Мэриленд штатындағы Сент-Мэри округінің тарихы мен мәдениеті

County in Maryland, United States

St. Mary's County, established in 1637, is a county located in the U. S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 113,777. Its county seat is Leonardtown. The name is in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus. St. Mary's County comprises the California Lexington Park, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also is included in the Washington Baltimore Arlington, DC MD VA WV PA Combined Statistical Area. It is part of the Southern Maryland region. The county was the home to the first Maryland Colony, and the first capital of the Colony of Maryland. Settled by English Catholics, it is considered to be the birthplace of religious freedom in North America, at a time when the British colonies were settled primarily by Protestants. The county is home to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and St. Mary's College of Maryland. Traditionally, St. Mary's County has been known for its unique and historic culture of Chesapeake Bay tidewater farming, fishing, and crabbing communities. But with the advent of the military bases, growth of an extensive defense contractor presence, and the growth of St. Mary's College of Maryland, as well as increasing numbers of long distance Washington, D. C. commuters, it has been undergoing a decades long transformation which has seen the county's population double since 1970.

The settlement of Lord Baltimore's Maryland began with the arrival of passengers from England at St. Clement's Island in the Potomac River in what is now southwestern St. Mary's County on March 25, 1634, and the annual anniversary of this landing is celebrated as Maryland Day. The passengers arrived in two vessels, the Ark and the Dove that had set sail from the Isle of Wight on November 22, 1633. The county is the site of the first Catholic Mass celebrated in one of the original thirteen colonies (after they had become English colonies). Earlier dates of masses being said were during 1526–1527 at San Miguel de Gualdape. Due to the small size of the island and its lack of resources, there was no intention to make a permanent settlement on the island. Instead St. Clement's was used as a base for the settlers while scouting for a more suitable site. This was how a bluff overlooking the nearby St. Mary's River was chosen for numerous reasons, and became the site of the first permanent settlement. It would soon be named, "St. Mary's City". St. Mary's City, Maryland is the site of the first Maryland Capitol and remained so for more than 50 years, until 1695, when the state capital was moved to Annapolis. Today Historic St. Mary's City is a major attraction in Maryland with four museums, a reconstructed colonial village, and the reconstructed Maryland Dove settlers ship. It also has become one of the top archeological research sites in North America. St. Mary's County was the first county established in Maryland, in 1637, probably by an order of the governor. In 1649, Lord Baltimore, with the Maryland General Assembly, passed the Maryland Toleration Act, which provided religious freedom for any (Christian) sect and which was the first law of its kind in the New World. There is a statue in St. Mary's City commemorating this event, along with extensive museums, a reconstructed Colonial town, living history actors, and a replica of the Maryland Dove.

St. Mary's County is where Maryland's leading war ace, (WWII) Capt. Walter Duke, and the professional wrestler, Scott Hall, grew up. St. Mary's County was the birthplace of Dashiell Hammett and Orlando "Tubby" Smith, head basketball coach at High Point University. The largest employer is Patuxent River Naval Air Station and its related aerospace contract firms. There are both Amish and Mennonite communities in the county who follow traditional ways. Tobacco, once a dominant crop, has declined in recent years. The Maryland International Raceway at Budd's Creek attracts many automobile racing enthusiasts.

Position Name Affiliation District  President James R. Guy Republican At Large  Commissioner Eric Colvin Republican District 1  Commissioner Michael L. Hewitt Republican District 2  Commissioner Mike Alderson Jr. Republican District 3  Commissioner Scott R. Ostrow Republican District 4

The county commissioners exercise such executive powers as exist in the government of the county.

Hon. Amy D. Lorenzini
Hon. Michael J. Stamm, administrative judge
Hon. Joseph Stanalonis

St. Mary's County has the oldest documented sheriff's office in Maryland and one of the oldest in the United States. In 1637, James Baldridge was appointed sheriff. Since 1776, sheriffs in St. Mary's County have been determined by election. Steven A. Hall is the current sheriff. He was sworn in on December 5, 2022.

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 764 square miles (1,979 km2), of which 357 square miles (925 km2) is land and 407 square miles (1,054 km2) (%) is water. It is the second largest county in Maryland by total area. Located on the St. Mary's Peninsula, St. Mary's County is largely bordered by water: the Patuxent River (northeast), the Chesapeake Bay (east), the Potomac River (southwest), and the Wicomico River (west). Its coastline has many coves, tidal creeks, bays, and inlets. Many coastal areas are made up of mixed clay and sand cliffs and bluffs, which protect many parts of the county from storm surges, however, there are low lying coastal areas with coarse sand or gravel beaches or tidal marshlands, as well. The county has a tiny exclave on the other side of the Potomac river due to the Maryland Virginia border cutting through a beach near the little wicomico river. The interior of much of the county is hilly to varying degrees, with forests and agricultural fields. There also are coastal plain areas, much of which are under agriculture or under new development. Residential development has been increasing steadily for decades. The county's very extensive waters are mostly brackish, ranging from significant degrees of saltwater in tidal areas that are on or near the Chesapeake Bay, to a greater predominance of freshwater and lower salt concentrations in its interior tidal waterways and also further up its bordering rivers.

According to the Köppen climate classification, the county has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa.) According to the Trewartha climate classification, the climate is Cf or oceanic (Do) depending on whether eight or seven months average above ,) respectively. Average monthly temperatures in Leonardtown range from 36.3 °F in January to 78.1 °F in July.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 105,151 people, 37,604 households, and 27,084 families residing in the county. The population density was There were 41,282 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the county was 78.6% white, 14.3% black or African American, 2.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.0% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.8% of the population. Of the 37,604 households, 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.0% were non families, and 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 36.0 years.

As of 2010, there were 105,000 people in St. Mary's County, up from 84,000 in the year 2000. families residing in the county. The population density was There were 34,081 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the county was 81.57% White, 13.92% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population. 14.8%

St. Mary's College of Maryland is in St. Mary's City, Maryland and has been ranked "6th in the nation" under the category, " Public Liberal Arts Colleges", by the U. S. News & World Report 2014 University and College Rankings report. The College of Southern Maryland is located in Leonardtown, Maryland. Southern Maryland Higher Education Center is located in California, Maryland. Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education is a Merchant Marine school in Piney Point, Maryland.

Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote a song about St. Mary's County, entitled, "Down in Mary's Land", in 1989 She is known for having great affection for St. Mary's County. An expansion pack for the 2008 video game Fallout 3, entitled Point Lookout, is set in a post apocalyptic version of the titular State Park and its surrounding areas.