Anne Arundel

Formed April 9, 1650 (3^rd county)

Anne Arundel County (588,265), Annapolis (40,807)

The 1824 red brick Federalist facility is located on Church Circle between Franklin and South streets.  United States Highway 50 is two miles to the northwest of the location.  The building was enlarged in 1939, 1952, and 1994 and remodeled in 1892.  Jackson C. Gott was the architect.  A Government Center and District Courthouse augment the county courthouse.  Anne Arundel County is named for the daughter of Thomas Arundell, Baron of Arundell.  Annapolis is named for Princess Anne.  She is also the namesake of the county seat of Somerset County.  Annapolis and London Town have both served as county seat.  Anne Arundel County was the birthplace of 3 Maryland Governors, James Brice, Benjamin Ogle, and George Howard.  The Chesapeake Bay is its eastern coast.  The county was the 3^rd county, established on April 9, 1650.  Howard County was later split from it. 

Anne Arundel County government consists of an executive, an administrator, and a sheriff (executive).  It has 6 Council Members (legislative.)  Twenty Circuit Court Judges serve Anne Arundel, Carroll and Howard counties and Ten District Court Judges, a court clerk and county attorney serve Anne Arundel County (judicial.) Anne Arundel County is in central Maryland.  Baltimore, Maryland is north and Washington, District of Columbia is west of the county.  The county center is 4.6 miles Northwest of Annapolis nearer Edgewater.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Baltimore City, and Baltimore, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Calvert, Prince George’s, and Howard counties. 

The area of the county is 588 square miles.  It is 9 out of 24 in the state.  It ranks 4 out of 24 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1000.5 persons per square mile making it 6 out of 24 in the state.  Anne Arundel County has 7.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 97 originates at the Baltimore County border and terminates in the county.  United States Highway 50 crosses the county east to west from Queen Anne’s County to Prince George’s County.  United States Highway 301 enters from the east joined with United States Highway 50 splits and exits west into Prince Georges County.  The county is shaped like a bouquet of flowers.  Annapolis is on the eastern border on the Chesapeake Bay.  Annapolis is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 6.9% of the county population.  The county is pronounced ANN A-RUN-DUL.  This county is in the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area.