- Westminster, Maryland
"Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Westminster, Maryland
settlement_type =City
nickname =
motto =
imagesize =
image_caption =
image_
mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location inMaryland .
mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name =United States
subdivision_name1 =Maryland
subdivision_name2 = Carroll
government_type =
leader_title =Mayor
leader_name =Thomas K. Ferguson
established_title = Founded
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date = 1764
established_date2 = 1818
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi = 5.7
area_total_km2 = 14.8
area_land_sq_mi = 5.7
area_land_km2 = 14.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0
area_water_km2 = 0
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
area_metro_km2 =
population_as_of = 2000
population_note =
population_total = 16,731
population_metro =
population_urban =
population_density_km2 = 1131.0
population_density_sq_mi = 2929.4
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = 5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 39 |latm = 34 |lats = 36 |latNS = N
longd = 77 |longm = 0 |longs = 0 |longEW = W
elevation_m = 233
elevation_ft = 764
website = www.westgov.com
postal_code_type =ZIP code s
postal_code = 21157-21158
area_code = 410
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 24-83100
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0595080
footnotes =Westminster is the
county seat of Carroll CountyGR|6,Maryland ,United States . According to theU.S. Census Bureau [ [http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-04-24.csv Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Maryland, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007] , U.S. Census Bureau, 2007. Released 09 July 2008. Retrieved 02 September 2008.] , the city's population was 17,715 for a 12 month period ending 01 July 2007. Westminster lies within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA.History
In April 1865, Joseph Shaw, newspaper editor, had his presses wrecked and his business destroyed, and was subsequently beaten and stabbed to death by four men in Westminster, allegedly because of an anti-Lincoln editorial that was published the week before the actual assassination. In a later trial at the Westminster Court House the four men were acquitted; the reason cited was "self-defense."
Just north of Westminster is the farm at which
Whittaker Chambers hid the so-called "pumpkin papers."A historic marker states that Westminster was the first place in the nation to offer Rural Free Delivery postal service.
Westminster is the birthplace of
Sargent Shriver (born 1915), former candidate forVice President of the United States and brother-in-law ofJohn F. Kennedy .Geography
Westminster is located at coor dms|39|34|36|N|77|0|0|W|city (39.576551, -77.000120)GR|1.
According to
MapQuest , Westminster is approximately convert|36.5|mi|km driving distance NW ofBaltimore and convert|37.5|mi|km driving distance SW ofYork, Pennsylvania .According to the
United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 5.7square mile s (14.8km² ), all of it land.Climate
Westminster lies in the
humid continental climate zone, and experiences higher annual snowfall and colder temperatures than the southern half of Maryland, which has ahumid subtropical climate.Tornado Activity
Westminster's historical tornado activity is slightly above the Maryland state average and 38% greater than the overall U.S. average.
On July 19, 1996, an F3 (which has wind speeds of 158-206 mph) tornado struck 5.5 miles away from the Westminster city center, injuring three people and causing $5 million in damages.
On April 15, 1952, an F3 tornado hit 15.5 miles away from the city center, injuring four people and causing between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages. [ [http://www.city-data.com/city/Westminster-Maryland.html Westminster, Maryland (MD) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders ] ]
Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 16,731 people, 6,420 households, and 3,762 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 2,929.4 people per square mile (1,131.3/km²). There were 6,755 housing units at an average density of 1,182.7/sq mi (456.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.28% White, 5.49% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.There were 6,420 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,477, and the median income for a family was $50,879. Males had a median income of $37,186 versus $28,419 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $20,320. About 7.9% of families and 9.6% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.Education
The Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS) enrolls over 28,000 students, which makes it the ninth largest school system in the state of
Maryland . In Westminster, there are two high schools:Westminster Senior High School ,Winters Mill High School ; two middle schools: East and West Middle School; and nine elementary schools.Westminster is home to
McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College), which hosts the summer training camp of theBaltimore Ravens NFL team.Tourism
The
Hashawha Tower is a windmill in Westminster. It stands at the Hashawha Bear Branch Nature Center.Events:
* Carroll County Fair
*Common Ground on the Hill
* Maryland Wine FestivalWestminster in the media
In 2001,
ABC News produced a story calling Westminster theheroin capital of the country because of drug problems at Westminster High School, once called "Heroin High," with overdoses peaking at more than three per week. [http://www.abcnewsstore.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=customer.product&product_code=T010822%2001&category_code=15] [ [http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=3724 "Smack in the Middle of the 'Burbs: Heroin Hits Home in Carroll County" Citypaper.com, March 25, 1998] ]In 2000, one member of the Carroll County Drug Task Force, Detective Richard Ruby, was accused of planting drugs on suspects and was suspended with pay. As a result, a number of drug cases had to be dismissed because of the compromised security of the evidence due to Ruby's involvement. This also lead to the release of a number of persons who had been in jail awaiting trial. [ "The Carroll County Times", February 10, 2000.]
The film "
For Richer or Poorer " was filmed in Westminster.In 1997, Linda Fisher aka The Muffin Lady, who made and sold muffins to people and stores in downtown Westminster in an effort to stay off welfare, was shut down by the Carroll County Health Department because she was not using a commercial kitchen. The Westminster Fire Department helped her by offering the use of their catering kitchen. This experience led to a story on "Good Morning America" and the publication of Fisher's cookbook, "MUFFIN MAKEOVERS; Recipes and Reflections From Linda Fisher, Rebuilding Her Life One Batch at a Time."
ister city
* (since 2002) [cite web | title =Westminster Maryland-Paide, Estonia Partner City Program | work = City of Westminster, Maryland | date =January 15, 2004 | url =http://www.westgov.com/general/partner_city.asp | accessdate =2007-07-07]
References
External links
* [http://www.westgov.com/ City of Westminster] Official local government information.
* [http://www.carrollk12.org/whs/ Westminster High School]
* [http://www.carrollk12.org/wintersmill/index.htm Winters Mill High School]
* [http://www.westminsterblogger.com The Westminster Blogger]
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