Anne Arundel County Heritage

Back in the 1950's the folks in Annapolis (the capital of Maryland) made the wise decision to maintain as many of the historical buildings in the city as possible. The goal was to keep the 17th century feel, and as a result Annapolis has the largest collection of 17th century real estate architecture in the country. You can stroll through downtown Annapolis and enjoy the museums, historic sites, shopping, dining, and views of the water.

Anne Arundel County is located on the Chesapeake Bay, and there are many water activities. Every fall a week is devoted to the sail boat show, and a week is devoted to the power boat show. All of the boats are in the waterm and visitors to the shows can board the boats. Any time of the year, you can walk across the Easport Bridge over Spa Creek. Hundreds of boats can be viewed from the bridge. The U.S. Naval Academy adds to the rich maritime heritage of Annapolis.

Maryland Fun Facts

Main Street (formerly Church Street) in Annapolis, Maryland, USA Photo © Hisham Ibrahim / Getty Images

Thinking about moving to Maryland? Here are some fun and interesting facts about the "Old Line State." (Taken from history.com)

• Maryland was the hometown of the Babe and the Raven: Baseball great Babe Ruth and Edgar Allen Poe lived there. Poe is also buried in Baltimore's Westminster Cemetery.

• The state sport of Maryland is jousting, a competition between two armored contestants mounted on horses in which each tries to strike the other with a lance. The sport has been enjoyed in Maryland for 300 years.

• Maryland is famous for great seafood, especially crabs. During lunch hour on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, vendors sell almost as many crabcakes as hot dogs and hambugers combined.

• Maryland's Mount Clare Station, built in Baltimore in 1830, was the first railroad station in the United States.

• Notorious gunslinger Doc Holliday was called "Doc" because he was a dentist. Holliday learned his trade at the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery.

• Kunta Kinte, the slave ancestor of Roots author Alex Haley, arrived in Annapolis in 1767. This is now commemorated at the City Dock by a plaque and statue of Haley.

• The Mother Seton House in Baltimore and the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg both celebrate the life of the first American to be sainted, a Baltimore resident.

• America's first umbrellas were produced in Baltimore, beginning in 1828.

• Each year on September 17, 23,100 luminaries are lit at Maryland's Antietam National Battlefield to honor the dead of America's bloodiest one-day battle, fought during the Civil War.

• The Mason-Dixon line was drawn between Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 1760s to end a border dispute. The line is traditionally thought of as the division between America's North and South.