Hagerstown, Maryland

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This article is about a city in the State of Maryland. For other places named Hagerstown, see Hagerstown (disambiguation).
City of Hagerstown
City
Looking south on Potomac Street in downtown Hagerstown
Looking south on Potomac Street in downtown Hagerstown
Flag of City of Hagerstown
Flag
Official seal of City of Hagerstown
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Hub City, H-Town, (formerly) Home of the Flying Boxcar
Motto(s): 
A Great Place to Live Work and Visit
Location in Maryland and in Washington County
Location in Maryland and in Washington County
Country United States
State Maryland
CountyFile:Washington county flag.jpg Washington
Founded1762
Incorporated1813
Government
 • MayorRobert E. Bruchey II (R)
 • SenateDonald F. Munson (R)
 • DelegateJohn P. Donoghue (D)
 • U.S. CongressRoscoe Bartlett (R)
Area
 • City27.6 km2 (10.7 sq mi)
 • Land27.5 km2 (10.7 sq mi)
 • Water0.04 km2 (0.01 sq mi)
 • Urban
196.4 km2 (76.7 sq mi)
 • Metro
2,637 km2 (1,019 sq mi)
Elevation
164 m (538 ft)
Population
 (2007)
 • City39,640
 • Density1,441.5/km2 (3,704.7/sq mi)
 • Urban
120,326
 • Urban density612.7/km2 (1,568.8/sq mi)
 • Metro
261,198
 • Metro density99.1/km2 (256.3/sq mi)
 • Demonym
Hagerstonian
 [Urban figures taken from 2000 U.S. Census.]
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
21740-21749
Area code(s)301, 240
FIPS code24-36075
GNIS feature ID0598385
Websitewww.hagerstownmd.org

Hagerstown (Template:PronEng[1]) is the county seat of Washington CountyTemplate:GR, Maryland, United States. The population of the city proper as of a 2007 estimate by the United States Census Bureau is 39,640[2], and the total 2000 Urbanized Area population is 120,326 [3](~80,000 in MD). It is Western Maryland's largest city. Hagerstown is also Maryland's sixth largest city[4], but if the urban area was incorporated, it would be Maryland's second-most populous city.

Hagerstown anchors the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lies just northwest of the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV Combined Statistical Area in the heart of the Great Appalachian Valley. The population of the metropolitan area in 2000 was 222,771 and the 2007 estimate is 261,198 (U.S. Rank 170). Greater Hagerstown is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the State of Maryland and among the fastest growing in the United States[5].

Hagerstown, due to the large number of roads and other transit that cross in the city, is known as the Hub City. The nickname may also be applied to Hagerstown's status as the commercial and industrial hub for the Tri-State Area which includes much of Western Maryland, South Central Pennsylvania, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

History

Founding

Hagerstown was founded in 1762 by Jonathan Hager, a volunteer Captain of Scouts during the French and Indian War. Hager has been called the "Father of Washington County" due to Hager having laid the groundwork for its separation from Frederick County, Maryland in 1776 and the subsequent creation of Hagerstown as the county seat.

File:Hager House Hagerstown.JPG
The Hager House and Museum in Hagerstown City Park was once home to the city's founder, Jonathan Hager.
Burnside's Bridge, a site of heavy combat in the Battle of Antietam, which occurred just south of Hagerstown.

Civil War

Hagerstown's strategic location at the border between the North and the South made the city a primary staging area and supply center for four major campaigns during the Civil War.

In 1861, General Robert Patterson's troops used Hagerstown as a base to attack Virginia Rebels in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign.

In the Maryland Campaign of 1862, General James Longstreet's command occupied the town while en route to the Battle of South Mountain and Antietam.

In 1863, the city was the site of several military incursions and engagements as General Lee’s army invaded and retreated at the Gettysburg Campaign.

