What Maryland is known for

Maryland is a state of the United States of America, located on the mideastern coast. Some of its most prominent cities include Baltimore (the most populous city), Ocean City, Annapolis (the state's capital), and Cumberland.[14] To avoid extremes in cold and hot weather, the best time to visit is from March to June and August to October. This time of year, the weather sees fewer extremes in both temperatures and storms.[6] 

Ocean City has a ten-mile-long beach and extensive boardwalks with amusement-park rides, shopping, fishing opportunities, and other attractions. Annapolis is considered the "Sailing Capital of the U.S.," hosting several sailboat races and boat shows. It also is home to the United States Naval Academy and the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Art galleries, shops, and seafood restaurants line Main Street. Baltimore is known to be a lively city with an abundance of attractions and activities available to its visitors. These include the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Maritime Museum, the National Aquarium, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Walters Art Museum. Additionally, Six Flags America, Live! Casino & Hotel, and Baltimore Inner Harbor can be found in Baltimore. The city is home to the Baltimore Orioles (an MLB team), at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and the Baltimore Ravens (an NFL team), who compete at the M&T Bank Stadium. Fort McHenry, a significant U.S. historical site, is also located in Baltimore.[14]

Perhaps the thing Maryland is most famous for is the Chesapeake Bay. Many believe this name comes from the Algonquin word, chesepiooc, which means "great shellfish bay." The Chesapeake Bay extends 200 miles and is 3 to 35 miles wide. Though it is extensive, its average depth is only 21 feet. The deepest point is called "The Hole" and reaches a depth of 174 feet. The bay itself supports nearly 4,000 different species of plant and animal life, including 348 types of finfish and 173 types of shellfish. Every year, anglers produce more than 500 million pounds of seafood from the bay. The entirety of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed has 11,684 miles of shoreline, more than the West Coast of the United States.[10]

Maryland has several recreational areas and state parks popular among tourists. Assateague State Park on Assateague Island has lighthouses, beaches, and roaming wild horses. Swallow Falls State Park, Great Falls on the Potomac River, Sandy Point State Park on the Chesapeake Bay, and Cunningham State Park are marine recreational areas with waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and more. Located in National Harbor are The Capital Wheel, The Potomac River Waterfront Park, and also hosts an abundance of conventions, events, restaurants, bars, and studios.[15]

Several driving industries support Maryland's economy. Agriculture and fishing are both very prominent from the Chesapeake Bay and fertile farming land. Due to its proximity to Washington D.C., the U.S. capital, many people work in governmental positions. Beyond these, manufacturing, service, social assistance, health care, biotechnology, mining, cybersecurity, and tourism are significant industries.[11] In 2018, nearly 42 million people visited Maryland, spending more than 18 billion dollars and supporting more than 226,000 jobs.[12]

Maryland has recently (since 2008) adopted the Pennsylvania Dutch holiday, Groundhog Day. On February 2nd of each year, Western Maryland Murray, Maryland's "fearless groundhog soothsayer," predicts whether or not winter will persist for six more weeks or if instead, spring will come early. This prediction is based on whether or not the groundhog sees its shadow as it emerges from its burrow.[9]

As of 2020, Maryland's population is 6,177,224 (18th most in the nation), a 7% increase from the previous decade. 41% of the demographic is White; 31% is Black; 7% is Asian; 18% is Hispanic; 3% consists of other ethnicities. Christian believers make up 69% of the population, with Protestantism being the primary Christian belief, followed by Catholicism. The Baltimore Basilica was the first constructed Catholic cathedral in the U.S.A. Judaism makes up another 4% of the population.[13]

Geography

Maryland is in the eastern United States, with its most eastern edge connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated between Pennsylvania to the north and Virginia to the south. The western tip of the state pushes into West Virginia while Delaware meets its eastern border. Washington DC, the capital of the United States of America, lies between Virginia and Maryland.[5] 

Due to how many distinct habitats Maryland has, it has been described as "America in miniature." There are dunes, mountains, pine forests, oak-covered hills, cypress tree inhabited marshlands, and more on its land. It also has a very extensive coastline with natural beaches and seagrass fields. A unique aspect of the state is that it has no naturally formed lakes. This aspect is because ancient glacier activity in North America did not extend to the Maryland region. Several manufactured lakes have been created since the founding of the state.[7]

Maryland has a generally temperate climate, receiving all four seasons throughout the year. However, the weather is relatively mild in the state. The summer has an average temperature of 72.7 degrees Fahrenheit. In July, the temperature peaks, often reaching temperatures in the upper 80s (Fahrenheit). The southern and eastern areas of Maryland have higher levels of humidity. The winter temperature averages around 34 degrees Fahrenheit. In the north and western regions of the state, temperatures typically are colder, dropping as low as -15 degrees Fahrenheit during the coldest month. In contrast, the coast and southern areas of Maryland are slightly warmer, only dropping to 10 degrees at the coldest.[6]

