Waldorf, Maryland

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Waldorf, Maryland
settlement_type = CDP
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Waldorf, Maryland


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Maryland
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Charles
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 33.1
area_land_km2 = 33.1
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 12.8
area_land_sq_mi = 12.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 22312
population_density_km2 = 674.1
population_density_sq_mi = 1746.0

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 63
elevation_ft = 207
latd = 38 |latm = 38 |lats = 46 |latNS = N
longd = 76 |longm = 53 |longs = 54 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 20601-20604
area_code = 301
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 24-81175
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0588020
website =
footnotes =

Waldorf is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland. It is 23 miles SSE of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area was 22,311 at the 2000 census. Waldorf was settled before 1900 as a rural crossroads with a train station and was called "Beantown" after a local family. Waldorf is now largely subsumed by the large planned community of St. Charles.

Waldorf is either named after the town of Walldorf, Germany, or has a similar derivation: that is, either a German word meaning "forest village," or named after the Waldenses, a 12th Century religious sect. Once a tobacco market village, it came to prominence in the 1950s as a gambling destination after slot machines were legalized in Charles County in 1949. The boom lasted until 1968 when gambling was once again outlawed. [cite web
url=http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=9408
title=Feature: What Can Maryland’s Troubled History with Slot Machines Tell Us About the Odds for the Future?
last=Janis
first=Stephen
publisher=Baltimore City Paper
date=2004-12-01
accessdate=2008-04-18] Its subsequent substantial growth as a residential community began with a 1970 loan package from the Department of Housing and Urban Development which fueled the giant planned community of St. Charles, south of Waldorf.

Waldorf is predominantly a bedroom community for many residents who commute to work at other points in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, especially personnel at Andrews Air Force Base. Waldorf's local jobs are primarily in the service and sales industry. Nearby St. Charles Towne Center, a shopping mall, opened in 1988 [cite web
url=http://www.stcharlesmd.com/html/st__charles_towne_center.html
title=St. Charles Towne Center
publisher=American Community Properties Trust
accessdate=2008-04-18] and was remodeled in 2007. St. Charles Towne Center draws shoppers and diners from Maryland, parts of Washington, D.C., and Virginia, causing Charles County to be called the "shopping capital of Southern Maryland."Fact|date=April 2008 Route 301 also boasts the "Waldorf Motor Mile,"Fact|date=April 2008 with car dealerships located primarily along the northbound side.Fact|date=April 2008 In 2005, Waldorf opened its third public high school (North Point High School), which has advanced science/technology programs; the Capital Clubhouse 24-hour indoor sports complex and ice rink also opened that year.Fact|date=April 2008 In 2006, plans were announced to build two more shopping centers, including one with high-end stores and an attractive "lifestyle" town center design layout.Fact|date=April 2008 Ground was also broken to build an office park with mid-rise office buildings near Western Parkway and Route 228 (Berry Road).Fact|date=April 2008

Geography

Waldorf is located at coor dms|38|38|46|N|76|53|54|W|city (38.646173, -76.898217).GR|1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.8 square miles (33.1 km²), all of it land.

Most of Waldorf is flat, particularly the eastern part of the city. There are small hills to the west, and much of the southern and eastern parts of the city are wetlands, featuring very diverse wildlife in ponds and streams. Waldorf is also very forested, mostly with oak and pine trees.

Farming

Even though Waldorf is a rapidly developing urbanized area, it is surrounded by farms. They include:

*Shlagel Farms, which is a major strawberry farm, also offers vegetables and flowers. [cite web
url=http://gardens.com/go/view/14159/
title=Shlagel Farms in Waldorf, Maryland
publisher=GardenGuides.com
accessdate=2008-04-18] [cite web
url=http://www.mwcog.org/nationalcapitalfarms/Sources_PYO.htm
title=National Capital Farms
publisher=Metropolitan Washington Regional Agricultural Workgroup
accessdate=2008-04-18] They also provide Angus beef.
*Middleton's Cedar Hill farm [cite web
url=http://www.somarylandsogood.com/searchresult2.asp?type=farm&farmid=409
title=Middleton's Cedar Hill Farm
publisher=Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland
accessdate=2008-04-18]
*Middleton Manor Farms [cite web
url=http://www.somarylandsogood.com/searchresult2.asp?type=farm&farmid=84
title=Middleton Manor Farms, Inc.
publisher=Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland
accessdate=2008-04-18] [cite web
url=http://www.gardenguides.com/resources/nurseries/nursery.asp?store=1881056
title=Middleton Manor Farms Inc - Nursery
publisher=GardenGuides.com
accessdate=2008-04-18]

Tobacco, once a dominant crop in Southern Maryland, has almost disappeared since most area farmers accepted buy-outs in the 1990s from the state government.

urrounding places

Waldorf's neighbors are all in Maryland.

Prince George's County (north), Bennsville (west), St. Charles (south).

On the east, from north to south there are Brandywine, Cedarville State Forest, Malcolm and Bryantown.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 22,312 people, 7,603 households, and 5,991 families residing in the CDP. In the CDP, the population density was 1,746.0 people per square mile (674.1/km²). There were 7,827 housing units at an average density of 612.5/sq mi (236.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 61.11% White, 31.98% African American, 0.54% Native American, 2.59% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.91% of the population.