In 1864, Hagerstown was invaded by the Confederate Army under General Jubal Early. On Wednesday, July 6, Early sent 1,500 cavalry, commanded by Brigadier-General John McCausland, into Hagerstown to levy a ransom for $200,000 and a large amount of clothing, in retribution for Federal destruction of farms, feed and cattle in the Shenandoah Valley. McCausland misread the amount, and instead only collected $20,000. This is in contrast to neighboring Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, which McCausland razed on July 30 when the borough failed to supply the requested ransom of $500,000 in U.S. currency, or $100,000 in gold.

Throughout the Civil War, private physicians and citizens of Hagerstown took care of men from both the North and South in a number of locations including the Franklin Hotel, Washington House, Lyceum, Hagerstown Male Academy, Key-Mar College, and a number of private residences.

The spread of smallpox from returning soldiers to their families and friends was a substantial problem during the war. The Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church volunteered the use of its church as a smallpox hospital when an epidemic spread throughout the town.

Hagerstown Public Square circa 1900

Following the war in 1872, Maryland and Virginia cooperated to re-inter Southern Confederate dead from their impromptu graves to cemeteries in Hagerstown, Frederick and Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Roughly 60% however, remained unidentified. In 1877, 15 years after the Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, approximately 2,800 Confederate dead from that battle were re-entered in Washington Confederate Cemetery and in Rosehill Cemetery in Hagerstown[6].

Railroads

Hagerstown's nickname of the "Hub City" came from the large number of railroads (and roads) that served the city. Hagerstown was the center of the Western Maryland Railway and an important city on the Pennsylvania, Norfolk and Western, Baltimore and Ohio, and Hagerstown and Frederick Railroads. Currently, the city is a vital location on CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Winchester and Western Railroads.

Hagerstown was formerly served by the Hagerstown & Frederick Railway, an interurban trolley system, from 1896 to 1947.

Little Heiskell

File:Little heiskell.jpg

One of the most recognizable symbols of the city of Hagerstown is the weathervane known as "Little Heiskell." Named after the German tinsmith who crafted it in 1796, it stood atop the Market House first and City Hall second for a combined 166 years. It was moved from the Market House to City Hall in 1824.

During the American Civil War era, the weathervane gained its characteristic bullet hole from a Confederate sharpshooter, who won a bet after shooting it a from a full city block away.

Finally in 1935, the original was retired to the Museum of the Washington County Historical Society, later to be moved to its present display in the Jonathan Hager House. An exact replica has replaced it atop City Hall.

The weathervane has also been depicted in the city's annual Mummers Day Parade by Mr. Charles Harry Rittenhouse, Sr. sporting all of the necessary accoutrements of a German Mercenary Soldier.

Little Heiskell is now also the mascot of North Hagerstown High School.

Aviation heritage

From 1931 to 1984, Fairchild Aircraft was based in Hagerstown, Maryland and was by far the area's most prominent employer. The importance of the company to the city and the country as a whole earned Hagerstown its former nickname "Home of the Flying Boxcar."

Fairchild moved to Hagerstown in 1931 after Sherman Fairchild purchased a majority stock interest in Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company of Hagerstown in 1929. Among Fairchild's products during World War II were PT-19/PT-23/PT-26 (Cornell) and AT-21 trainers, C-82 "Packet" cargo planes and missiles. At its height in World War II, Fairchild employed directly and indirectly up to 80% of Hagerstown's workforce or roughly 10,000 people.

In the postwar era, Fairchild continued to produce aircraft in Hagerstown such as C-123 Provider, Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227, FH-1100, C-26 Metroliner, UC-26 Metroliner, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the T-46 jet trainer. However, all production ceased in Hagerstown in 1984 and the company moved elsewhere. Presently, the company is based in San Antonio, Texas and after a series of mergers and buyouts, is known as M7 Aerospace.

The Hagerstown Aviation Museum shows many of these original aircraft. Among the ones on display are: 1939 F24/UC-61C, 1945 C-82A, 1943 PT-19A, and the 1953 C-119[7]. The museum is located near Hagerstown Regional Airport in the airport's former terminal.

