Anne Arundel County, also known as the "land of pleasant living”, has a populace of approximately 508,572. The county offers a high quality of life, a rich and fascinating heritage, and a prime location, close to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Encompassing urban, suburban and rural lifestyles, the county boasts a flourishing economy, beautiful natural environments, lively entertainment and fun-filled festivities. So whether you enjoy watching sailboats on the Bay, or a Shakespearean play, buying antiques or dining on sumptuous crab, you can find it all here in Anne Arundel County.
Location
Anne Arundel County is a part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area of central Maryland. It is located southeast of Baltimore and Baltimore County, and is bordered by Calvert County to the south, Kent County to the northeast, Howard County to the northwest, Prince George’s County to the west, Queen Anne’s County to the east, and Talbot County to the southeast.
Geography/Terrain
Encompassing a total area of 588 square miles, 416 square miles of Anne Arundel County is land and172 square miles of it is water. The county is situated on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, and the terrain is rather flat, as part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. It is interlaced with hundreds of miles of shoreline on the rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Most of the county is suburban, with some rural areas in the far southern parts of the county.
Distance to 3 Closest Major Cities
Conveniently located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Anne Arundel County is approximately 90 miles southwest of Philadelphia, PA, 196 miles east of Pittsburgh, PA, and 117 miles southwest of Atlantic City, NJ.
Jobs
The economy of Anne Arundel County has grown rapidly over the last few decades, creating a strong economic base. The development in the northwest portion of the county has created almost 50% of the jobs and 57% of the companies. With over 223 businesses in the county, the major employers are: National Security Agency; Ft. Meade; Anne Arundel County Public Schools; State of Maryland; Northrup Grumman; ES3/Oceanic; Anne Arundel County; Anne Arundel Health System, Inc.; Southwest Airlines; U.S. Naval Academy; and Computer Sciences Corporation. Educational, health and social services provide17.1% of the employment in the county; professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services provide12.1%; public administration provides 11.9%; and retail trade provides 11.7%. The average commute time to work is 29 minutes, and the unemployment rate is 3.6%. The median household income is $61,768.
Housing
With the increase in the number of available homes, it is currently a buyer's market in Anne Arundel County, and homes are on the market an average of 75 days. There is an impressive array of housing options in the county, from moderately priced townhouses to luxurious grand estates. There are waterfront communities, historic homes, and horse farms. Idyllic waterfront home settings are provided by the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Settings can vary from rural to suburban or urban. Whatever the price or style, you can find the home for you.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Anne Arundel County offers a diversity of recreational opportunities from sailing and golfing to biking and horseback riding. With over 140 parks and sanctuaries, the county’s open space includes community parks and green ways as well as archaeological, environmental, and historical preserves.
H. Downs Memorial Park on Chesapeake Bay encompasses 245 acres with a variety of natural and recreational activities. The park has five miles of trails, a playground, 4 handball courts, 2 ball fields, 2 tennis courts and 3 basketball courts. Lake Waterford Park in Pasadena covers 108 acres and has a 12-acre lake where you can enjoy bird watching or fishing. The park is equipped for tennis, basketball, football, or softball and has natural trails for hiking. Lovely Mayo Beach Park sits at the mouth of the South River and the Chesapeake Bay. You may want to visit the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in southern Anne Arundel County. Jug Bay has over 1400 acres of tidal freshwater wetlands, forests, meadows and fields along the Patuxent River. The wetlands, with large stands of aquatic plants, are home to many birds, fish, reptiles, and mammals. Other parks include Sawmill Skateboard Park in Glen Burnie, and historic Hancock’s Resolution in Pasadena.
There is an extensive network of trails in Anne Arundel County, which are visited by over 2 million people annually. Two national trails, the East Coast Greenway and the American Discovery Trail intersect in the county. You can enjoy the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail in Severna Park, the BWI Trail that circles BWI International Airport, or the WB&A Trail in Odenton. The trails can be used for walking, jogging, inline skating and skateboarding, cycling, and in some areas horseback riding.
