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Southern Maryland is composed of the state's three southernmost counties on the "Western Shore." These counties are Calvert County, Charles County, and St. Mary's County.
Southern Maryland has traditionally been a rural and agricultural region, but over the past few decades has experienced some suburban development as the Washington suburbs expand southward. This has primarily taken place around Waldorf (Charles County), Lexington Park (St. Mary's County), and Prince Frederick (Calvert County).
Southern Maryland has many unique and interesting colloquialisms.
Contents
Geography
It is bordered on the north by Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County. Its eastern border is the Chesapeake Bay and its southern and western border is the Potomac River, Maryland's border with Virginia.
Nature, Wildlife, and the Environment
Southern Maryland is a unique treasure in the sense that it is bounded by some many significant bodies of water including the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River, the Patuxent River, the St. Mary's River, and the Wicomico River.
Sport fishing and commercial harvesting of oysters and crabs are significant industries. Both have suffered in recent years due to disease, pollution, and overfishing. The State is currently implementing several programs to try and reverse the trend. Debris from the recent Wilson Bridge demolition was dumped near Point No Point to act as an artificial fish reef.
One of the most prevalent pollution problems is the runoff of nutrients from sources such as farms, defective septic systems, and over-fertilization of lawns. Watermen from St. George Island also report finding sewage such as toilet paper on their traps and cages. Upstream military installations are major contributors to pollution due to the lack of adequate sewage systems.
The area is home to many types of wildlife.
Government
Local government is managed primarily at the county level. Each county has a board of elected commissioners. See Calvert County Commissioners and Calvert County Government, Charles County Commissioners and Charles County Government, and St. Mary's County Commissioners and St. Mary's County Government.
There are only two incorporated towns in the tri-county area that are governed by a mayor, Leonardtown and North Beach. These incorporated towns have a mayor, town commissioners, and a town governmental structure.
State representation is handled by a senator for each district. Each district is further subdivided into sub-districts, which are represented by an elected delegate to the State House. See also Maryland State Government.
Southern Maryland falls wholly within the 5th Congressional District for Maryland, which is represented by Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville). The two U.S. senators who represent Maryland are Barbara A. Mikulski (D) and Benjamin L. Cardin (D). See also Federal Government.
Towns and Places in Southern Maryland
Key Towns and Places in Southern Maryland include the following (See Category:Towns for the complete list).
- Calvert County:
- Dunkirk
- Huntingtown
- North Beach
- Prince Frederick (county seat)
- Solomons
- St. Mary's County:
- Leonardtown (county seat)
- Lexington Park
- St. Mary's City
- Charles County:
- Indian Head
- La Plata (county seat)
- Waldorf
- St. Charles
Military in Southern Maryland
The military has a large presence in the tri-county area and employs many people as civil servants, private contractors, and military servicemen and officers. Military establishments in the area and nearby include:
- Naval Air Station Patuxent River
- Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center
- Chesapeake Beach Naval Research Lab, Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
- Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren, Va.
- Andrews Air Force Base
See Category:Military for a complete list of all military-related articles.
Major Employers in Southern Maryland
The biggest employers in Southern Maryland include:
- Naval Air Station Patuxent River
- Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center
- BAE Systems
- Lockheed Martin
- Northrop Grumman
- Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc.
- Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
See Category:Major Employers for a complete list.
Higher Education in Southern Maryland
Colleges in Southern Maryland include:
- The College of Southern Maryland, a community college, with campuses in all three counties
- St. Mary's College of Maryland, a state-owned public "honors" college.
See Category:Colleges for a complete list of all articles related to Colleges and higher education.
Media Outlets
- Southern Maryland Online
- Calvert Recorder
- Calvert Independent
- County Times
- Enterprise
- Maryland Independent
- St. Mary's Today
- Tester
- Washington Post
- Southern Maryland Radio
Notable Southern Marylanders
- Famous author Dashiell Samuel Hammett was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland.
- Famous author Tom Clancy was born in and lives in Calvert County, Maryland.
- One-time anchor of the ABC Nightline news magazine, Ted Koppel maintains a home in St. Inigoes, Maryland.
- House of Representatives Minority Whip Steny Hoyer represents Southern Maryland as the representative for Maryland's Fifth Congressional District. Hoyer resides on the waterfront in Mechanicsville, Maryland.
- Two former first ladies hail from Southern Maryland: Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, and Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor, wife of Zachary Taylor.
- Longtime Maryland State Comptroller Louis Goldstein was from Calvert County.
- Noted television and film screenwriter and producer Alfred Gough hails from Leonardtown in St. Mary's County.
- Former CIA Director William E. Colby maintained a house at Rock Point on Cobb Island in Charles County.
For a complete list of notable southern Marylanders, see Notable People and for a complete list of people who held political office, past and present, see Politicians.
