Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is the capital of the state of Maryland. Situated with seventeen miles of waterfront along the Severn River, close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is a nautical city and home to the United States Naval Academy. The state capital, which served as the first US capital from 1783 to 1784, is also known for its rich colonial history. While Annapolis thrives as a modern center for state government, the dense city has also preserved the historic architecture and tree-lined streets that give the city a quaint, small-town feel. Annapolis is also a part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area—it is within thirty miles of both Baltimore and Washington, DC—which boosts its status as a tourist destination.

Landscape

Annapolis is located in the border state of Maryland, a state historically balanced between both northern and southern influences. The city rests on the southern bank of the Severn River, near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, which feeds into the Atlantic Ocean. A relatively compact city, it comprises 7.2 square miles and 17 miles of waterfront. Annapolis is primarily flat with low elevation; the highest point of the city reaches an estimated ninety-two feet above sea level.

The proximity to so many large bodies of water gives Annapolis a temperate climate. Summer seasons are humid and warm, while winters are mild. The average temperature for July is about 79 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average temperature in January is about 36.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind from the Chesapeake Bay keeps the summers mild, though they are also characterized by heavy wind and rain.

In the 2010s and the 2020s, downtown Annapolis has been increasingly prone to tidal flooding from rising sea levels brought about by climate change. In 2020, the US Naval Academy began an extension on its existing seawall. With some estimates forecasting a rise in sea levels of eight feet by 2100, the Naval Academy may be forced to move from its current location by that date.

People

The population of Annapolis has grown steadily throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Annapolis had an estimated population of 40,648 in 2022, according to the US Census. Approximately 53.1 percent of the population at that time was White. African Americans made up the largest minority group at 22.9 percent, while about 17.4 percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Although Annapolis is a state capital with a successful economy and government sector, it is also known for its small-town feel and relaxing environment. Residents, like the city itself, are oriented toward the water, and activities such as sailing and fishing represent a large part of the city's heritage and current activity. The Maritime Museum and the prestigious Naval Academy, housed in historic buildings from the colonial times, are examples of this cultivated respect for history and nautical life.

Annapolis is also known for its thriving arts and museum culture. Important festivals include the Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival, which celebrates the city's African American and African Caribbean heritage, and the Maryland Renaissance Festival, considered the second-largest Renaissance festival in the country. Along with the Annapolis Maritime Museum, the city is also home to the United States Naval Academy Visitor Center and Museum.

Economy

During the first half of the nineteenth century, the economic mainstay of Annapolis—and the surrounding Anne Arundel County—was tobacco and farmed crops such as wheat, corn and fruit. The city's location along the banks of the Chesapeake also gave residents ample access to seafood, particularly allowing for the fishing of oysters and crabs. Although no longer its primary industry, agriculture remains an important part of the economy, and as a port town, Annapolis continues to be a trading center for nearby farms. Other seafaring industries, such as yacht building, also prospered.

When the railroad reached Annapolis during the 1880s, it caused a period of economic and industrial development. During the beginning of the twentieth century, the state government grew and developed; along with the county and city government, it continues to be one of the city's largest employers. County public school systems, the US Naval Academy, and Anne Arundel Health System, Inc. are three of the city's other large employers.

Over the course of the early twenty-first century, technology has become one of the driving industries in the city's economy. This is largely due to Annapolis's location in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, which makes the port city a convenient place for technological development. In particular, Annapolis has become a primary developer of fiber optics, telecommunications, computer software, data, and Internet products. It also contains research centers that produce radar and military technology.

Tourism also represents an important part of the city's economy. The city's colonial architecture, picturesque waterfront, and the Naval Academy continue to drive the tourism sector in Annapolis. Each May, the city's tourism bureau celebrates National Tourism Week in partnership with area businesses.