Hagerstown is also the birthplace of Salisbury, Maryland-based Piedmont Airlines which started out as Henson Aviation. It was founded by Richard A. Henson in 1931. Today, Hagerstown Regional Airport-Richard A. Henson Field is named as such in honor of the airlines' founder.

Today, only small to medium-sized aviation companies remain in the area. Three notable names include Northrop Grumman California Microwaves, which manufactures airline equipment in its Hagerstown facility, Fugro EarthData, which maintains its aviation division in Hagerstown, and Sierra Nevada Corporation, a defense electronics engineering and manufacturing contractor.

Geography

Location and topography

Hagerstown is located at 39°38′34″N 77°43′12″W / 39.64278°N 77.72000°W / 39.64278; -77.72000Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (39.642771, -77.719954)Template:GR.

The city is approximately 70 miles (110 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., 72 miles (116 km) west-northwest of Baltimore, Maryland, and 74 miles (119 km) southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Hagerstown is located south of the Mason-Dixon Line and north of the Potomac River in a part of the Great Appalachian Valley known regionally as Cumberland Valley and locally as Hagerstown Valley. The community also lies within close proximity of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. Natural landscape around Hagerstown consists of low, rolling hills with elevations of 500-800 feet above sea level and rich, fertile land that is well-suited for farming that is typical of Mid-Atlantic states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.7 square miles (27.6 km²), of which, 10.7 square miles (27.6 km²) of it is land and 0.09% is water. Major waterways within Hagerstown include Hamilton Run and Antietam Creek that are tributaries of the Potomac River.

Climate

Hagerstown is situated in the transition between the humid subtropical climate zone and the humid continental climate zone (Köppen Dfa), with hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters. Template:Hagerstown, Maryland weatherbox

Demographics

As of the U.S. censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 36,687 people, 15,849 households, and 9,081 families residing in the city. A 01 July 2007 estimate shows Hagerstown having 39,640 people, an increase of 8.0% from the year 2000.

For Census 2000, the population density was 3,441.5 people per square mile (1,328.8/km²). There were 17,089 housing units at an average density of 1,603.1/sq mi (619.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.95% White, 10.15% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population. There were 17,154 males and 19,533 females residing in the city.[8]

There were 15,849 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.[9]

The median income for a household in the city was $30,796, and the median income for a family was $38,149. Males had a median income of $31,200 versus $22,549 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,153. About 15.1% of families and 18.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.[10]

Government

Mayor

The current city executive or Mayor of Hagerstown is Robert "Bob" E. Bruchey II who has served the city since March 2006.

Recent mayors: 2006-present Robert E. Bruchey II (R), 2005-2006 Richard F. Trump (R), 2001-2005 William M. Breichner (D), 1997-2001 Robert E. Bruchey II (R), 1985-1997 Steven T. Sager (D), 1981-1985 Donald R. Frush (R), 1973-1981 Varner L. Paddock (R), 1965-1973 Herman L. Mills (R), 1953-1965 Winslow F. Burhans, 1949-1953 Herman L. Mills (R), 1941-1949 Richard H. Sweeney, 1937-1941 W. Lee Elgin, and 1933-1937 I. M. Wertz.[11]

City Council

The representative body of Hagerstown is known as the City Council. Among its members are: Martin E. Brubaker, Kelly S. Cromer, Lewis C. Metzner, Penny May Nigh, and Alesia Parson-McBean.

Other representation

Donald F. Munson represents Hagerstown in the Maryland Senate while John P. Donoghue stands for the Hagerstown area in the Maryland House of Delegates. Roscoe Bartlett serves Maryland's 6th congressional district which includes Hagerstown in the U.S. Congress.

Economy

Once primarily an industrial town, Hagerstown's economy depended heavily on railroad transportation and manufacturing, notably of aircraft, trucks, automobiles, textiles, and furniture. Today, the city has a diversified, stable business environment with modern service companies in various fields as well as continued strength in manufacturing and transportation in railroads and highways. Surrounding Hagerstown, there has been and continues to be a strong agricultural presence while tourism, especially with respect to the retail sector, provides additional boost to the local economy.

