La Plata, Maryland
Encyclopedia
La Plata is a town in Charles County
, Maryland
, United States
. The population was 6,551 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Charles County
.
, including what would become the areas of La Plata and Port Tobacco. The Colonel traveled to Central and South America with his son George, who had contracted tuberculosis
, in search of a cure. In his travels, the Colonel was impressed with the La Plata River
in Argentina
, so he decided to name a portion of his property "La Plata" after the river.
The town was founded approximately 1895 after the river flowing into the previous County seat, Port Tobacco (a few miles to the west), silted up, ending that town's utility as a port. At the same time, a new railroad line made La Plata attractive as a new county seat location. The Courthouse was built there after the Port Tobacco courthouse burned down (arson suspected, but unproven). Christ Episcopal Church was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt in La Plata. In 1940, the opening of the then "Potomac River Bridge" (later renamed the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge
), which carries U.S. Highway 301
over the Potomac River
, provided a link to Virginia and brought many long-distance east coast thru-travelers through the town as an alternative to using urban U.S. 1
and, later, the often-congested Interstate 95
.
According to the official town site: http://www.townoflaplata.org this brief history is posted:
"The Town of La Plata is located in Southern Maryland about 30 miles southeast of Washington, DC, 60 miles south of Baltimore and 45 miles southwest of Annapolis. The Town of La Plata serves as the county seat for the Charles County Government and was originally founded in the 1870s as the Pennsylvania Railroad was granted a right of way to build its tracks and station. The Town of La Plata was incorporated on April 4, 1888. Since La Plata's inception, it has grown into a town with a population of approximately 9,500 people."
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 6,551 people, 2,223 households, and 1,578 families residing in the town. The population density
was 942.7 people per square mile (363.9/km²). There were 2,308 housing units at an average density of 332.1 per square mile (128.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 72.72% White, 23.69% African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races
, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.
There were 2,223 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,490, and the median income for a family was $66,288. Males had a median income of $42,492 versus $32,125 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,669. About 8.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.
or the Washington, D.C.
area for work, including to Andrews Air Force Base
and Naval Air Station Patuxent River
. The town is experiencing a transformation into a thriving business and commercial center, thanks to development of office buildings and the town's recent reconstruction.
Historic Mount Carmel (1790), a Catholic
convent, is just outside La Plata, near the main campus of College of Southern Maryland
.
La Plata has county offices, CIVISTA Medical Center
(recently enlarged), a community theater (Port Tobacco Players), a large outdoor athletic complex, a large construction business, two nursing homes, and a host of stores and restaurants, in addition to a twice-weekly farmers' market
.. At the north edge of town are Wal-Mart
and Target
department store
s, three supermarket
s, a Lowe's
home-improvement store, and two all-night drugstores.
Rosewick Road is connected with St. Charles Parkway
to adjacent Waldorf
providing drivers an alternative to using U.S. Route 301 (Maryland).
Public schools in La Plata include La Plata High School
, Milton Somers Middle School, Walter Mitchell Elementary, and Mary Matula Elementary.
es in its history, both of intensity F4 on the Fujita scale
. An F4 is the second-highest intensity considered possible by meteorologists.
The first occurred on November 9, 1926. This tornado killed 16 people, thirteen of them in the La Plata Elementary School, which was destroyed.
On April 28, 2002, an F4 tornado
cut a 24-mile-long swath through Charles County
, with areas around La Plata damaged most severely. This tornado caused four deaths. Local officials credited federal- and state-assisted new construction efforts with helping them to remodel the downtown area following the tornado, as several new public buildings replaced some of those damaged there. A new La Plata Town Hall, for example, became Southern Maryland's first LEED
certified building, and an old building considered historic by local residents, which housed a CVS Pharmacy store at the time of the tornado, was rebuilt in a new location after the storm.
For details on the tornado outbreak of which the 2002 tornado was a part, see the information on the Midwest to Mid-Atlantic United States tornado outbreak of 2002
.
