Living Here
The original families that settled Calvert County are still heavily represented in the County. Beall, Broome, Chaney, Catterton, Chew, Dare, Weems, Hance, Hutchins, Mackall, Parran, Sunderland, Taney.... Generations dating back to the 17th century in some cases.
The population consisted of farmers, watermen, and lawyers for the following centuries, although in the early 1900's it began to be a popular summer escape. A railroad line ran from the city to Chesapeake Beach bringing visitors escaping from the heat of the summer.
A few well-to-do Washingtonians built summmer estates on farmland. Others built communities of summer cottages and cabins along the Chesapeake shore. The only public access to beaches are several county or state parks.
Population Boom
In recent years, however, Calvert County has become an attractive place to live for professionals, and upper income people employed in Washington businesses and the Federal Government. Parcels of farmland have been bought up and subdivided into quarter-acre and half-acre lots with a majority of the lots being one acre or more. New home building is booming and the County boasts of having the highest per capital income in Maryland.Part of the attraction is due to the "County Plan" to control growth and avoid "sprawl" as experienced by Washington ex-urbia. Zoning and the lack of water and sewer systems discourages apartments, malls, and houses built on not less than 1/4 acre lots. Consequently, the few townhouses and apartment buildings are limited to "town centers" such as Prince Frederick, the County Seat. Prince Frederick has a sewer system as well as a water system.
Shopping malls are virtually non-existent. Giant Food and Safeway are represented, as are K-Mart, Walmart, Blockbusters. Staples, CompUSA, major department stores, game arcades in Annapolis or Waldorf can be found by a half-hour commute from the northern part of Calvert.
Calvert is rural. The old families and the new-comers seem to be in agreement to keep it that way for as long as they can.
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