Calvert

Formed January 1, 1654 (4^th county)

Calvert County (92,785), Prince Frederick* (3,226), Chesapeake Beach (6,351)

The 1916 red brick eastern style Colonial Revival courthouse is the norm in Maryland.  It is on Main Street between Commerce and Amory streets.  Maryland State Highway 2 is two blocks southwest of the courthouse.  T. Kent Robert provided the building designs.  The building was enlarged in 1948.  It features columns and a tower.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  A District Courthouse supports the county.  The county gets its name from Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore.  He is also the namesake of Cecil County.  The county seat is named for the son of King George I.  Prince Frederick has always been the county seat.  Calvert County was the birthplace of 2 Maryland Governors, Thomas Johnson and Joseph Kent.  The county was formed on January 1, 1654 from unorganized territory as the 4^th county.  The Patuxent River is its western border and the Chesapeake Bay is its eastern border. 

Calvert County government consists of a manager, an administrator, and a sheriff (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Thirty-eight Circuit Court Judges serve Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and Saint Mary’s counties, Six District Court Judges serve Calvert, Charles, and Saint Mary’s counties and a court clerk and county attorney serve Calvert County (judicial.) The county is in southern Maryland.  Baltimore, Maryland is north and Washington, District of Columbia is northwest of the county.  The county center is 6.3 miles Southeast of Prince Frederick nearer Saint Leonard.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Anne Arundel, Talbot, Dorchester, Saint Mary’s, Charles, and Prince George’s counties. 

The area of the county is 345 square miles.  It is 21 out of 24 in the state.  It ranks 15 out of 24 in population in the state.  It has a density of 268.9 persons per square mile making it 11 out of 24 in the state.  Calvert County has 9.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county.  The county is shaped like a left side parenthesis.  Prince Frederick is west of center in the narrow county.  Chesapeake Beach is on the northeast border of the county.  Prince Frederick is the county seat and Chesapeake Beach is the largest city.  Prince Frederick is 3.5% of the county population although it is unincorporated.  Chesapeake Beach is 6.8% of the county population.  This county is in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area.