Major companies

(*=corporate headquarters in area)

Healthcare

Shopping

Hagerstown-Washington County boasts one of the highest densities of retail in the country[12].

Hagerstown has 2 major shopping malls:

  • Valley Mall, anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Sears, The Bon-Ton, Old Navy, Toys R Us, and Regal Cinemas 16.
  • Prime Outlets Hagerstown, a 100+ store outlet mall which attracts visitors from Washington and Baltimore as well as nearby counties.

Other significant retail centers/areas include:

  • Garland Groh Blvd.- Wal-Mart Supercenter, Home Depot, Dick's Sporting Goods, Circuit City, PetSmart, Pier 1 Imports, Bed Bath and Beyond, Office Max, Marshalls, A.C. Moore, Border's Books and Music, Five Below, and Best Buy.
  • Wesel Blvd./Halfway Blvd./Massey Blvd./Cole Rd.- Kmart, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Tractor Supply, Staples, Value City Furniture, Sam's Club, Office Depot, Just Cabinets &, Lowe's, Petco, David's Bridal, Michael's Craft, Target, and Kohl's.
  • South End/Town Center- Aaron's, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Big Lots, and Tuesday Morning.
  • Longmeadow/Leitersburg Pike- Ashley Furniture, PA Dutch Market, Lowe's, and Hagerstown Cinemas 10.
  • Dual Hwy.- Home Furniture Direct, Wonder Book & Video, Super Shoes, and Reliable Furniture.

Transportation

Highways

Mass transit

A street corner on Broadway near downtown Hagerstown.

Culture

Washington Monument State Park is the first structure in the United States to honor George Washington, the 'father of our country.'

Historical sites

Hagerstown's location at the center of the so-called Historic Highlands[citation needed] makes it an ideal starting point for touring, especially with respect to the Civil War. Antietam National Battlefield, the site of the bloodiest single day in American history, is located in nearby Sharpsburg, Maryland. South Mountain State Battlefield is also located in Washington County in Boonsboro, Maryland. Gettysburg, Monocacy, and Harpers Ferry battlefields are all located within a 30 minute drive of Hagerstown.

Fort Frederick State Park, which features a restored fort used in the French and Indian War, is west of the city in nearby Big Pool, Maryland.

Washington Monument State Park near Boonsboro pays tribute to the country's first president, George Washington. It is the oldest structure to honor the 'father of our country.'

Hagerstown is also home to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Headquarters.

File:Hagerstown City Park.JPG
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown City Park.

Parks and museums

Within the city, there are numerous parks including Hagerstown City Park, which is home to the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Mansion House Art Gallery, Western Maryland 202 Locomotive Display and Museum, and the Hager House and Museum (once home of Jonathan Hager, founder of Hagerstown). Outside of the Park, Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum showcases exhibits of Hagerstown's early railroad history. Discovery Station, located downtown, is a hands-on science and technology museum featuring exhibits in numerous galleries and display areas, including the Hagerstown Aviation Museum.

Theatre and arts

Hagerstown is home to the Maryland Theater, a symphony house that plays host to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and the annual Miss Maryland USA Beauty Pageants. The city also has the Washington County Playhouse, a traditional dinner theatre. Academy Theater is set to open downtown to house the theatre group Potomac Playmakers. And the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts will be opening as a magnet school for gifted art students in downtown Hagerstown's arts and entertainment district.

Annual events

Walking path through willows in Hagerstown City Park.

Downtown Hagerstown recently has enjoyed a resurgence and now hosts several popular annual events. Downtown Live! is a alternative festival that features live reggae and rock music and entertainment held at various times throughout the year. The city draws thousands every year around May-June to the Western Maryland Blues Fest, which showcases blues artists from around the country. The popular Augustoberfest celebrates Hagerstown's German heritage[13]. And the annual Alsatia Mummers' Parade happens to be the largest nighttime Halloween parade on the East Coast.

