Wicomico County, Maryland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wicomico County
U.S. county
Wicomico County Courthouse in Salisbury
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Maryland
Maryland's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Maryland
Founded	1867
Named for	Wicomico River
Seat	Salisbury
Largest city	Salisbury
Area
• Total	400 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Land	374 sq mi (970 km2)
• Water	26 sq mi (70 km2)  6.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	103,588
• Density	260/sq mi (100/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st

Wicomico County (/waɪˈkɒmɪkoʊ/ WY-kom-IK-oh) is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Maryland, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,588. The county seat is Salisbury. The county was named for the Wicomico River, which in turn derives its name from the Algonquian language words wicko mekee, meaning "a place where houses are built," apparently referring to a Native American town on the banks. The county is included in the Salisbury, MD-DE Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is part of the Lower Eastern Shore region of the state.

History

Wicomico County was created from Somerset and Worcester counties in 1867.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 400 square miles (1,000 km²), of which 374 square miles (970 km²) is land and 26 square miles (67 km²) (6.4%) is water.

The county's boundary with Delaware is composed of the Mason-Dixon line and the Transpeninsular Line. The intersection of these two historical lines is the midpoint of the Transpeninsular Line, fixed by Mason and Dixon between 1763 and 1767. The midpoint is located about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury, near the center of the Delmarva Peninsula. The county is generally flat, characteristic of the region, with a few small hills in the northeast. The lowest elevation is at sea level and the highest elevation is 98 ft (30 m).

Adjacent counties

• Dorchester County, Maryland (northwest)
• Somerset County, Maryland (southwest)
• Sussex County, Delaware (north)
• Worcester County, Maryland (southeast)

Major highways

• US 13
• US 13 Bus.
• US 50
• US 50 Bus.
• MD 12
• MD 54
• MD 313
• MD 346
• MD 347
• MD 348
• MD 349
• MD 350
• MD 352
• MD 353
• MD 354
• MD 374
• MD 513
• MD 670
• MD 675
• MD 815
• MD 992

Climate

The county has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification. According to the Trewartha climate classification, the subtropical boundary of eight months of daily averages of at least 50 °F (10 °C) runs through the northern part of Wicomico County. The hardiness zone is mainly 7b.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 98,733 people, 37,220 households, and 24,172 families living in the county. The population density was 263.7 inhabitants per square mile (101.8/km²). There were 41,192 housing units at an average density of 110.0 per square mile (42.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.7% white, 24.2% black or African American, 2.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.7% were English, 15.1% were German, 13.6% were Irish, 6.0% were American, and 5.6% were Italian.

Of the 37,220 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 35.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,752 and the median income for a family was $62,150. Males had a median income of $42,408 versus $34,544 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,505. About 7.8% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 103,588 people. The racial makeup of the county was 59.3% white, 27.0% black or African American, 3.0% Asian, 0.4% American Indian and Alaskan Native, 3.7% from other races, and 6.5% from two or more races.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Wicomico County Public Schools operates all public schools in the county.

Private schools

• Faith Baptist School
• Salisbury Baptist Academy
• St. Francis de Sales
• Salisbury Christian School
• Stepping Stones Learning Academy
• The Salisbury School
• Wicomico Day School

Colleges and universities

• Salisbury University
• Wor-Wic Community College

Economy

Perdue Farms, a poultry and grain corporation, is headquartered in Salisbury. Piedmont Airlines is headquartered at Salisbury–Ocean City–Wicomico Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County. Other major employers in the county include Salisbury University, Verizon, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, The Knowland Group, Cadista Pharmaceuticals, Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Dove Pointe, and Pepsi Bottling of Delmarva.

Other industries in Wicomico County include electronic component manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, and agriculture.

Transportation

U.S. 13 runs north–south through the county, while U.S. 50 runs east–west through the county.

Salisbury–Ocean City–Wicomico Regional Airport is the only airport in the region offering commercial passenger fights. These flights are run by American Eagle to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Until 1957 the Pennsylvania railroad operated the Del-Mar-Va Express train from Cape Charles, Virginia, through Salisbury Union Station to Philadelphia.

Media

Periodicals

• Coastal Style - bimonthly magazine
• The Daily Times - daily newspaper
• Metropolitan Magazine - monthly magazine
• Salisbury Independent - weekly newspaper
• Salisbury Star - monthly newspaper

Television

Salisbury is the focus city of a larger Delmarva television market, which includes Dover and the northern Eastern Shore of Virginia. Most of the market's major-network affiliates are based in Salisbury, including WBOC-TV (CBS, Telemundo, NBC, and Fox), WMDT (ABC and The CW), and Maryland Public Television station WCPB (PBS).

Communities

Salisbury

Cities

• Fruitland
• Salisbury (county seat)

Towns

• Delmar
• Hebron
• Mardela Springs
• Pittsville
• Sharptown
• Willards

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

• Doe Run
• Silver Run
• Wetipquin
• Whiton (partly in Worcester County)

Notable people

• Erin Burnett, born in Mardela Springs, CNBC host and currently host of Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN
• Joseph Stewart Cottman (1803–1863), born near Allen, United States Congressman from Maryland
• Alexis Denisof, born in Salisbury, actor best known for How I Met Your Mother and Angel
• Lewis J. Fields, born in Delmar, United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General
• John Glover, reared in Salisbury, actor
• Linda Hamilton, born in Salisbury, actress best known for her starring role in the television series Beauty and the Beast and the films The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Maulana Karenga, born and lived in Parsonsburg, activist, author, and professor of Africana studies, best known as the creator of Kwanzaa
• Sarah Louise Northcott, convicted of murder in 1928 in Riverside County, California, and served 12 years in prison, for her role in the Wineville Chicken Coop murders—following her parole in 1940, she moved to Parsonsburg, where she resided until her death in 1944
• Frank Perdue, former president and CEO of Perdue Farms

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Wicomico para niños