| Crofton, Maryland |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT CROFTON, MARYLAND | |
| settlements established in 1964 | |
| unincorporated communities in maryland | |
| anne arundel county, maryland | |
| census-designated places in maryland | |
| planned cities | |
| new towns | |
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Crofton is a Census-designated Place and Planned Community located in Anne Arundel County , Maryland . Established in 1964 , Crofton recently held its 40th birthday celebration. Community life frequently revolves around Crofton Parkway, actually a scenic loop 3.5 miles long, tangentially touching the larger "triangle" made up of three nearby roads, which encloses the original Crofton community. Crofton Parkway is the scene of yearly parades, two of its three elementary schools, the Town Hall, Village Green, community events, Crofton Country Club, and walkers, joggers and bikers around the loop. The Crofton area now extends North from the triangle, including Crofton Park and the Village at Waugh Chapel, a large outdoor shopping mall. Originally an exclusive gated community, Crofton's gates were opened and they now only serve as a welcome symbol for this community just off of crowded Route 3. It offers a small town feel, while being convenient to major roads leading directly to the cities of Baltimore , Washington, D.C. and Annapolis . It has developed into an extremely desirable community for young families, having a diversity of housing, from a large mix of well-kept townhomes to suburban single family homes and good schools. As of the 2000 census, the total population of those in the Crofton zip code was 20,091. The Crofton area, however, is larger than its census designation zip code, encompassing some of the Gambrills zip code as well. HISTORY Crofton Plan In 1963 , after the Crawford Corporation accumulated over 1600 acres (6.5 km&2) of land, it announced that it would build a new community called Crofton. This new town and planned community was founded at the same time as Reston, Virginia ( April 17 th 1964 ) and Columbia, Maryland ( 1967 ). Crofton was officially founded in the fall of 1964 . The company considered picking an English name for the new town that "sounds well and implies that this is a pleasant place to live." It ended up picking the name "Crofton," named after a small township in Cumberland County, England . The English Town was originally called ''Croft-town'', derived from the word Croft , as the town standing upon the Crofts. {Link without Title} Education
GEOGRAPHY Crofton originally consisted of the area in the Crofton triangle, the area bounded by routes 3 in the West, 424 (Davidsonville Road) in the North, and 450 (Defense Highway) in the South. The Crofton area later expanded mostly North to encompass the area bounded by Reidel Road and Underwood Road. The Crofton zip code of 21114 -- and thus the census area -- does not encompass large areas of the Crofton area, including Crofton Middle School and areas just North of Route 424 and communities North of Johns Hopkins Road. These areas are located in the Gambrills zip code of 21054. Crofton is located at 39°0'32" North, 76°40'52" West (39.008860, -76.680991). According to the United States Census Bureau , the Crofton zip code has a total area of 13.0 Km&2 (5.0 Mi&2 ). 13.0 km&2 (5.0 mi&2) of it is land and none of it is covered by water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 20,091 people, 7,404 households, and 5,478 families residing in the Crofton zip code. The following date only includes census-listed figures for the Crofton zip code and excludes other data for Crofton-area residents. The Population Density was 1,545.3/km&2 (3,998.6/mi&2). There were 7,573 housing units at an average density of 582.5/km&2 (1,507.2/mi&2). The racial makeup of the community was 90.21% White , 5.13% African American , 0.23% Native American , 2.33% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.60% from Other Races , and 1.44% from two or more races. 2.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 7,404 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were Married Couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.13. In the community the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the area was $75,046, and the median income for a family was $87,267. Males had a median income of $56,819 versus $41,229 for females. The Per Capita Income for the area was $33,518. 2.7% of the population and 2.0% of families were below the Poverty Line . 3.0% of those under the age of 18 and 2.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. CROFTON POND SNAKEHEAD FISH INCIDENT Crofton was in the national news in late June and early July 2002 after a Northern Snakehead was discovered in a pond behind a post office,(not the local landmark Lake Louise). The species, which is very aggressive and can walk short distances on land, came from a live asian food market, where the fish is a delicacy. In order to ensure that the fish was eliminated, the pond was drained. Two adult and about 100 juvenile fish were found and destroyed. Ultimately, the incident initiated a national discussion on Invasive Species and comparisons with the Mute Swan , also an invasive and destructive species of the Chesapeake Bay watershed but, in comparison, quite beautiful, and which garnered support from some environmental and animal rights groups. Shortly thereafter, the SciFi Network aired a movie called "Snakehead Terror", which was inspired by this incident. Then, in September 2005 , the SciFi television channel aired the movie Frankenfish , also inspired by the snakehead fish incident. CROFTON'S POPULATION HISTORY FROM THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU The following population history only includes census-listed figures for the Crofton zip code and excludes other Crofton-area residents. EXISTING LANDMARKS
FAMOUS CROFTONITES
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