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 6,551 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Charles County
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
.
History
According to one of several legends, the town was given its name by Colonel Samuel Chapman, whose family owned 6000 acres (24.3 km²) of land in Southern MarylandSouthern Maryland
Southern Maryland in popular usage is composed of the state's southernmost counties on the "Western Shore" of the Chesapeake Bay. This region includes all of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties and sometimes the southern portions of Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties.- History...
, including what would become the areas of La Plata and Port Tobacco. The Colonel traveled to Central and South America with his son George, who had contracted tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, in search of a cure. In his travels, the Colonel was impressed with the La Plata River
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, so he decided to name a portion of his property "La Plata" after the river.
The town was founded approximately 1895 after the river flowing into the previous County seat, Port Tobacco (a few miles to the west), silted up, ending that town's utility as a port. At the same time, a new railroad line made La Plata attractive as a new county seat location. The Courthouse was built there after the Port Tobacco courthouse burned down (arson suspected, but unproven). Christ Episcopal Church was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt in La Plata. In 1940, the opening of the then "Potomac River Bridge" (later renamed the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge
Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge
The Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge is a , two-lane continuous truss bridge that spans the Potomac River between Newburg in Charles County, Maryland and Dahlgren in King George County, Virginia, USA....
), which carries U.S. Highway 301
U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 301 is a spur of U.S. Route 1 running through the South Atlantic States. It currently runs 1,099 miles from Glasgow, Delaware at U.S. Route 40 to Sarasota, Florida. It passes through the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida...
over the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, provided a link to Virginia and brought many long-distance east coast thru-travelers through the town as an alternative to using urban U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...
and, later, the often-congested Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
.
According to the official town site: http://www.townoflaplata.org this brief history is posted:
"The Town of La Plata is located in Southern Maryland about 30 miles southeast of Washington, DC, 60 miles south of Baltimore and 45 miles southwest of Annapolis. The Town of La Plata serves as the county seat for the Charles County Government and was originally founded in the 1870s as the Pennsylvania Railroad was granted a right of way to build its tracks and station. The Town of La Plata was incorporated on April 4, 1888. Since La Plata's inception, it has grown into a town with a population of approximately 9,500 people."
Geography
La Plata is located at 38°32′3"N 76°58′24"W (38.534258, -76.973377).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,551 people, 2,223 households, and 1,578 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 942.7 people per square mile (363.9/km²). There were 2,308 housing units at an average density of 332.1 per square mile (128.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 72.72% White, 23.69% African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.
There were 2,223 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,490, and the median income for a family was $66,288. Males had a median income of $42,492 versus $32,125 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $24,669. About 8.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.
Attractions
La Plata is largely a residential community. Some residents work for the Charles County government, while others commute to WaldorfWaldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
or the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area for work, including to Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
and Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
"Pax River" redirects here. For the river, see Patuxent River.Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States Naval Air Station located in St. Mary's County, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to the U.S...
. The town is experiencing a transformation into a thriving business and commercial center, thanks to development of office buildings and the town's recent reconstruction.
Historic Mount Carmel (1790), a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
convent, is just outside La Plata, near the main campus of College of Southern Maryland
College of Southern Maryland
The College of Southern Maryland in La Plata, Maryland, is a public, regional community college, serving Southern Maryland Charles County, St. Mary's County, and Calvert County.-History:...
.
La Plata has county offices, CIVISTA Medical Center
CIVISTA Medical Center
CIVISTA Medical Center is a hospital located in Charles County, in southern Maryland. It was formerly called Physicians Memorial Hospital.The hospital is owned and managed by CIVISTA Health System, a regional, not-for-profit, integrated health system serving Charles County and the surrounding areas...
(recently enlarged), a community theater (Port Tobacco Players), a large outdoor athletic complex, a large construction business, two nursing homes, and a host of stores and restaurants, in addition to a twice-weekly farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
.. At the north edge of town are Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s, three supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s, a Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
home-improvement store, and two all-night drugstores.
