Place Information
|
Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland located immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it has a population of 828,770 and is the wealthiest county in the nation with an African-American majority. The county was named for Prince George of Denmark (1653-1708), the brother of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway, and husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain. It is frequently referred to as 'P.G. County,' however this abbreviation is viewed as pejorative by some residents. The county is a part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Upper Marlboro. On June 3, 2008 Prince George's County received Standard & Poor's AAA rating which, according to Prince George's officials, makes it one of 48 counties in the United States to receive such a rating.
History
Pre-colonial historyColonial historyPrince George's County was created by the Council of Maryland in 1696 from portions of Charles and Calvert Counties and a portion was detached in 1748 to form Frederick County. Since Frederick County was subsequently divided to form the present Allegany, Garrett, Montgomery, and Washington counties, all of these counties in addition were derived from what had up to 1748 been Prince George's County. The Revolution through the Civil WarIn 1791, portions of Prince George's County were ceded to form the new District of Columbia, along with portions of Montgomery County, Maryland, as well as the parts of northern Virginia - that were later returned to Virginia. The Civil War through World War IIn April 1865, John Wilkes Booth made his escape through Prince George's County after shooting President Abraham Lincoln. He was on his way to Virginia. World War I through presentOn July 1, 1997, the Prince George's County section of the city of Takoma Park, Maryland, which straddled the boundary between Prince George's and Montgomery counties, was transferred to Montgomery County. This was done after city residents voted to be under the sole jurisdiction of Montgomery County, and subsequent approval by both counties and the Maryland General Assembly. This was the first change in Prince George's County's boundaries since 1791, and the first alteration of the boundaries of any county in Maryland since the early 1900s. Timeline
Population History
Note: Parts of Prince George's and Montgomery Counties were taken to form the District of Columbia in 1791. Research TipsExternal links
|
