's County has many places listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Stevensville, once known as Broad Creek, is one of the oldest towns still around.

Forming the County

Queen Anne's County officially began in 1706. It was managed by a sheriff. Its first borders were with Talbot, Kent, and Dorchester counties.

In 1713, Queen Anne's County became an English postal district. The sheriff was also the postmaster. He would travel by boat across the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis, Maryland to get the mail. In 1773, parts of Queen Anne's County and Dorchester County were used to create Caroline County. Today, the county is surrounded by Talbot, Caroline, and Kent counties, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Life in the Early County

By the time of the American Revolution, the county had churches, a government, schools, and a postal system. Farming was very important. Enslaved African Americans worked on large farms called plantations.

Tobacco was an early crop, but it wore out the soil. By the Revolution, some farmers started growing different crops. This needed less labor. They sold enslaved people to cotton plantations in the Deep South.

Modern Developments

In 1876, Queen Anne's County had its first independent newspaper, called the Maryland Citizen. A bank was opened in Centreville. The Centreville National Bank is still open today.

A railway was built in 1868. It ran from Baltimore, around the top of the Chesapeake Bay, and down to Queenstown. This railway connected to other lines that went east into Delaware and south to Virginia's Eastern Shore.

In the 20th century, Queen Anne's County was home to Jimmie Foxx. He was a famous baseball player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. There is a statue and a small park in Sudlersville to remember him, where Foxx grew up.

Geography and Location

The U.S. Census Bureau says the county covers 511 square miles. About 372 square miles are land, and 139 square miles (27%) are water.

Neighboring Counties

Queen Anne's County shares borders with several other counties:

Major Roads and Highways

Many important roads run through Queen Anne's County, helping people travel around the area and to other states.

US 50
US 301
MD 8
MD 18
MD 19
MD 213
MD 290
MD 300
MD 302
MD 303
MD 304
MD 305
MD 309
MD 313
MD 404
MD 405
MD 456
MD 481
MD 544
MD 552
MD 656
MD 662

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	15,463	—
1800	14,857	−3.9%
1810	16,648	12.1%
1820	14,952	−10.2%
1830	14,397	−3.7%
1840	12,633	−12.3%
1850	14,484	14.7%
1860	15,961	10.2%
1870	16,171	1.3%
1880	19,257	19.1%
1890	18,461	−4.1%
1900	18,364	−0.5%
1910	16,839	−8.3%
1920	16,001	−5.0%
1930	14,571	−8.9%
1940	14,476	−0.7%
1950	14,579	0.7%
1960	16,569	13.6%
1970	18,422	11.2%
1980	25,508	38.5%
1990	33,953	33.1%
2000	40,563	19.5%
2010	47,798	17.8%
2020	49,874	4.3%
2023 (est.)	52,508	9.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010–2018

How Many People Live Here?

In 2010, there were 47,798 people living in Queen Anne's County. There were 18,016 households, which are groups of people living together. About 13,314 of these were families. The county had about 128.5 people per square mile.

There were 20,140 housing units, like houses or apartments. On average, there were 54.2 housing units per square mile.

Who Lives Here?

Most people in the county are white (88.7%). About 6.9% are Black or African American. 1.0% are Asian, and 0.3% are American Indian. About 1.4% are from other races, and 1.7% are from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population.

Many people have German (25.9%), Irish (22.4%), or English (15.8%) backgrounds. Some also have Italian (6.2%) or American (6.1%) ancestry.

Families and Income

About 34.4% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (60.3%) were married couples. About 9.2% had a female head of household with no husband present.

The average household had 2.63 people, and the average family had 3.04 people. The median age in the county was 42.6 years old.

In 2010, the median income for a household was $81,096. For a family, it was $89,188. This means half of the households earned more than this amount, and half earned less. The average income per person in the county was $35,964.

About 3.8% of families and 5.5% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 7.0% of those under 18 and 6.1% of those 65 or older.

Education in Queen Anne's County

The county has many schools for students of all ages.

Public Schools

Queen Anne's County Public Schools serve students from elementary to high school.

Kent Island High School
Queen Anne's County High School
Centreville Middle School
Matapeake Middle School
Stevensville Middle School
Sudlersville Middle School
Bayside Elementary School
Centreville Elementary School
Church Hill Elementary School
Grasonville Elementary School
Kennard Elementary School
Kent Island Elementary School
Matapeake Elementary School
Sudlersville Elementary School
Gunston Day School
Wye River Upper School

Colleges and Universities

Chesapeake College is a local college where students can continue their education.

Communities in the County

Queen Anne's County has several towns and other communities.

Towns

Barclay
Centreville (This is the main county town)
Church Hill
Millington (partly in Kent County)
Queen Anne (partly in Talbot County)
Queenstown
Sudlersville
Templeville (partly in Caroline County)

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that the Census Bureau counts as specific places, but they are not officially towns.

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially part of a town or census-designated place.

Images for kids

US 50 and US 301 in Queen Anne's County