Maryland's annual precipitation has been around 59 inches in recent years. Depending on the area of the state, it might see more snow than rain or vice-versa. In July and August, thunderstorms are a common occurrence, typically happening once every five days. Of the 59 inches of annual precipitation, just over 20 inches is snowfall. However, where the eastern shore area of Maryland usually will only get around 10 inches of snow during the winter, the most northwestern part of the state, Garrett County, averages around 110 inches. The same county experienced 262.5 inches of snow in the winter of 2009-2010. Maryland sees some earthquakes and hurricanes throughout the year, though they tend to impact the state less than most of its neighbors.[6]

The animal life in Maryland is rather diverse. Large grazers include elk, white-tailed deer, and the smaller sika deer. Wild horses are also known to live on the islands off the state's coast, brought over by explorers in the early history of the state. Native large predators include black bears, wolves, cougars, foxes, and coyotes. Maryland's most common fauna typically consists of smaller rodent-like animals, such as raccoons, opossums, porcupines, beavers, moles, rats, mice, striped skunks, fishers, otters, minks, woodchucks, and squirrels. Many types of birds live in the state as well. As a coastal state, marine species inhabit the surrounding oceans, even living directly off the coast. These include beaked and sperm whales, dolphins, manatees, and humpback whales.[7]

Maryland's flora is diverse in addition to its fauna. The state tree is the white oak. Other common trees include various other oak species, pines, maples, sycamores, hickories, elms, ashes, hollies, and more. The black-eyed Susan flower is a yellow daisy-like flower and has been designated as the state's floral emblem. The Wildflower Program is an organization that has planted upwards of 300 acres of wildflowers along roadsides and highway medians.[8]

History

Maryland is one of the original Thirteen Colonies founded by the English on the North American Continent. Before this colonization, however, it was inhabited by various tribes of Native Americans, including the Nanticoke, Piscataway, and Delaware. In the 1500s and early 1600s, the Chesapeake Bay and the coast of Maryland were explored and mapped out by European explorers Giovanni da Verrazzano and John Smith. The first settlement, established by William Claiborne—a fur trader—was settled shortly after in 1631. Colonizers arrived in 1634, following Leonard Calvert to build the first town, St. Mary's, in the land they called Maryland. This name was dubbed after Henrietta Maria, an English queen and wife of King Charles I.[3]

The Revolutionary War didn't see many battles take place on Maryland soil. Despite this, many soldiers from the colony joined the Continental Army to fight against England. These soldiers were known for their valiancy and were nicknamed the "Maryland Line," or the "Old Line" by George Washington himself. Today, the state's nickname, "The Old Line State," reflects this history. On April 28th, 1788, Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the U.S.A constitution and join the Union.[3] 

Maryland was a target for capture by the British in The War of 1812, resulting in several influential battles. On August 10th, 1813, a British invasion caused St. Michaels to be dubbed "The town that fooled the British." When the British ships came and started shooting the town with cannon fire, St. Michael's residents turned off all their lights and affixed lanterns to the treetops and ship masts. This trickery caused the British to overshoot the town drastically.[2] The Battle of Bladensburg saw the U.S. defeated and the British capture of Washington D.C. Perhaps the most famous battle, however, was when the British attempted to capture Baltimore. They bombarded Fort McHenry all through the night with cannon fire. However, when the morning came, the flag of the United States of America still flew over the fort. Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner in honor of this event after he witnessed the event.[3]

On September 17th, 1862—during the Civil War—the Battle of Antietam occurred In Sharpsburg, Maryland. Twenty-three thousand soldiers were killed, making the fight the bloodiest single-day battle in the history of the United States. When Confederacy General Robert E. Lee retreated, Abraham Lincoln used the opportunity to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.[2]

In 1904 The Great Baltimore Fire took place. It burned for 30 hours and took nearly 5,000 firefighters, national guardsmen, soldiers, and sailors to quell it. Though more than 1,526 buildings were destroyed across 80 blocks of the downtown area, it is reported that nobody died due to the disaster.[4]

Maryland has the longest-running newspaper in the United States called the Maryland Gazette, founded in 1727. Other notable feats of the state include the fact that the first telegraph line in the world was constructed from Washington D.C. to Baltimore in 1844. Baltimore is the home to some of the most prolific athletes in history, namely the baseball player "Babe" Ruth of Baltimore and the Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.[1]