Frederick County, Maryland

Frederick County Education, Geography, and History

Frederick County is a county located in the northern part of the state of Maryland. As of the 2010 US Census, the population was 240,336. The county seat is Frederick.

Frederick County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As a result, the county has experienced a rapid population increase in recent years. The county is sometimes associated with Western Maryland, depending on the definition used. It borders the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia.

Etymology - Origin of Frederick County Name

Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, final proprietor of the Maryland colony

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Frederick County History

Frederick County was created in 1748 from parts of Prince George's County and Baltimore County.

In 1776, Frederick County was divided into three parts. The westernmost portion became Washington County, named after George Washington, the southernmost portion became Montgomery County, named after another Revolutionary War general, Richard Montgomery. The northern portion remained Frederick County.

In 1837 a part of Frederick County was combined with a part of Baltimore County to form Carroll County which is east of current day Frederick County.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 667 square miles (1,730 km²), of which 660 square miles (1,700 km²) is land and 7.2 square miles (19 km²) (1.1%) is water. It is the largest county in Maryland in terms of land area.

Frederick County straddles the boundary between the Piedmont Plateau Region and the Appalachian Mountains. The county's two prominent ridges, Catoctin Mountain and South Mountain, form an extension of the Blue Ridge. The Middletown Valley lies between them.

Attractions in the Frederick area include the Clustered Spires, a monument to Francis Scott Key, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Monocacy National Battlefield and South Mountain battlefields, and the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Adams County, Pa.; Carroll County
• Southeast: Howard County; Montgomery County
• Southwest: Loudoun County, Va.
• Northwest: Washington County; Franklin County, Pa.

Education

Compare More Colleges and Universities

Find more schools to match to your needs.

Start Now