Frederick

Formed June 10, 1748 (15^th county)

Frederick County (271,709), Frederick (78,188)                

The Modern red/brown brick facility was built in 1981.  There were 1756 and 1864 courthouses earlier in Frederick, the only county seat.  It is on Court Street at Patrick Street.  United States Highway 40 is nine blocks to the southwest of the location.  Bushey Burrey, Inc., and Dewberry, Nealon & Davis were the architects.  There is a separate Administration Building.  The county was created on June 10, 1748 from Prince George’s County as the 15^th county.  Frederick County and City are named for Frederick Calvert, 6^th Baron of Baltimore.  Frederick County was the birthplace of 2 Maryland Governors, Francis Thomas and Enoch L. Lowe. 

Frederick County government consists of an executive, an administrator, and a sheriff (executive).  It has 7 Council Members (legislative.)  Thirty-two Circuit Court Judges and Four District Court Judges serve Frederick and Montgomery counties and a court clerk and county attorney serve Frederick County (judicial.) The county is in the western part of the state.  The Potomac River is its southwest border.  The county center is in Frederick 3.9 miles North of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Pennsylvania and Carroll, Howard, and Montgomery counties and Virginia and Washington County.  The City of Frederick is in the southern third of the county.  Frederick is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 28.8% of the county population. 

The area of the county is 667 square miles.  It is 4 out of 24 in the state.  It ranks 7 out of 24 in population in the state.  It has a density of 407.4 persons per square mile making it 8 out of 24 in the state.  Frederick County has 42.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 crosses the county east to northwest from Carroll County to Washington County.  Interstate Highway 270 originates and heads southeast into Montgomery County.  United States Highway 15 goes north to south in the county from Pennsylvania to Virginia.  United States Highway 40 is joined with Interstate Highway 70 from Carroll County, splits and parallels Interstate Highway 70 into Washington County.  United States Highway 40 Alternate originates and travels northwest into Washington County.  United States Highway 340 originates and heads southwest into Washington County.  A bag of marbles best describes the county’s shape.  The Potomac River forms its southern border.  This county is in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area.