Frederick, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland is a
city in
Frederick County, Maryland, and is also the
county seat. As of the
2004 census estimates, the city had a total population of 57,009 [
1], making it the fourth-largest city in
Maryland following
Rockville,
Gaithersburg, and
Baltimore, which has the largest population. Frederick's newspaper of record is
The Frederick News-Post. Frederick is home to Frederick Municipal Airport (FDK), which primarily accommodates general aviation traffic.
Frederick is located in Frederick County in the western part of the
State of
Maryland near the junction of
Interstate 70,
Interstate 270, and
US Highway 40. In relation to nearby cities, Frederick lies a little over forty miles northwest of
Washington, DC, forty-five miles west of
Baltimore, Maryland, twenty-five miles southeast of
Hagerstown, Maryland, and seventy-five miles southwest of
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The city's coordinates 39°25'35" North, 77°25'13" West (39.426294, -77.420403).
According to the 2004 report of
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.9
km² (20.4
mi²). The city's areas is predominantly land, with the only water being the
Monocacy River, which runs to the east of the city, and Culler Lake, a man-made small body in the downtown area.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 52,767 people, 20,891 households, and 12,785 families residing in the city. The
population density was 997.7/km² (2,584.4/mi²). There were 22,106 housing units at an average density of 418.0/km² (1,082.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.04%
White, 14.74%
Black or
African American, 0.29%
Native American, 3.15%
Asian American, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 2.26% from
other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. 4.80% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 20,891 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were
married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,700, and the median income for a family was $56,778. Males had a median income of $38,399 versus $27,732 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $23,053. 7.4% of the population and 4.8% of families were below the
poverty line. 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Mayor or City Executive
The current Mayor of Frederick is
W. Jeff Holtzinger, who was elected November 1, 2005.Previous Mayors include:
*
Lawrence Brengle (
1817)
*
Hy Kuhn (
1818-
1820)
*
George Baer, Jr. (
1820-
1823)
*
John L. Harding (
1823-
1826)
*
George Kolb (
1826-
1829)
*
Thomas Carlton (
1829-
1835)
*
Daniel Kolb (
1835-
1838)
*
Michael Baltzell (
1838-
1841)
*
George Hoskins (
1841-
1847)
*
M. E. Bartgis (
1847-
1849)
*
James Bartgis (
1849-
1856)
*
Lewis Brunner (
1856-
1859)
*
W. G. Cole (
1859-
1865)
*
J. Engelbrecht (
1865-
1868)
*
Valerius Ebert (
1868-
1871)
*
Thomas M. Holbruner (
1871-
1874)
*
Lewis M. Moberly (
1874-
1883)
*
Hiram Bartgis (
1883-
1889)
*
Lewis H. Doll (
1889-
1890)
*
Lewis Brunner (
1890-
1892)
*
John E. Fleming (
1892-
1895)
*
Aquilla R. Yeakle (
1895-
1898)
*
William F. Chilton (
1898-
1901)
*
George Edward Smith (
1901-
1910)
*
John Edward Schell (
1910-
1913)
*
Lewis H. Fraley (
1913-
1919)
*
Gilmer Schley (
1919-
1922)
*
Lloyd C. Culler (
1922-
1931)
*
Elmer F. Munshower (
1931-
1934)
*
Lloyd C. Culler (
1934-
1943)
*
Hugh V. Gittinger (
1943-
1946)
*
Lloyd C. Culler (
1946-
1950)
*
Elmer F. Munshower (
1950-
1951)
*
Donald B. Rice (
1951-
1954)
*
John A. Derr (
1954-
1958)
*
Jacob R. Ramsburg (
1958-
1962)
*
E. Paul Magaha (
1962-
1966)
*
John A. Derr (
1966-
1970)
*
E. Paul Magaha (
1970-
1974)
*
Ronald N. Young (
1974-
1990)
*
Paul P. Gordon (
1990-
1994)
*
James S. Grimes (
1994-
2002)
*
Jennifer Dougherty (
2002-
2006)
*
William J. Holtzinger (
2006-
Representative body
Frederick has a
Board of Aldermen of six members (one of whom is the Mayor) which serves as its legislative body. Elections are held every 4 years. The current board was elected November 1, 2005, and consists of Marcia Hall, David Koontz, Alan Imhoff, C. Paul Smith, and Donna Kuzemchak Ramsburg.
Frederick has a bridge covered with a mural called the "
Community Bridge". The artist,
William Cochran, has been acclaimed for the realism of the painting. Thousands of people sent ideas representing community that appear throughout the stonework of the bridge. One of the most interesting parts of the mural is an
angel that only appears correct if you look at it from the proper angle (the proper angle being the middle window of the second floor of an adjacent building).
A weekly
carillon recital is played on the
Joseph Dill Baker Carillon, each Sunday at Noon for half an hour. The
carillon can be heard from anywhere in
Baker Park, or the City Carillonneur can be viewed playing in the tower, which is open each week at that time.
The city is well-known for the
Clustered Spires skyline of its historic downtown buildings. These spires are depicted on the city's seal and many other city-affiliated logos and insignia.
Frederick is a
sister city to two
German cities,
Schifferstadt and
Morzheim.
The city is home to
WFRE and
WAFY radio.
Frederick is home to the
Museum of Civil War Medicine,
U.S. Army Fort Detrick,
Hood College, and the
Maryland School for the Deaf. Frederick also sports a minor-league
baseball team, the
Frederick Keys. Frederick is also home of several liberal organizations including the Peace Resource Center of Frederick County, an installation of
Women in Black, and the Frederick Progressive Action Coalition or FredPac.
Frederick was the site of a
Civil War speech given by President
Abraham Lincoln, which took place at what was then a train depot at the current intersection of South and Market Streets. A plaque commemorates the speech.
Three historic Civil War battlefields are located near Frederick. The
Monocacy Battlefield lies just outside the city limits, while
Antietam and
Gettsyburg lie approximately thirty-five miles to the west and north, respectively.
Another notable Civil War location is the former home of
Barbara Fritchie, the woman who (according to legend) waved the
Stars and Stripes in defiance of Confederate commander
Stonewall Jackson and his troops as they marched through downtown Frederick. These events are the subject of an 1864 poem by
John Greenleaf Whittier.
Other notable Fredericktonians include former Supreme Court Chief Justice
Roger Taney,
John Hanson, the first President of the United States under the
Articles of Confederation; and
Peter Wilson Hancock VII, political-rights activist and philosopher. Frederick is also the resting place of
Francis Scott Key, the author of the
National Anthem of the United States, "
The Star-Spangled Banner."
Frederick had Jewish residents as early as the 1740s, when pioneers Henry Lazarus and Levy Cohan settled there as merchants. An organized Jewish community, comprised mainly of German Jewish immigrants, took shape in the mid-nineteenth century and the Frederick Hebrew Congregation was organized in 1858. Later the congregation lapsed, but was reorganized in 1919 as a cooperative effort between the older settlers and more recently arrived Eastern European Jews under the name Beth Sholom.
*
John Nelson,
U.S. Attorney General, 1843-1845, U.S. Congressman for
Maryland's 4th District, 1821-1823, born in Frederick in 1791.
*
Official City Government Website*
Frederick News-Post*
Information site on Community Bridge*
Frederick Peace Resource Center