Landmarks

The entire downtown region of Annapolis, home to numerous eighteenth-century buildings, is a National Historic Landmark. The most visible landmark is the Maryland State House. Built in 1779, it is the oldest capitol building in the United States that is still in use. This building was used to house the Continental Congress of 1783 to 1784, where General George Washington resigned his post in the Continental Army and where the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Revolutionary War.

The Naval Academy, located on the banks of the Severn River, was established in 1845. The academy remains a popular attraction for visitors, who can view exhibitions on the history of the American navy. Annapolis is also home to a wealth of historical museums, including the Banneker-Douglass Museum, the site of the historic Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church; the Charles Carroll House, the home of the only Roman Catholic to have signed the Declaration of Independence; the Hammond-Harwood House, a Georgian mansion with impressive woodwork and gardens; and the William Paca House and Garden, home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence who went on to become governor of Maryland.

History

Annapolis was originally populated by the Algonquians and other American Indian tribes. The region was forcibly taken over by the Susquehannock people, who in turn were eventually driven out of the region after the first colonists arrived in 1649. The area was first colonized by settlers who were promised freedom of worship and an abundance of land by a man named Cecil Calvert. These people established the settlement that would become Annapolis at the junction of the Severn River and the Chesapeake Bay.

The settlement was originally named Providence. In 1650, Lord Baltimore claimed Providence and the land surrounding it, which he named Anne Arundel County, after his deceased wife. The settlers refused to acknowledge Lord Baltimore's authority over the county, and in 1655, he sent English troops to Providence to try to tame its rebellious residents. The English militia and the Puritan army fought on March 25, 1655, resulting in a Puritan victory. This was considered the first military engagement between the English and the new Americans in the colonies.

In 1694, the capital was moved north to what is now Annapolis, and the original Puritan settlement gradually disappeared. The new town was originally named Anne Arundel Town, and it slowly increased in size. By 1702, the town had grown so large that after being renamed Annapolis in honor of Queen Anne, it was deemed the capital of the entire state of Maryland.

After being officially chartered in 1708, Annapolis quickly became a prosperous capital. Over the course of the century, it developed into a successful port town, second in success only to nearby Baltimore. The city grew wealthy from agriculture and the slave trade. Annapolis also served as official capital of the United States for a short period of time between 1783 and 1784. General George Washington surrendered his post in the Continental Army in Annapolis, and the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War, was ratified there.

In 1808, Fort Severn was built on the banks of the Severn River to defend the city from British troops in the War of 1812. This fort was used for military reasons until 1845, when it became the US Naval Academy.

Until the nineteenth century, Annapolis was a center for high society and wealth. It became a city of beautiful, stately homes and mansions, home to the wealthy class of early Americans. The city benefited from the lucrative economies of tobacco, agriculture, and seafood. After the Civil War, Annapolis continued to flourish and attract wealthy tourists. Resorts, beaches, and yacht clubs sprang up, and the city soon became known as the sailing capital of the world.

In 1880, a period of industrial development occurred with the arrival of the railroad, and the population of the city continued to grow. Through the twentieth century, the wealth and size of the city increased as government and military grew in importance and the technology economy took root. In 2008, the city celebrated its three-hundredth anniversary, stemming from the 1708 charter that officially incorporated Annapolis as a city.

Bibliography

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Brennan, David. Annapolis: Capital Gateway to Maryland. Charleston: Arcadia, 2000. Print.

DiLisio, James. Maryland Geography: An Introduction. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2014. Print.

"History of Annapolis." City of Annapolis, www.annapolis.gov/588/History-of-Annapolis. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.

"Maryland at a Glance: Capital." Maryland Manual On-Line, 19 Oct. 2023, msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/capital.html#. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.

McWilliams, Jane Wilson. Annapolis, City on the Severn: A History. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2011. Print.

“NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data.” National Weather Service, www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=lwx. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.

Paterson, Pat. “Climate Change is Coming for Annapolis.” UN Naval Institute, October 2019, www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2019/october/climate-change-coming-annapolis# Ac-cessed 22 Feb. 2024.