Wicomico County, Maryland
Wicomico County | |
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UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 1st |
Website | www |
Wicomico County (
History
Wicomico County was created from Somerset and Worcester counties in 1867.[4]
Politics and government
Wicomico County was granted a charter form of government in 1964.[4]
In the period after the
Maryland was a one-party state, like others in the South, until after the passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s to protect the right to vote. No Republican carried Wicomico County until 1928, when Herbert Hoover won due to anti-Catholic sentiment in the heavily Protestant county against Democratic candidate Al Smith. The popular general Dwight D. Eisenhower carried Wicomico in 1952. Eisenhower would again carry Wicomico in 1956, and Republican Richard Nixon would win it in 1960 against John F. Kennedy who, like Al Smith, was Catholic.
No Democratic presidential nominee has won Wicomico County since
Voter registration and party enrollment as of March 2024[8] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | 26,203 | 39.58% | |||
Republican | 23,950 | 36.18% | |||
Unaffiliated | 14,769 | 22.31% | |||
Libertarian | 361 | 0.55% | |||
Other parties | 913 | 1.38% | |||
Total | 66,196 | 100% |
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 22,944 | 49.65% | 22,054 | 47.72% | 1,218 | 2.64% |
2016 | 22,198 | 52.17% | 18,050 | 42.42% | 2,299 | 5.40% |
2012 | 21,764 | 51.50% | 19,635 | 46.46% | 860 | 2.04% |
2008 | 21,849 | 52.20% | 19,436 | 46.44% | 569 | 1.36% |
2004 | 21,998 | 58.66% | 15,137 | 40.36% | 368 | 0.98% |
2000 | 16,338 | 51.39% | 14,469 | 45.51% | 988 | 3.11% |
1996 | 12,687 | 46.50% | 12,303 | 45.09% | 2,296 | 8.41% |
1992 | 13,560 | 44.79% | 11,481 | 37.93% | 5,231 | 17.28% |
1988 | 16,272 | 63.18% | 9,413 | 36.55% | 70 | 0.27% |
1984 | 16,124 | 66.27% | 8,160 | 33.54% | 48 | 0.20% |
1980 | 11,229 | 51.26% | 9,431 | 43.05% | 1,245 | 5.68% |
1976 | 10,537 | 52.82% | 9,412 | 47.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
1972 | 13,115 | 69.71% | 5,510 | 29.29% | 190 | 1.01% |
1968 | 8,707 | 47.18% | 5,392 | 29.22% | 4,356 | 23.60% |
1964 | 7,448 | 46.14% | 8,695 | 53.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 8,671 | 54.12% | 7,350 | 45.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 9,377 | 63.94% | 5,289 | 36.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 9,061 | 60.55% | 5,878 | 39.28% | 26 | 0.17% |
1948 | 5,062 | 48.14% | 5,415 | 51.49% | 39 | 0.37% |
1944 | 5,040 | 47.04% | 5,674 | 52.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 4,741 | 39.47% | 7,198 | 59.92% | 73 | 0.61% |
1936 | 4,545 | 38.15% | 7,273 | 61.05% | 95 | 0.80% |
1932 | 3,812 | 35.44% | 6,895 | 64.11% | 48 | 0.45% |
1928 | 5,923 | 59.04% | 4,095 | 40.82% | 15 | 0.15% |
1924 | 2,604 | 43.82% | 3,068 | 51.62% | 271 | 4.56% |
1920 | 4,225 | 45.39% | 5,054 | 54.29% | 30 | 0.32% |
1916 | 2,539 | 42.87% | 3,285 | 55.47% | 98 | 1.65% |
1912 | 2,038 | 35.31% | 3,176 | 55.02% | 558 | 9.67% |
1908 | 2,273 | 43.86% | 2,751 | 53.09% | 158 | 3.05% |
1904 | 2,179 | 44.47% | 2,593 | 52.92% | 128 | 2.61% |
1900 | 2,376 | 44.21% | 2,793 | 51.97% | 205 | 3.81% |
1896 | 2,022 | 43.75% | 2,253 | 48.75% | 347 | 7.51% |
1892 | 1,427 | 35.44% | 2,317 | 57.55% | 282 | 7.00% |
1888 | 1,441 | 37.07% | 2,210 | 56.86% | 236 | 6.07% |
1884 | 1,354 | 36.78% | 2,262 | 61.45% | 65 | 1.77% |
1880 | 1,348 | 39.10% | 2,058 | 59.69% | 42 | 1.22% |
1876 | 1,080 | 34.25% | 2,073 | 65.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
1872 | 1,081 | 42.38% | 1,470 | 57.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
1868 | 421 | 22.33% | 1,464 | 77.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
Wicomico County's government, since 2006, uses a council-elected executive system where the voters elect members of the County Council and Executive. Prior to 2006, the county operated under a council-administrator system where voters elected council members who in turn appointed an administrator to oversee the government.[11]
County council
The legislative functions of government are vested in the County Council.[12] The County Council consists of seven members, five of whom are elected from single-member districts; the other two are elected at-large.
