Hagerstown, Maryland, United States of America

Hagerstown is a city located in Washington County, Maryland. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 36,687. It is the county seat of Washington County. It is a city on the edge of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area. It is known as the "Hub City," due to the large number of roads and other transit that cross the city. These include but are not limited to Interstate 81, Interstate 70, US 11, US 40, and the Western Maryland Railroad. It is home to the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum as well.

• It is the hometown of hair-metal band Kix.
• The city is served by Hagerstown Regional Airport.
• It is home to the Hagerstown Suns baseball club of the Single A South Atlantic League.
• It is sister city to Wesel, Germany.

Hagerstown Geography

Hagerstown is located at 39°38'34" North, 77°43'12" West (39.642771, -77.719954).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.6 km² (10.7 mi²). 27.6 km² (10.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.09% is water.

Hagerstown Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 36,687 people, 15,849 households, and 9,081 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,328.8/km² (3,441.5/mi²). There are 17,089 housing units at an average density of 619.0/km² (1,603.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 1.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,796, and the median income for a family is $38,149. Males have a median income of $31,200 versus $22,549 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,153. 18.1% of the population and 15.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 27.0% of those under the age of 18 and 13.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Hagerstown 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 his having laid the groundwork for its separation from Frederick County in 1776 and the subsequent creation of Hagerstown as County Seat.

Civil War

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 Chambersburg, which McCausland razed on July 30 when the borough failed to supply the requested ransom of $500,000 in US currency, or $100,000 in gold.

Railroads

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

Little Heiskell

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

In the Civil War era, the weathervane gained its characteristic bullet hole from a Confederate sharpshooter.

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.

External links

• City of Hagerstown Website
• Jonathan Hager House
• Hagerstown Suns
• Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hagerstown,_Maryland".