Kent County, Maryland

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Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,198,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was named for the county of Kent in England.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The county is part of the Mid-Eastern Shore region of the state and is the oldest county in Maryland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Along with Caroline and Garrett Counties, it is one of three counties in the state that are not part of a metropolitan statistical area.

History

In 1608, Captain John Smith explored and mapped a portion of what is now Kent County. In 1642, the governor and council appointed commissioners for the Isle and County of Kent. This act appears to have led to the establishment of Kent County. In 1675, the first county seat was New Yarmouth. The seat was briefly moved upriver to Quaker Neck, and then to the site of modern Chestertown. Before the American Revolution, New Town on Chester, now Chestertown, was a port entry for the counties of Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne's.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The county has a number of properties which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="nris">Template:NRISref</ref>

Kent County was the mean center of U.S. population in the 1790 census.

In 1793, the county had its first newspaper, called Apollo, or Chestertown Spy. It was succeeded by local papers such as the Chestertown Gazette.

Washington College, the oldest college in Maryland, is located in Kent County. It was the first college charted in the nation after the Declaration of Independence and was founded by William Smith in 1782. George Washington authorized the use of his name and gave the college its largest gift of 50 guineas. Washington served on the Board of Visitors and Governors for five years. The college has been host to four United States Presidents, including George Washington, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. All were awarded honorary degrees from the college.

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was the only war Kent County experienced on its soil. During the spring and summer of both 1813 and 1814, residents faced immediate threats from the enemy as the British terrorized the Chesapeake, looting and burning farms and towns. Kent County citizens and local militia were tested and stood their ground with ingenuity and determination during the burning of Georgetown, the rescue of the Kitty Knight House and the Battle of Caulk's Field.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Historical churches

St. Paul's, the oldest Episcopal Church in Maryland used continuously as a place of worship. The earliest part of the building was constructed in 1711.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is located approximately nine miles west of Chestertown.

Christ Church, frequently called I.U., was founded in 1765. Colonel Philip Reed a Continental Army and War of 1812 soldier is buried here.

Shrewsbury Church is believed to be the first structure erected in the county, in 1693. John Cadwalader is buried in the Shrewsbury churchyard. The eulogy on his tomb was written by Thomas Paine.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Politics and government

Kent County was granted home rule in 1970 under a state code.

In the early post-Civil War era, Kent County was heavily Confederate-leaning and leaned towards the Democratic Party.<ref>Levine, Mark V.; 'Standing Political Decisions and Critical Realignment: The Pattern of Maryland Politics, 1872-1948'; The Journal of Politics, volume 38, no. 2 (May 1976), pp. 292-325</ref> William McKinley was the only Republican to carry the county between 1876 and 1924. After that, although carried by Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman during the five consecutive Democratic victories between 1932 and 1948, the county trended Republican relative to national voting. Currently, along with Talbot County further south, Kent County is the most politically competitive county on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won it with 52.8% of the vote to Democrat John Kerry's 46.1%. In the 2008 United States Presidential Election, Barack Obama won Kent County by 48 votes more than John McCain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won Kent County by 28 votes over Democrat Barack Obama. In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won Kent County with 48.7% of the vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton's 45.7%, and a 20-year record high of 5.7% of the vote for third-party candidates. In 2020, Joe Biden flipped the county, winning it by 134 votes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2024, the county voted for Trump again, this time over Kamala Harris.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The members of the County Council as of 2022 are:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kent County Commissioners <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Position		Name	Affiliation	District	First Elected
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	President	Ronald H. Fithian	Republican	At Large	2006
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Member	Albert H. Nickerson	Republican	At Large	2022
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Member	John F. Price	Republican	At Large	2022

Kent County lies wholly in Senate District 36 and elects three House of Delegates Members who serve at-large countywide. Members listed below as of 2018 are:

State Senators and Delegates <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Position		District	Name	Affiliation	First Elected
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Senate	36	Stephen Hershey Jr.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Republican	2012
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	House of Delegates	36A	Steven Arentz<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Republican	2013
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	House of Delegates	36B	Jefferson Ghrist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Republican	2014
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	House of Delegates	36C	Jay A. Jacobs<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Republican	2010

