Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Chesapeake Beach is a town in Calvert County
, Maryland
, United States
. Its major attractions include a Railway Museum & Trail, the Chesapeake Beach Water Park, marinas, piers, charter boat fishing, and a Veterans Memorial Park. In the Census 2000
the population was estimated at 3,180.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land.
The city has grown out from the intersection of Fishing Creek and the Chesapeake Bay. The creek has been dredged to allow pleasure craft, commercial fisherman and a few small US Navy vessels to dock in the city.
The southern end of the city remains heavily wooded and is distinguished by the large sandstone cliffs called the Randle Cliffs. These cliffs, and others along the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, tower as high as 180 feet above the water and are constantly eroding due to freeze/thaw and wave action. The debris from these cliffs has formed a number of shallow sand bars which makes navigation by boat near the cliffs very difficult and the water very shallow for hundreds of yards into the Bay.
of 2000, there were 3,180 people, 1,217 households, and 862 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,144.7 people per square mile (441.7/km²). There were 1,331 housing units at an average density of 479.1 per square mile (184.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.51% White, 5.28% African American, 0.35% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.38% from other races
, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population.
There were 1,217 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,365, and the median income for a family was $74,167. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $35,865 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $29,616. About 1.6% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
, a short line railroad from Washington, DC. It was the site of many slot machines in the early twentieth century (despite efforts to prohibit them) as part of the "Little Nevada" area of southern Maryland. Between steamer ships from Baltimore and trains from Washington, the weekend population of Chesapeake Beach reached into the 10,000s during the 1920s, until economic depression
, and a bad hotel fire, brought an end to the railroad. The construction of the Bay Bridge
to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the 1950s enabled many of the visitors who used to spend their summers in Chesapeake Beach to now spend their time in Ocean City, Maryland
instead. A museum at the old railroad station
still exists today in Chesapeake Beach with many historic photos and an old passenger car from the railroad. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980. In the new millennium a boardwalk and pier, and a new condominium development have risen in Chesapeake Beach. There is also a recreational water park with water slides, a newly-opened resort spa hotel, and a seafood restaurant right on the bay. The Herrington Harbour (Rose Haven) marina resort, which was voted the best marina in the United States, is a few miles north.
Chesapeake Beach is also host to the United States Naval Research Laboratory Chesapeake Bay Detachment that experiments with various military radar systems and fire suppression technology. Perched atop the sandstone cliffs along the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay
the lab is able to use their radars against a variety of surface and air targets in the Bay. Nearby Naval Air Station Patuxent River
has several aircraft that assist in the Research lab's mission.
Hurricane Isabel
struck Chesapeake Beach and the adjacent city of North Beach, Maryland
in 2003. The storm surge pushed flood waters into both towns, damaging many homes beyond repair in North Beach, and knocking out electrical services for nearly one week.
, the current president of the Maryland Senate (as of April 2008), lives in Chesapeake Beach.
Tom Clancy
Calvert County, Maryland
Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It occupies the Calvert Peninsula which is bordered on the east by the Chesapeake Bay and on the west by the Patuxent River. Calvert County is part of the Southern Maryland region. Calvert County's residents are among the highest...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its major attractions include a Railway Museum & Trail, the Chesapeake Beach Water Park, marinas, piers, charter boat fishing, and a Veterans Memorial Park. In the Census 2000
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
the population was estimated at 3,180.
Geography
Chesapeake Beach is located at 38°41′42"N 76°32′10"W (38.695070, -76.536125).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land.
The city has grown out from the intersection of Fishing Creek and the Chesapeake Bay. The creek has been dredged to allow pleasure craft, commercial fisherman and a few small US Navy vessels to dock in the city.
The southern end of the city remains heavily wooded and is distinguished by the large sandstone cliffs called the Randle Cliffs. These cliffs, and others along the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, tower as high as 180 feet above the water and are constantly eroding due to freeze/thaw and wave action. The debris from these cliffs has formed a number of shallow sand bars which makes navigation by boat near the cliffs very difficult and the water very shallow for hundreds of yards into the Bay.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,180 people, 1,217 households, and 862 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,144.7 people per square mile (441.7/km²). There were 1,331 housing units at an average density of 479.1 per square mile (184.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.51% White, 5.28% African American, 0.35% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.38% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population.
There were 1,217 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,365, and the median income for a family was $74,167. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $35,865 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $29,616. About 1.6% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
Chesapeake Beach was established as a resort community at the end of the Chesapeake Beach RailwayChesapeake Beach Railway
The Chesapeake Beach Railway , now defunct, was an American railroad of southern Maryland and Washington, DC built in the 19th century. The CBR ran 27.629 miles from Washington, D.C. on tracks formerly owned by the Southern Maryland Railroad and then on its own single track through Maryland farm...
, a short line railroad from Washington, DC. It was the site of many slot machines in the early twentieth century (despite efforts to prohibit them) as part of the "Little Nevada" area of southern Maryland. Between steamer ships from Baltimore and trains from Washington, the weekend population of Chesapeake Beach reached into the 10,000s during the 1920s, until economic depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and a bad hotel fire, brought an end to the railroad. The construction of the Bay Bridge
Chesapeake Bay Bridge
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the more urban Western Shore. The original span opened in 1952 and, at the time, with a length of , it was the world's longest...
to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the 1950s enabled many of the visitors who used to spend their summers in Chesapeake Beach to now spend their time in Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area...
instead. A museum at the old railroad station
Chesapeake Beach Railway Station
The Chesapeake Beach Railway Station is a historic railway station located at Chesapeake Beach, Calvert County, Maryland, United States. It is composed of two one-story, hip-roofed sections; one part was once an open passenger boarding area that was later enclosed for storage. The station was...
still exists today in Chesapeake Beach with many historic photos and an old passenger car from the railroad. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980. In the new millennium a boardwalk and pier, and a new condominium development have risen in Chesapeake Beach. There is also a recreational water park with water slides, a newly-opened resort spa hotel, and a seafood restaurant right on the bay. The Herrington Harbour (Rose Haven) marina resort, which was voted the best marina in the United States, is a few miles north.
Chesapeake Beach is also host to the United States Naval Research Laboratory Chesapeake Bay Detachment that experiments with various military radar systems and fire suppression technology. Perched atop the sandstone cliffs along the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
the lab is able to use their radars against a variety of surface and air targets in the Bay. Nearby Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
"Pax River" redirects here. For the river, see Patuxent River.Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States Naval Air Station located in St. Mary's County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to the U.S...
has several aircraft that assist in the Research lab's mission.
Hurricane Isabel
Hurricane Isabel
Hurricane Isabel was the costliest and deadliest hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. The ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Isabel formed near the Cape Verde Islands from a tropical wave on September 6 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean...
struck Chesapeake Beach and the adjacent city of North Beach, Maryland
North Beach, Maryland
North Beach is a town in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,880 at the 2000 census. The town is contiguous with the larger town of Chesapeake Beach which has a new boardwalk, a new resort spa hotel, a recreational water park, and new housing...
in 2003. The storm surge pushed flood waters into both towns, damaging many homes beyond repair in North Beach, and knocking out electrical services for nearly one week.
Notable residents
Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.
Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, Jr. is the current president of the Maryland Senate. He has served as president since January 1987, and has been a state senator representing the 27th District since 1975....
, the current president of the Maryland Senate (as of April 2008), lives in Chesapeake Beach.
Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...