Maryland

• Population- 5,615,770
• Capital- Annapolis
• Largest cities– Baltimore, Frederick, Gaithersburg
• Time zone- Eastern
• Date of Admission to the Union- April 28, 1788
• Slogan- “Manly deeds, womanly words”
• State website URL- www.maryland.gov

Maryland is one of the most geographically diverse states: there is a bit of every type of topography, and microclimate. What it is missing though is a natural lake of any kind. But there is oceanfront, marsh, upper sand hills, wooded mountains, and riverfront. Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay is infamous for its blue crabs, which thrive in brackish water environments—a mix of fresh and saltwater. In fact the resulting crab cakes are a delicacy. Local restaurants offer all you can eat specials on fresh crab or they use the meat in a variety of seafood dishes. Maryland blue crabs are sought after around the globe. Crisfield, Maryland’s long love affair with the sea is apparent in its annual special event: a Hard Crab Derby Day which includes crab eating contests and all the accoutrements of a county fair.

Annapolis, home to the U.S. Naval Academy, sits right on the Chesapeake Bay. The military school is one of the state’s hottest tourist destinations. It doesn’t hurt that Annapolis, itself, is a booming and quaint bay town with a dazzling crowd of shops and delicious seafood. The oyster and crab fishing business drove the development of a very unique fishing boat, the skipjack, used exclusively for fishing purposes on the Chesapeake. The boats run under sail power.

An upper tributary of the Potomac River—the North Branch—continues to be disputed. Although it’s a most unusual situation, Maryland and Virginia continue to fight over jurisdiction. Both never fail to posit valid arguments, which only leaves the river in perpetual limbo.

Because of its proximity to Washington, D.C., Maryland is the home of a few handfuls of key federal government agencies, such as IRS and Census Bureau. A proposed National Sailing Hall of Fame is slated to be built in Annapolis; this in owing to the strong nautical history.