The specialized recreational facilities in the county include a swim center, a baseball stadium and a softball complex. The North County and South County Recreation Centers offer arts and crafts, bio aerobics, dance, gymnastics, and recreational fitness. The Arundel Olympic Swim Center features a temperature controlled, indoor 50-meter swimming pool with adjacent wading pool, a poolside spa, and two diving boards. The new North Arundel Aquatic Center offers an 8-lane 25-yard competition pool and a leisure pool.
There are at least 15 first-rate golf courses to choose from in Anne Arundel County. The Chartwell Golf and Country Club is private and set in a heavily wooded area. Every other year, one of the local U.S. Open qualifiers is held here. There are two military courses located at Fort Meade. The South River Golf Links encompasses over 165 acres, with abundant wildlife, eight lakes and fourteen environmentally protected areas scattered throughout the course. The Crofton Country Club has hosted the State National qualifier and the 1994 Maryland Open. Old South Country Club in Lothian hosts the Mid Atlantic PGA Championships every year. Sherwood Forest is an executive course and is part of a gated community. Compass Pointe Golf Courses offer 36 holes of championship caliber golf with a wide variety of golf terrain on over 800 acres of diverse woodland. Eisenhower Golf Course is the county's first public golf course, meandering through forestland, around a lake and alongside many creeks and swales.
Special Attractions/Events
There is so much to see and do in Anne Arundel County. You can enjoy the many art galleries or take a tour of the historic areas in a trolley or a horse-drawn carriage. You can enjoy the music of the Annapolis Chorale, the Annapolis Opera Company, or the Symphony Orchestra. You can sail the Chesapeake Bay on a 74-foot schooner, a motor yacht, a sailboat or a small rental boat. Enjoy everything from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare at the Summer Garden Theatre. Take in performances by the Colonial Players or the Bay Theatre Company. The Ballet Theatre of Maryland offers both modern and classical ballet, and the Maryland Hall for Creative Arts is the site where chorale, opera, symphony and ballet can be enjoyed.
In Hanover you can participate in a lively adventure back to the Middle Ages set inside an 11th-century-style castle. Delightful for both adults and children, you can feast on a four-course meal while watching amazing pageantry, superb horsemanship and a bona fide medieval jousting tournament. Or, you can go aboard the ship and experience a pirate cruise. There are three lighthouses in the county, including Thomas Point Lighthouse, one of the oldest in the nation. It was built in 1875 and has its support actually screwed into the mud at the bottom of the bay. Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse was built in 1883 and Baltimore Light was built in 1904.
You can shop to your heart’s content at Arundel Mills Mall, with over 225 unique stores. There is a large concentration of malls, superstores and shopping centers just west of Annapolis in Parole, as well as charming shops, unique boutiques, and antique stores in historic downtown Annapolis. The dining in the county is superb, with an array of restaurants to suit every taste. The crab cakes and steamed crabs of Annapolis are world-renowned.
Just a short drive away, you can visit the Maryland Zoo, the Aquarium in Baltimore, Six Flags America in Washington D.C. or Baltimore, or the Smithsonian. Washington, D.C., as the nation’s capital, has a profusion of attractions and special sites well worth visiting.
Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
The county has a rich and varied history. There are a number of sites and structures that express the African American experience, including the bondage of slavery, the turmoil of the Civil War, and the Civil Rights movement. Some fascinating historic sites include: Annapolis Maritime Museum; The Barracks; Charles Carroll House; Government House; Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial; Maryland State Archives; Old Treasury Building; Shiplap House; St. John’s College and The Hammond-Harwood House. London Town and Gardens is another historic site, set on the South River.
The county was named for Anne Arundell, a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England. She was the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, the second Baron Baltimore. The county seat is Annapolis, which is also the state capital. Anne Arundel County was created in 1650, the year after Anne Arundell's death.
Anne Arundel County was the birthplace of Johns Hopkins, (1795-1873), a renowned philanthropist and the founder of Johns Hopkins University.
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