Hagerstown, Maryland

Hagerstown
Flag of Hagerstown Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Hub City
Motto:  SHHS is better...
Location in Maryland
County	Washington
Incorporated	1813
Government
• Mayor	Robert E. Bruchey II
Elevation	164 m (538 ft)
Population  (2005)
• Total	38,326
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Website	www.hagerstownmd.org

Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 36,687 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington CountyTemplate:GR. It is a city on the edge of the Baltimore-Washington 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, U.S. Route 11, U.S. Route 40, and the Western Maryland Railroad. It is home to the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum as well.

• 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.

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.

In 1877, 15 years after the Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, the Confederate dead from that battle were reinterred in Washington Confederate Cemetery, in Rosehill Cemetery, Hagerstown.

Railroads

Hagerstown's nickname of the "Hub City" came from the large number 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

File:Little heiskell.jpg

One of the most recognizeable 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 and City Hall 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.

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.right

Geography

Hagerstown is located at 39°38′34″N 77°43′12″W (39.642771, -77.719954)Template:GR.

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 is in a part of the Great Appalachian Valley, known locally as Hagerstown Valley.

Demographics

Downtown Hagerstown circa 1900

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 36,687 people, 15,849 households, and 9,081 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,328.8/km² (3,441.5/mi²). There were 17,089 housing units at an average density of 619.0/km² (1,603.1/mi²). 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 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.

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.

External links

• City of Hagerstown Website
• Jonathan Hager House
• Hagerstown Suns
• Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum
• Western Maryland Public Libraries' History Online