District | Name | Party | Role |
---|---|---|---|
District 1 | Shanie P. Shields | Democratic | |
District 2 | Jeff Merritt | Republican | |
District 3 | Shane T. Baker | Republican | Vice President |
District 4 | Joshua Hastings | Democratic | |
District 5 | Joseph Holloway | Republican | |
At-Large | John T. Cannon | Republican | President |
At-Large | James Winn | Republican |
County executive
The
Name | Party | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
Richard M. Pollitt, Jr. | Democratic | 2006 | 2014 |
Robert L. Culver, Jr. | Republican | 2014 | 2020 |
John D. Psota (Acting) | Republican | 2020 | 2022 |
Julie Giordano | Republican | 2022 |
Sheriff
Law enforcement in the county is provided by the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff, Mike Lewis, a Republican, is an elected official.[20] Municipal police agencies exist in the towns of Delmar and Pittsville, along with the cities of Fruitland and Salisbury.
State's attorney
The Wicomico County
Geography
According to the
The county's boundary with
Adjacent counties
- Dorchester County, Maryland (northwest)
- Somerset County, Maryland (southwest)
- Sussex County, Delaware (north)
- Worcester County, Maryland (southeast)
Major highways
- US 13
- US 13 Bus.
- US 50
- US 50 Bus.
- MD 12
- MD 54
- MD 313
- MD 346
- MD 347
- MD 348
- MD 349
- MD 350
- MD 352
- MD 353
- MD 354
- MD 374
- MD 513
- MD 670
- MD 675
- MD 815
- MD 992
Climate
The county has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification. According to the Trewartha climate classification, the subtropical boundary of eight months of daily averages of at least 50 °F (10 °C) runs through the northern part of Wicomico County. The hardiness zone is mainly 7b.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1870 | 15,802 | — | |
1880 | 18,016 | 14.0% | |
1890 | 19,930 | 10.6% | |
1900 | 22,852 | 14.7% | |
1910 | 26,815 | 17.3% | |
1920 | 28,165 | 5.0% | |
1930 | 31,229 | 10.9% | |
1940 | 34,530 | 10.6% | |
1950 | 39,641 | 14.8% | |
1960 | 49,050 | 23.7% | |
1970 | 54,236 | 10.6% | |
1980 | 64,540 | 19.0% | |
1990 | 74,339 | 15.2% | |
2000 | 84,644 | 13.9% | |
2010 | 98,733 | 16.6% | |
2020 | 103,588 | 4.9% | |
2023 (est.) | 104,800 | [23] | 1.2% |
U.S. Decennial Census[24] 1790-1960[25] 1900-1990[26] 1990-2000[27] 2010–2018[28] |
2000 census
As of the
The largest ancestry groups in Wicomico County are 23%
There were 32,218 households, out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,035, and the median income for a family was $47,129. Males had a median income of $32,481 versus $23,548 for females. The
2010 census
As of the
Of the 37,220 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 35.7 years.[30]
The median income for a household in the county was $50,752 and the median income for a family was $62,150. Males had a median income of $42,408 versus $34,544 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,505. About 7.8% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 103,588 people.[2][34] The racial makeup of the county was 59.3% white, 27.0% black or African American, 3.0% Asian, 0.4% American Indian and Alaskan Native, 3.7% from other races, and 6.5% from two or more races.[35]
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Wicomico County Public Schools operates all public schools in the county.[36]
Private schools
- Faith Baptist School
- Salisbury Baptist Academy
- St. Francis de Sales
- Salisbury Christian School
- Stepping Stones Learning Academy
- The Salisbury School
- Wicomico Day School
Colleges and universities
- Salisbury University
- Wor-Wic Community College
Economy
Other industries in Wicomico County include electronic component manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, and agriculture.
