Editing St. Charles, Maryland (section)

==History==
Planning for St. Charles was started in 1965 by St. Charles City, Inc.<ref>{{cite web
   |hdl=1920/877
   |title=Report: Washington Center for Metropolitan Studies, January 1965
   |publisher=The Evening Star
   |date=1965-01-22
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
   |url=http://plato.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/stagser/s1500/s1529/cfm/dsp_unitlist.cfm?county=ch&qualifier=s&series=1242&vref=10&vlabel=Plat%20Book&vtype=B
   |title=Plat Book 10, pp. 10-13, St. Charles, Section 1
   |date=1965-09-30
   |publisher=Maryland State Archives
   |access-date=2008-04-19
}}</ref> That developer sold the undeveloped land in 1968 to Interstate General Co. (now known as American Community Properties Trust).<ref>{{Cite web
   |url=http://somdthisisliving.somd.com/vol8num4/st-charles-history.html
   |title=St. Charles: History in a Flash
   |last=Christian
   |first=Michelle Brosco
   |publisher=Southern Maryland This is Living
   |date=December 2006
   |volume=8
   |access-date=2008-04-19
   |issue=4
   }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
   |url=http://www.stcharlesmd.com/html/master_plan_.html
   |title=Master Plan
   |publisher=American Community Properties Trust
   |access-date=2008-04-18
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080324015004/http://www.stcharlesmd.com/html/master_plan_.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-03-24}}</ref> According to the developer, it is halfway through completion as outlined in its master plan.

When completed, St. Charles will comprise five villages — Smallwood and Westlake, which have been completed; Fairway, which is under development; and Piney Reach and Wooded Glen, which remain undeveloped. Each village has three to four neighborhoods. Residents in St. Charles have access to a variety of community amenities, including walking paths, swimming pools, scenic lakes, playgrounds and neighborhood centers. Many residents commute out of the county to work, including military residents who are stationed at [[Andrews Air Force Base]], [[Bolling AFB]], [[Patuxent River NAS]], or the [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]]. Many civilian residents are federal employees. [[St. Charles Towne Center]] is a {{convert|1200000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} 2-level regional shopping mall serving residents of a large four-county area.<ref>{{cite web
   |url=http://www.stcharlesmd.com/html/st__charles_towne_center.html
   |title=St. Charles Towne Center
   |publisher=American Community Properties Trust
   |access-date=2008-04-19
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080322060103/http://www.stcharlesmd.com/html/st__charles_towne_center.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-03-22}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=November 2008}}  It opened in 1988 and was remodeled in 2007.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}

Many sections of St. Charles are still in development, including a retirement community for persons 60 years and older, and several themed restaurants west of [[U.S. Route 301 in Maryland|U.S. Route 301]]. Hampshire, Lancaster, Dorchester, Sheffield, Heritage, Bannister, Wakefield, Huntington and Carrington are the already existing neighborhoods of St. Charles. In 2008, St. Charles Parkway was connected with Rosewick Road, providing a new alternative route to the county seat [[La Plata, MD|La Plata]].