Wicomico County, Maryland

Wicomico County Education, Geography, and History

Wicomico County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Maryland. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 98,733. The county seat is Salisbury.

Wicomico County is included in the Salisbury, MD-DE Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Wicomico County Name

The county was named for the Wicomico River, which in turn derives from Algonquian language words wicko mekee, meaning "a place where houses are built," apparently referring to an Indian town on the banks.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Wicomico County History

Wicomico County was created from Somerset and Worcester counties in 1867 (Constitution, Art. XIII, secs. 2-6).

Wicomico was part of "Old Somerset", which once encompassed the entire lower Eastern Shore area of Maryland and was settled as early as the 1660s. The original boundaries of Somerset County, shown in green, were split in 1742, when Worcester County was formed, and again in 1867 with the formation of Wicomico County from parts of Somerset and Worcester. By 1750, the dispute over the southern boundary of Delaware was finally over, and Lord Baltimore lost the Sussex County area to William Penn. Another close neighbor is Dorchester County, Maryland.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 400 square miles (1,000 km²), of which 374 square miles (970 km²) is land and 26 square miles (67 km²) (6.4%) is water.

The county's boundary with Delaware is composed of the Mason-Dixon line and the Transpeninsular Line. The intersection of these two historical lines is the midpoint of the Transpeninsular Line, fixed by Mason and Dixon between 1763 and 1767. The midpoint is located about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury, near the center of the Delmarva Peninsula. The county is generally flat, characteristic of the region, with a few small hills in the northeast. The lowest elevation is at sea level and the highest elevation is 98 ft (30 m).

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Sussex County, Del.
• Southeast: Worcester County
• South: Somerset County
• Southwest: Chesapeake Bay
• West: Dorchester County
  

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Wicomico County Public Schools operates public schools in the county.

Colleges and universities

Salisbury University
Sojourner-Douglass College
Wor-Wic Community College

Compare More Colleges and Universities

Find more schools to match to your needs.

Start Now