Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
Chesapeake Beach is a town located in Calvert County. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,180.
Geography
Chesapeake Beach is located at 38°41'42" North, 76°32'10" West (38.695070, -76.536125)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²). 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
History
Chesapeake Beach was established as a resort community at the end of a short line railroad from Washington, DC. Between steamer ships from Baltimore and trains from Washington, the weekend population of Chesapeake Beach reached into the 10,000s during the 1920s, until the economic depression 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, MD 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.
Chesapeake Beach is also host to a US Naval Research lab 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 stuck Chesapeake Beach and the adjacent city of North Beach, MD in 2003. The storm surge pushed flood waters into both towns, damaging many beyond repair in North Beach, and knocking out electrical services for nearly one week.
External links
- Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum
- Chesapeake Beach official website
- Chesapeake Beach Naval Research lab