Voter registration

Voter registration and party enrollment as of March 2024<ref name="MDBOE">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Party color cell	Democratic	5,770	Template:Percentage
Template:Party color cell	Republican	5,297	Template:Percentage
Template:Party color cell	Unaffiliated	2,778	Template:Percentage
Template:Party color cell	Libertarian	69	Template:Percentage
Template:Party color cell	Other parties	143	Template:Percentage
Total		14,057	Template:Percentage

Law enforcement

The Kent County Sheriff is Dennis Hickman.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (33%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the Maryland Geological Survey, the highest point in Kent County is 102 ft above sea level, approximately 2.25 mi west of Coleman's Corner (shown on maps as "Coleman"), just northeast of the mouth of Still Pond Creek.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kent County has a 209-mile shoreline, including Eastern Neck Island. The Chesapeake Bay is on the west, Sassafras River on the north, and the Chester River on the south. The eastern border with Delaware is part of the Mason–Dixon line.

Nearby cities: Baltimore, MD; Washington D.C.; Philadelphia, PA; Wilmington, DE

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Major roads and highways

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2010 census

File:KentCountyMD.jpg

A farm in Kent County, Maryland

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 20,197 people, 8,165 households, and 5,272 families living in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 10,549 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 80.1% white, 15.1% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 18.7% were English, 18.7% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 7.9% were American, and 5.8% were Italian.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 8,165 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.4% were non-families, and 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 45.6 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

The median income for a household in the county was $50,141 and the median income for a family was $63,507. Males had a median income of $41,046 versus $35,161 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,536. About 5.1% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

Kent County Public Schools is the school district for all of Kent County.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

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Kent County High School
Kent County Middle School
Galena Elementary School
Judy Center (Pre-school)
Henry Highland Garnet Elementary School
Rock Hall Elementary School
Kent School
Chestertown Christian Academy
Echo Hill Outdoor School
Radcliffe Creek School
Washington College
Chesapeake College (supported in part by the county government, but located in Wye Mills, Md.)

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Communities

This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:

Towns

Betterton
Chestertown (county seat)
Galena
Millington (partly in Queen Anne's County)
Rock Hall

Census-designated places

The United States Census Bureau recognizes the following Census-designated places in Kent County:

Unincorporated communities

Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include:

Notable people

John Cadwalader (1742-1786), Quaker commander during the American Revolutionary War
James M. Cain (1892 – 1977), author, journalist, and professor
R. Clayton Mitchell Jr. (1936 – 2019), Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, 1986–1993. President of the Kent County Commissioners, 1966–1970. Member of the Maryland House of Delegates, 1970–1993
John Needles (1786 – 1878), Quaker abolitionist and a master craftsman of fine furniture
Captain Lambert Wickes, senior officer in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War, who took Benjamin Franklin to France in 1777

Miscellaneous

The county's daily newspaper is Kent County News.
Kent County Public Schools were some of the last in the country to fully integrate. The federal government stepped up pressure and required a formal plan of integration, which was adopted in 1966.<ref name=":0" /> In 1967, there was full and complete integration in Kent County. Construction plans delayed the opening the desegregated high school<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> which opened in the fall of 1971. In 1971, all pupils, regardless of race, reported to the modern high school in Worton. All grades in the Kent County system were integrated before the opening of the centrally located high school.
Kent County, Maryland, is one of the few counties in the United States to border its namesake in another state—in this case, Kent County, Delaware.
In 1790, Kent County contained the centre of population of the United States, according to the US Census Bureau. It is on the edge of a cornfield at 39.16.30 N 76.11.12 W.
Tolchester Beach Amusement Park founded in 1877 by the Tolchester Steamboat Company. As many as 20,000 people visited the resort on summer weekends. It was served by 6 steamers and a ferry. There games of skill and chance and harness racing on a track within the park borders. Included on the grounds were a hotel, pavilion and bathing beach It grew from 10 acres to 155. It was closed in 1962.
The Kent County Railroad Company was formed in 1856. The line was bought by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1903. The railroads' s primary importance was a means to ship local product to t eastern markets. The railroad continued to operate until early 1970.
Chestertown Fountain Park, the fountain in the park was manufactured by Robert Wood & Company in Philadelphia. It was purchased by the Ladies Improvement Society in 1899 and installed in the Park. The figure of Hebe, goddess of youth and beauty stands atop the fountain.

References

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External links

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Kent County official website

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Template:Geographic Location Template:Kent County, Maryland Template:Maryland Template:Authority control