Rosewick Road is connected with St. Charles Parkway
St. Charles Parkway
St. Charles Parkway is an unnumbered county road in Charles County. It begins at the intersection where MD 5 branches off northwards on Mattawoman Beantown Road and MD 5 BUS continues westward until its terminus at US Route 301. It primarily serves as the main road into the various villages and...
to adjacent Waldorf
Waldorf, Maryland
Waldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
providing drivers an alternative to using U.S. Route 301 (Maryland).
Public schools in La Plata include La Plata High School
La Plata High School
La Plata High School is part of the Charles County Public Schools and is located in La Plata, Maryland, United States. The current school was built in 1979. Before that, it was in the building which now holds Milton M. Somers Middle School....
, Milton Somers Middle School, Walter Mitchell Elementary, and Mary Matula Elementary.
Tornado history
La Plata has been visited by two major tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es in its history, both of intensity F4 on the Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
. An F4 is the second-highest intensity considered possible by meteorologists.
The first occurred on November 9, 1926. This tornado killed 16 people, thirteen of them in the La Plata Elementary School, which was destroyed.
On April 28, 2002, an F4 tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
cut a 24-mile-long swath through Charles County
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, with areas around La Plata damaged most severely. This tornado caused four deaths. Local officials credited federal- and state-assisted new construction efforts with helping them to remodel the downtown area following the tornado, as several new public buildings replaced some of those damaged there. A new La Plata Town Hall, for example, became Southern Maryland's first LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
certified building, and an old building considered historic by local residents, which housed a CVS Pharmacy store at the time of the tornado, was rebuilt in a new location after the storm.
For details on the tornado outbreak of which the 2002 tornado was a part, see the information on the Midwest to Mid-Atlantic United States tornado outbreak of 2002
Midwest to Mid-Atlantic United States tornado outbreak of 2002
The 2002 Midwest to Mid-Atlantic United States tornado outbreak of April 27, 2002 and April 28, 2002 was a widespread outbreak that moved from west to east over a Saturday and Sunday...
.
Notable residents
- Tim DrummondTim DrummondTim Drummond is an American bass guitarist who has toured and recorded with many notable artists including Conway Twitty, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Ry Cooder, J. J. Cale, Lonnie Mack, Miles Davis, B.B...
, former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Steve FarrSteve FarrSteven Michael Farr , is a former professional baseball player who pitched primarily as a closer in the Major Leagues from 1984-1994. Farr attended DeMatha High School outside of Washington, D.C. and then American University. He gave up Jim Thome's first home run of his career.-External links:*...
, former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Ryan HackettRyan HackettRyan Orion Hackett is an American race car driver. He currently drives the #76 Ford F-150 for Ray Hackett Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.-Racing History:...
, NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver - Shane HalterShane HalterShane David Halter is a former Major League Baseball infielder/outfielder and right-handed batter.-High school years:...
, former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Larry Johnson, NFL football player
- Don MoneyDon MoneyDonald Wayne Money is a retired major league baseball player. He currently serves as the special instructor of player development for the Milwaukee Brewers....
, former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Buzz NutterBuzz NutterMadison Monroe "Buzz" Nutter was an American football center in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Virginia Tech.-Early life:...
, former NFL football player - Daryl ThompsonDaryl ThompsonDaryl Marcelus Thompson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball....
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player
Tornado Related
-
- Video footage of 2002 tornado http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piEoqPAF2ks
- Aerial photo of 2002 tornado's path http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/lwx/Historic_Events/apr28-2002/nasa-highres-LaPlata.jpg
- NOAA Historical page about the 2002 tornado http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/Historic_Events/apr28-2002/laplata.htm
- NOAA/NWS Case study of 28 April 2002 tornado http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/Historic_Events/apr28-2002/ams_sls/