There were 7,603 households out of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $68,869, and the median income for a family was $71,439. Males had a median income of $45,293 versus $35,386 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,728. About 2.7% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The major routes in Waldorf are:

* U.S. Route 301, running north to south from Brandywine, MD to the north and White Plains, MD to the south. It is lined continuously for several miles with shopping centers, restaurants, car dealers, and other businesses. Although connecting to Virginia only by the outdated, narrow 2-lane Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge, it is nevertheless used by some long-distance East Coast through motorists as an alternative to Interstate 95/495 which often has major traffic backups (see Woodrow Wilson Bridge). In the years to come, due to traffic concerns, a bypass may be built through either Western or Eastern Waldorf, or the highway may continue on the same route through Waldorf with overpasses.Fact|date=October 2007 This will give an interstate feel to the Waldorf area and ultimately take away traffic congestion to the north-south routes in Waldorf. See the External Links section for more information.

* Maryland Route 5 (Leonardtown Road), which joins US 301 in Brandywine to the north and splits at the city line to bypass Waldorf on Mattawoman-Beantown Road. It runs from Washington, D.C. and Brandywine in the north to Hughesville, MD and the southern tip of Maryland. A minor league professional baseball stadium for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball team is accessible from Route 5 via Billingsly Road. MD 5 also has a small business corridor which runs westward from the intersection of Mattawoman-Beantown Road, St. Charles Parkway, and Leonardtown Road until its terminus at US 301.

* Maryland Route 228 (Berry Road), starts in Accokeek, MD at the intersection of Maryland Route 210 (Indian Head Highway), and it runs through much of western Waldorf until its eastern terminus in central Waldorf, at the intersection of MD 228, MD 5 (Business), and US 301. Additionally, the intersection of MD 228 and MD 210 in Accokeek, MD is one of the only six Continuous flow intersections in the United States.

* Maryland Route 925, also known as Old Washington Road. It runs north to south through Waldorf, closely parallel to US 301.

* St. Charles Parkway, which lies in the eastern side of the city, is another scenic, landscaped major thoroughfare within the city, passing by White Plains Regional Park. This is sometimes referred to as the most beautiful road in Waldorf, especially during the spring, summer, and autumn months of the year. In 2008, this road was extended south to the county seat, La Plata, MD, providing an alternative to Route 301 between the two towns.

Public transportation is provided by Van-Go, a bus system administered by Charles County for most of the county, including Waldorf, and interconnecting to nearby St.Mary's County Transit System buses. [cite web
url=http://www.charlescounty.org/cs/vango/
title=VanGO Cover Original
publisher=Charles County Department of Community Services
accessdate=2008-04-18] Buses operated by the Keller Bus Company and Maryland Department of Transportation also take commuters to downtown Washington, D.C., and ridership is rapidly growing. There is a large commuter parking lot on Mattawoman Beantown Road, with another one near Sears at Smallwood Parkway and Route 301.

Traffic

Traffic in Waldorf is extremely congested at the moment, and the state is still evaluating options for a U.S. Route 301 bypass around western Waldorf. Through Virginia and Maryland, 301 along with U.S. Route 17 are used as alternate routes from I-95, due to I-95 traffic congestion.Fact|date=January 2008 Due to Waldorf's bedroom community nature and lack of any significant hometown industry, its highways can become very congested in the morning commutes north to Washington D.C., and also on Friday through Sunday in every direction due to shoppers, many of them visiting from other counties. Much of the congestion is seen at the intersection of Route 228 and 301 and Community Drive, on Berry Road going westward to Western Parkway, near St.Patrick's Drive, on Mall Circle surrounding St. Charles Towne Center, and on Smallwood Drive near the neighborhood of Carrington. Most traffic is in the southern areas of Waldorf.

ports

In Popular Culture

Actress Hilary Duff created a mini-controversy regarding Waldorf in June 2006. In an interview with Elle Magazine, when asked about her then-boyfriend Joel Madden, a Waldorf native, Duff replied, "He's very real, like, he's from a pretty ghetto place in Maryland... I like that". [cite news|author=Jay Friess|title=Waldorf not so 'ghetto' after all?|url=http://www.somdnews.com/stories/062306/indytop192854_32124.shtml |publisher=SoMdnews.com |date=2006-06-23 |accessdate=2008-02-24] Duff's "ghetto" comments sparked a mixture of mild offense and bemusement from residents of the Waldorf area, as the suburban, mostly middle-class town did not fall into the traditional impoverished inner city concept of a ghetto. [cite news|author=Jay Friess|title=Waldorf not so 'ghetto' after all?|url=http://www.somdnews.com/stories/062306/indytop192854_32124.shtml |publisher=SoMdnews.com |date=2006-06-23 |accessdate=2008-02-24] Duff later claimed she was referring not to Waldorf, but actually a section of Baltimore where Madden lived briefly as a young adult. [cite news|author=Phillip Rucker|title=Trying to Clarify a 'Pretty Ghetto' Statement|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/24/AR2006062400015.html |publisher= Washingtonpost.com |date=2006-06-25 |accessdate=2008-02-28]

ee also

* List of Famous People from the Washington Metropolitan Area

Notes

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Waldorf,+MD/ Map of Waldorf]
*cite web
url=http://www.somdnews.com/stories/062306/indytop192854_32124.shtml
title=Waldorf not so 'ghetto' after all?
publisher=Southern Maryland News
author=Jay Friess
date=June 23, 2006
accessdate=2007-12-22