Carroll County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 172,891. Its county seat is Westminster. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Carroll County is included in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area. While predominantly rural, southern areas of the county have become increasingly suburban in recent years.
History Prior to European colonization, the land that now makes up Carroll County was inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years. Numerous Native American archaeological sites and archeological artifacts have been located across the county. Native Americans used the land for permanent settlements, seasonal visits and journeys, and as hunting grounds.
18th century At the time of European colonization, the Susquehannock and the Lenape were the predominant indigenous nations in the area. They spoke Iroquoian and Algonquian languages, respectively. Present-day Manchester, which was inhabited by the Susquehannock nation until around 1750, was where the two important Native American trails intersected. An ancient trail that was used by Algonquian and Iroquois nations, named the "Patapsco-Conewago (Hanover) Road" by colonists, stretched from the Susquehanna River to the Potomac River. Main Street in Westminster was built on a portion of the trail between the two rivers.
By the end of the 18th century, most roads in Carroll County followed trails that had been established by Native Americans.
19th century Maryland Route 26 (Liberty Road) was built over what was originally a Native American trail, which passed through the Freedom area of southern Carroll County and was used by Native Americans to travel from the Blue Ridge Mountains to Chesapeake Bay. The trail was developed as a road and renamed "Liberty" by an act of the Maryland General Assembly in the early 1800s. The land of what is now Sykesville was used by the Susquehannock and the Lenape as hunting grounds.
Taneytown was inhabited by the Tuscarora people during the early to mid-1700s. The Tuscarora, also Iroquoian speakers, hunted deer, wolves, wildcats, and otters in the woodlands of what is now Taneytown.
Due to the Six Nations land cessions, the Tuscarora were expelled westward by European Americans across the South Mountain of the Cumberland Valley.
Carroll County was created in 1837 from parts of Baltimore and Frederick Counties. The county was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who was one of 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia who unanimously signed the United States Declaration of Independence.
The earliest European settlers in Carroll County were predominantly Pennsylvania Dutch from southeast Pennsylvania and English from the Tidewater region of Maryland. German was the predominant language of Carroll County until the Civil War. German was most heavily spoken in the northern and western parts of the county. Despite their English namesakes, the towns of Hampstead, Manchester, and Taneytown had German majorities. English-speakers were a minority and were concentrated in southern Carroll. English was not adopted as the official language of Carroll County until 2013.
During the American Civil War, the population of Carroll County was sharply divided between supporters of the Union and the Confederacy. In 1863, there were significant troop movements through the county as part of the Gettysburg campaign. On June 29, 1863, the cavalry skirmish known as Corbit's Charge was fought in the streets of Westminster, when two companies of Delaware cavalry attacked a much larger Confederate force under General J. E. B. Stuart.
20th century During the 1970s, Carroll County was a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan and the Klan regularly held rallies and cross-burnings. The KKK held rallies and handed out leaflets on Main Street in Westminster and in Manchester until the late 1980s.
21st century In 2012, two minors were charged for a cross-burning in Westminster. In 2018, the KKK distributed fliers in southern Carroll County.
In 2013, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners voted to make English the official language of the county. In 2018, the Carroll County Public Schools announced that Confederate flags and Nazi swastikas would be banned from Carroll County schools, along with Ku Klux Klan and Aryan Nation symbolism and other messages that promote hatred or intolerance.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.
Topographically, Carroll County is located within the Piedmont Plateau region, with characteristic upland terrain of rolling hills and deciduous forest. The most prominent relief is Parr's Ridge, which bisects the county from southwest to northeast. The highest point is an unnamed hilltop a half-mile south of the Pennsylvania state line in the northeastern part of the county off Harvey Yingling Road.
Carroll County is bordered on the north by the Mason–Dixon line with Pennsylvania, and on the south by Howard County across the South Branch of the Patapsco River. About half of the eastern border, with Baltimore County, is formed by the North Branch of the Patapsco River and by Liberty Reservoir, though the northern half near Manchester and Hampstead is a land border. Carroll County is bordered on the west by Frederick County, across the Monocacy River and Sam's Creek. Other major streams in the county include Big Pipe Creek, Little Pipe Creek, and Double Pipe Creek, Bear Branch, and the headwaters of the Gunpowder Falls. The Piney Run Reservoir is in the southern part of the county.
Three railroad lines cross Carroll County. The old Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Old Main Line crosses the southern part of the county from east to west, with former stations in Sykesville and Mount Airy. The original Western Maryland Railway (WM) main line track runs southeast to northwest through Carrollton, Westminster, New Windsor, and Union Bridge. The old Baltimore and Hanover Railroad (later acquired by WM) runs further to the east through Hampstead, Millers, and Lineboro. Two of these railroad lines are now operated by CSX Transportation; the former WM main line is now operated by Maryland Midland Railway.
Carroll County has two water reservoirs at present, Liberty and Piney Run; the county has also proposed a Union Mills Reservoir and Gillis Falls Reservoir.
Climate The county is divided by the January freezing isotherm into a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa.) The hardiness zones are 6b and 7a.
Adjacent counties York County, Pennsylvania (northeast) Baltimore County (east) Howard County (south) Montgomery County (southwest) Frederick County (west) Adams County, Pennsylvania (northwest)
Demographics
Carroll County conducts an annual report on property development, which includes demographic elements.
Racial and ethnic composition +Carroll County, Maryland – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)92,414118,660143,455152,428146,70195.91%96.18%95.07%91.20%84.85%Black or African American alone (NH)2,8092,8813,4005,2296,3612.92%2.34%2.25%3.13%3.68%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)751763142882680.08%0.14%0.21%0.17%0.16%Asian alone (NH)4147361,1242,4023,7660.43%0.60%0.74%1.44%2.18%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census284736xx0.02%0.03%0.02%Other race alone (NH)99161301506010.10%0.01%0.09%0.09%0.35%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census9572,2277,413xx0.63%1.33%4.29%Hispanic or Latino (any race)5459031,4894,3637,7450.57%0.73%0.99%2.61%4.48%Total96,356123,372150,897167,134172,891 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 172,891 and a median age of 42.1 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.7 males age 18 and over. 57.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 42.2% lived in rural areas.
The racial and ethnic composition remained predominantly Non-Hispanic White at 84.85%, with 3.68% identifying as Black or African American alone (non-Hispanic), 0.16% as American Indian and Alaska Native alone (non-Hispanic), 2.18% as Asian alone (non-Hispanic), 0.02% as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone (non-Hispanic), 0.35% as some other race alone (non-Hispanic), and 4.29% as two or more races alone (non-Hispanic), while Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.48% of the population, as detailed in the table below.
There were 63,050 households in the county, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 65,793 housing units, of which 4.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.3% were owner-occupied and 17.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%.
2010 census As of the 2010 United States census, there were 167,134 people, 59,786 households, and 45,163 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 62,406 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% white, 3.2% black or African American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.8% were German, 19.1% were Irish, 14.0% were English, 8.4% were American, 8.2% were Italian, 5.3% were Polish, 2.8% were French and 2.3% were Scottish.
Of the 59,786 households, 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.5% were non-families, and 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 41.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $81,621 and the median income for a family was $95,825. Males had a median income of $62,322 versus $46,170 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,938. About 4.0% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 150,897 people, 52,503 households, and 41,109 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 54,260 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.69% White, 2.28% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.5% were of German, 14.0% Irish, 11.1% United States or American, 10.7% English and 7.3% Italian ancestry.
There were 52,503 households, out of which 39.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.50% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.70% were non-families. 17.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.18.