St. Charles, Maryland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Charles, Maryland
Former CDP
Location of Saint Charles, Maryland
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Charles
Area
• Total	11.9 sq mi (30.8 km2)
• Land	11.8 sq mi (30.6 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	200 ft (61 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	33,379
• Density	2,829.3/sq mi (1,092.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
FIPS code	24-69350
GNIS feature ID	0591211

St. Charles is a special type of town called a planned community in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is about 22 miles (35 km) south of Washington, D.C.. It is also about 24 miles (39 km) from northern Virginia. St. Charles is right next to Waldorf, which is often used for its mailing address. In 2000, St. Charles was counted as a special area called a census-designated place (CDP). It had a population of 33,379 people. Later, for the 2010 census, it became part of the Waldorf CDP.

The History of St. Charles

Planning for St. Charles began in 1965 by a company called St. Charles City, Inc. This company sold the land in 1968 to Interstate General Co. (now known as American Community Properties Trust). The people who developed St. Charles say that it is about halfway finished based on their original plan.

When it is fully built, St. Charles will have five main sections called villages. Two villages, Smallwood and Westlake, are already finished. Fairway is still being built. Piney Reach and Wooded Glen are planned for the future. Each village has three to four smaller areas called neighborhoods.

People living in St. Charles can use many cool community features. These include walking paths, swimming pools, pretty lakes, playgrounds, and neighborhood centers. Many people who live here travel outside the county for work. This includes military families who work at places like Andrews Air Force Base, Bolling AFB, Patuxent River NAS, or the Pentagon. Many other residents work for the government.

The St. Charles Towne Center is a very large shopping mall. It is about 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2) big and has two levels. It serves people from a large four-county area. The mall opened in 1988 and was updated in 2007.

Many parts of St. Charles are still growing. This includes a special community for people aged 60 and older. There are also plans for several restaurants west of U.S. Route 301. Some of the neighborhoods that already exist in St. Charles are Hampshire, Lancaster, Dorchester, Sheffield, Heritage, Bannister, Wakefield, Huntington, and Carrington. In 2008, a road called St. Charles Parkway was connected to Rosewick Road. This made a new way to get to La Plata, which is the county seat.

Where is St. Charles Located?

St. Charles is located in Charles County, Maryland. The total area of the former CDP was about 11.9 square miles (31 km2). Most of this area, about 11.8 square miles (31 km2), is land. A small part, about 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), is water.

Neighboring Communities

St. Charles is near several other communities:

• Waldorf is to the north.
• Bennsville is to the west.
• La Plata is to the south, but it is not directly next to St. Charles.

Who Lives in St. Charles?

In 2000, there were 33,379 people living in St. Charles. There were 11,567 households and 8,628 families. About 46.7% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many different groups of people live in St. Charles.

The population was spread out by age. About 31.7% of the people were under 18 years old. About 36.1% were between 25 and 44 years old. The average age of people living there was 31 years.

Education in St. Charles

The Waldorf Montessori School, which is part of The Beddow School, is located in the area that used to be the St. Charles CDP.

St. Charles High School is also in St. Charles, Maryland. It is known as the home of the Spartans. The school opened in August 2014. It has many modern features, including a six-lane swimming pool, a special "Science Sphere," and digital classrooms.