Transportation
Salisbury–Ocean City–Wicomico Regional Airport is the only airport in the region offering commercial passenger fights. These flights are run by
Until 1957 the Pennsylvania railroad operated the Del-Mar-Va Express train from Cape Charles, Virginia, through Salisbury Union Station to Philadelphia.[38]
Media
Periodicals
- Coastal Style - bimonthly magazine
- The Daily Times- daily newspaper
- Metropolitan Magazine - monthly magazine
- Salisbury Independent - weekly newspaper
- Salisbury Star - monthly newspaper
Television
Salisbury is the focus city of a larger Delmarva television market, which includes
Communities
Cities
Towns
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
- Doe Run
- Silver Run
- Wetipquin
- Whiton (partly in Worcester County)
Notable people
- Erin Burnett, born in Mardela Springs, CNBC host and currently host of Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN
- United States Congressman from Maryland[39]
- Alexis Denisof, born in Salisbury, actor best known for How I Met Your Mother and Angel
- Lewis J. Fields, born in Delmar, United States Marine Corps Lieutenant General[40]
- John Glover, reared in Salisbury, actor
- Linda Hamilton, born in Salisbury, actress best known for her starring role in the television series Beauty and the Beast and the films The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Africana studies, best known as the creator of Kwanzaa
- Sarah Louise Northcott, convicted of murder in 1928 in Riverside County, California, and served 12 years in prison, for her role in the Wineville Chicken Coop murders—following her parole in 1940, she moved to Parsonsburg, where she resided until her death in 1944[41][self-published source]
- Frank Perdue, former president and CEO of Perdue Farms
See also
References
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- ^ a b "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "Wicomico County, Maryland - Historical Chronology". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ 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
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; "How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century"; America Magazine published in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016.
- ^ "2020 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Maryland Board of Elections Voter Registration Activity Report March 2024" (PDF). Maryland Board of Elections. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - U.S. President". Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "Wicomico County Executive Race". www.wboc.com. October 30, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ "Wicomico County, MD: County Council". Wicomico County, MD Code. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ "County Council Members". Wicomico County government. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ "County Executives". Maryland State Archives. December 5, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- ^ "Wicomico County, MD: The Executive Branch". Wicomico County, MD Code. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ "Wicomico County, MD: Director of Administration". Wicomico County, MD Code. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ "Wicomico County, MD: Vacancy in the Office of County Executive". Wicomico County, MD Code. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ "Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver Passes Away". www.wboc.com. July 26, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ Peck, Louis (September 19, 2020). "Moving to End Standoff, Wicomico Council Taps County Administrator as Acting Exec". Maryland Matters. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ "Mike Lewis Sworn in as Wicomico Sheriff". Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ "Coming home: Dykes ready to lay groundwork as Wicomico County interim state's attorney". Delmarva Daily Times. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
- ^ "Wicomico County, MD Ancestry & Family History". Podunk, Inc. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2022. - Text list
- ^ "Career Opportunities Archived 2009-05-24 at the Wayback Machine." Piedmont Airlines. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ "Pennsylvania Railroad, Table 65". Official Guide of the Railways. 90 (7). National Railway Publication Company. December 1957.
- ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
- ^ "GEN. Lewis J. Fields DIES". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Posts Websites. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- ^ Nothing is Strange with You: The Life and Crimes of Gordon Stewart Northcott. Bloomington, Indiana: Xlibris Corporation. 2008.[self-published source]