| Official Name: | Darlington, Maryland |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Pushpin Map: | Maryland#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Darlington |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Maryland |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Harford |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.71 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2.71 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.04 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.04 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 398 |
| Population Density Km2: | 147.02 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 380.86 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 330 |
| Coordinates: | 39.6392°N -76.2028°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 21034[2] |
| Area Code: | 410 and 443 and 667 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 24-21800 |
Darlington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in northeastern Harford County, Maryland, United States.[3] The population was 409 at the 2010 census.[4] The center of the community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Darlington Historic District in 1987. Median household income is $66,563. The percentage of people in poverty is 5.3%.
Darlington is located in northeastern Harford County at 39.5028°N -76.3189°W (39.502757, -76.318971),[5] along Maryland Route 161. U.S. Route 1 crosses the northern side of the community, leading northeast to Philadelphia and southwest to Baltimore. Route 1 crosses the Susquehanna River at Conowingo Dam, 2miles northeast of Darlington. Havre de Grace is to the southeast via Routes 161 and 155.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Darlington CDP has a total area of 2.72km2, all land.[4]
See main article: Darlington Historic District. The southern part of the CDP, south of Shuresville Road, is part of the Darlington Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1987. There are approximately 100 contributing properties, including buildings by architects such as Theophilus Parsons Chandler Jr. and Walter Cope. The village was also home to Harry Webb Farrington.
Other sites listed on the NRHP in the community and surrounding region are the Deer Creek Friends Meetinghouse along Main Street near US 1; Berkley Crossroads Historic District and Berkley School, less than north of Darlington on Maryland Route 623; Gray Gables and Wildfell, less than 1 mile to the northwest on US 1; the Lower Deer Creek Valley Historic District, 3miles to the southwest; and the Silver Houses Historic District, south of town on Route 161.
There is evidence for settlement in the town around 1700, but not much before that time. Darlington had a stagecoach line to Baltimore and a lot of traffic from the Susquehanna and the Tidewater Canal had to go through it.
The Darlington Academy was built in 1836 and used to be a popular school in Harford County. Additionally, almost 100 years later in 1928 the Conowingo Dam was built and made it easier to travel across.
Local children attend the Darlington Elementary School near the center of town. The elementary school has one class per grade level (K through 5), and two autism classrooms. There is no high school in Darlington, so students usually enroll in Havre De Grace High School.[6]
An annual apple festival is held in Darlington the first Saturday in October, and attracts almost 60,000 people.[3]
Darlington and the surrounding communities are provided fire and EMS service by the Darlington Volunteer hobbyist Company.
The Darlington public library, formally located within the town, was moved to the nearby intersection of Maryland Route 136 and U.S. Route 1 in October 2022.[7] Darlington also has several houses of worship, including Franklin Baptist Church, Harmony Presbyterian Church, Grace Episcopal Church, Darlington United Methodist Church, Deer Creek Friends Meetinghouse, and Hosanna AME Church located in historic Berkley, Maryland.