Fairgrounds Park features recreational facilities such as the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex and hosts various events throughout the year like Hagerstown's First Annual Hispanic Festival held earlier in September 2007[14].

Professional sports

Hagerstown is home to the Hagerstown Suns minor-league baseball team. The Suns play in the South Atlantic League and are a Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They play in Municipal Stadium.

To the west of the city lies Hagerstown Speedway, a nationally known dirt-track racing venue. Another professional racing track, Mason-Dixon Dragway, is located just southeast of Hagerstown.

Media

Print

Radio

Hagerstown shares a radio market, the 166th largest in the United States, with Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and Waynesboro, Pennsylvania[15]. The following box contains all of the radio stations in the area:

Television

Hagerstown is the base for four television stations and shares a Designated Market Area, the ninth largest in the United States, with Washington, D.C. The box below contains all networks in the media market including a separate section for Hagerstown and its immediate surrounding area:

Education

High schools

Colleges and universities

  • University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, a branch of the University of Maryland offering various associate's, bachelor's, and master's degree programs in connection with other state colleges and universities in Maryland.

Notable residents and natives

Sister cities and municipal partnerships

Metropolitan area

Main article: Hagerstown Metropolitan Area

Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV MSA consists of three counties:

The Primary Cities are Hagerstown, MD and Martinsburg, WV. Other communities in the MSA include: Halfway, MD, Paramount-Long Meadow, MD, Fountainhead-Orchard Hills, MD, Robinwood, MD, Maugansville, MD, Boonsboro, MD, Smithsburg, MD, Williamsport, MD, Falling Waters, WV, Hedgesville, WV, Inwood, WV and Berkeley Springs, WV.

The metropolitan area's population in 2000 was 222,771. The 2007 estimate is 261,198, making Greater Hagerstown the 170th largest metropolitan area in the United States. The growth rate from 2000-2007 is +17.2%, the 46th highest among metropolitan areas in the entire country and the highest in Maryland (and in West Virginia)[5]. The growth is mostly due to the influx of people from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD.

References

  1. ^ Hagerstown - Definitions from Dictionary.com
  2. ^ 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 09 July 2008.
  3. ^ USA Urbanized Areas: 2000 Ranked by Population (465 Areas), Demographia, 2000. Retrieved 2007.
  4. ^ Maryland by Place - GCT-T1-R. Population Estimates (geographies ranked by estimate), U.S. Census Bureau, 2006. Retrieved 2007.
  5. ^ a b Table 7. Cumulative Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007, U.S. Census Bureau, 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2008.
  6. ^ The Crossroads of the Civil War - Hagerstown, Hagerstown-Washington County Convention & Visitor's Bureau, Civil War, Retrieved 2007.
  7. ^ Fairchild Aircraft, Retrieved 2007.
  8. ^ "DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000
    Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
    Geographic Area: Hagerstown city, Maryland"    . Census 2000 Gateway. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  9. ^ "QT-P1. Age Groups and Sex: 2000
    Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
    Geographic Area: Hagerstown city, Maryland"    . Census 2000 Gateway. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  10. ^ "DP-3. Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics: 2000
    Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 4 (SF 4) - Sample Data
    Geographic Area: Hagerstown city, Maryland"    . Census 2000 Gateway. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  11. ^ Maryland Manual | http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/37mun/hagerstown/html/hmayors.html
  12. ^ Tom Riford, Hagerstown area called a Retail Mecca, The Herald-Mail ONLINE, Published Thursday January 6, 2005, Retrieved 2007.
  13. ^ a b "Augustoberfest". City of Hagerstown, MD. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  14. ^ Kaitlin McCarthy, First Ever Hispanic Festival Takes Off In Washington County, Your4State.com, Published Sunday September 16, 2007, Retrieved November 2007.
  15. ^ Market Ranks and Schedules 151-200, Arbitron, Fall 2007, Retrieved 22 March 2008.

External links

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