| County: | Kent County |
| State: | Maryland |
| Flag: | Flag of Kent County, Maryland.gif |
| Seal: | Seal of Kent County, Maryland.gif |
| Founded Year: | 1642 |
| Founded Date: | December 30 |
| Seat Wl: | Chestertown |
| Largest City Wl: | Chestertown |
| City Type: | town |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 413 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 277 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 136 |
| Area Percentage: | 33 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 19198 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Eastern |
| Web: | www.kentcounty.com |
| Ex Image: | File:KentCountyCourthouseMD 2015.jpg |
| District: | 1st |
| Named For: | Kent |
Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,198,[1] making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown.[2] The county was named for the county of Kent in England.[3]
The county is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Along with Caroline and Garrett Counties, it is one of three counties in the state that are not part of a metropolitan statistical area.
In 1608, Captain John Smith explored and mapped a portion of what is now Kent County. In 1642, the governor and council appointed commissioners for the Isle and County of Kent. This act appears to have led to the establishment of Kent County. In 1675, the first county seat was New Yarmouth. The seat was briefly moved upriver to Quaker Neck, and then to the site of modern Chestertown. Before the American Revolution, New Town on Chester, now Chestertown, was a port entry for the counties of Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne's.[4]
The county has a number of properties which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Kent County was the mean center of U.S. population in the 1790 census.
In 1793, the county had its first newspaper, called Apollo, or Chestertown Spy. It was succeeded by local papers such as the Chestertown Gazette.
Washington College, the oldest college in Maryland, is located in Kent County. It was the first college charted in the nation after the Declaration of Independence and was founded by William Smith in 1782. George Washington authorized the use of his name and gave the college its largest gift of 50 guineas. Washington served on the Board of Visitors and Governors for five years. The college has been host to four United States Presidents, including George Washington, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. All were awarded honorary degrees from the college.
The War of 1812 was the only war Kent County experienced on its soil. During the spring and summer of both 1813 and 1814, residents faced immediate threats from the enemy as the British terrorized the Chesapeake, looting and burning farms and towns. Kent County citizens and local militia were tested and stood their ground with ingenuity and determination during the burning of Georgetown, the rescue of the Kitty Knight House and the Battle of Caulk's Field.[5]
St. Paul's, the oldest Episcopal Church in Maryland used continuously as a place of worship. The earliest part of the building was constructed in 1711.[6] It is located approximately nine miles west of Chestertown.
Christ Church, frequently called I.U., was founded in 1765. Colonel Philip Reed a Continental Army and War of 1812 soldier is buried here.
Shrewsbury Church is believed to be the first structure erected in the county, in 1693. John Cadwalader is buried in the Shrewsbury churchyard. The eulogy on his tomb was written by Thomas Paine.[7]
Kent County was granted home rule in 1970 under a state code.
In the early post-Civil War era, Kent County was heavily Confederate-leaning and leaned towards the Democratic Party.[8] William McKinley was the only Republican to carry the county between 1876 and 1924. After that, although carried by Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman during the five consecutive Democratic victories between 1932 and 1948, the county trended Republican relative to national voting. Currently, along with Talbot County further south, Kent County is the most politically competitive county on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In 2004, Republican George W. Bush won it with 52.8% of the vote to Democrat John Kerry's 46.1%. In the 2008 United States Presidential Election, Barack Obama won Kent County by 48 votes more than John McCain.[9] In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won Kent County by 28 votes over Democrat Barack Obama. In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won Kent County with 48.7% of the vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton's 45.7%, and a 20-year record high of 5.7% of the vote for third-party candidates. In 2020, Joe Biden flipped the county, winning it by 134 votes.[10]
The members of the County Council as of 2022 are:[11]
| Name | Affiliation | District | First Elected | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Ronald H. Fithian | Republican | At Large | 2006 | ||
| Member | Albert H. Nickerson | Republican | At Large | 2022 | ||
| Member | John F. Price | Republican | At Large | 2022 |
| Name | Affiliation | First Elected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | 36 | Stephen Hershey Jr.[12] | Republican | 2012 | ||
| House of Delegates | 36A | Steven Arentz[13] | Republican | 2013 | ||
| House of Delegates | 36B | Jefferson Ghrist[14] | Republican | 2014 | ||
| House of Delegates | 36C | Jay A. Jacobs[15] | Republican | 2010 |
| Voter registration and party enrollment as of March 2024[16] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | align = center | align = center | ||||
| Republican | align = center | align = center | ||||
| Unaffiliated | align = center | align = center | ||||
| Libertarian | align = center | align = center | ||||
| Other parties | align = center | align = center | ||||
| Total | align = center | align = center | ||||
The head of the Kent County Sheriff's Office is Dennis Hickman.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (33%) is water.[17]
According to the Maryland Geological Survey, the highest point in Kent County is 102 ft above sea level, approximately 2.25 mi west of Coleman's Corner (shown on maps as "Coleman"), just northeast of the mouth of Still Pond Creek.[18]
Kent County has a 209-mile shoreline, including Eastern Neck Island. The Chesapeake Bay is on the west, Sassafras River on the north, and the Chester River on the south. The eastern border with Delaware is part of the Mason–Dixon line.
Nearby cities: Baltimore, MD; Washington D.C.; Philadelphia, PA; Wilmington, DE
As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 20,197 people, 8,165 households, and 5,272 families living in the county.[19] The population density was . There were 10,549 housing units at an average density of .[20] The racial makeup of the county was 80.1% white, 15.1% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population.[19] In terms of ancestry, 18.7% were English, 18.7% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 7.9% were American, and 5.8% were Italian.[21]
Of the 8,165 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.4% were non-families, and 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 45.6 years.[19]
The median income for a household in the county was $50,141 and the median income for a family was $63,507. Males had a median income of $41,046 versus $35,161 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,536. About 5.1% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.[22]
Kent County Public Schools is the school district for all of Kent County.[23]
This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:
The United States Census Bureau recognizes the following Census-designated places in Kent County:
Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include: