La Plata, Maryland

Infobox Settlement
official_name = La Plata, Maryland
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

---

mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of La Plata, Maryland


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Maryland
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Charles
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 18.0
area_land_km2 = 18.0
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 6.9
area_land_sq_mi = 6.9
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 6551
population_density_km2 = 364.0
population_density_sq_mi = 942.7

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 58
elevation_ft = 190
latd = 38 |latm = 32 |lats = 3 |latNS = N
longd = 76 |longm = 58 |longs = 24 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 20646
area_code = 301
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 24-45750
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0585340
website =
footnotes =

La Plata is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,551 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Charles CountyGR|6. Although the town's name appears to be derived from Spanish, it is pronEng|ləˈpleɪtə , unlike the famous river in Argentina.

History

According to one of several legends, the town was given its name by Colonel Samuel Chapman, whose family owned 6,000 acres(24 km²) of land in Southern Maryland, including what would become the areas of La Plata and Port Tobacco. The Colonel traveled to Central and South America with his son George, who had contracted tuberculosis, in search of a cure. In his travels, the Colonel was impressed with the La Plata River in Argentina, so he decided to name a portion of his property "La Plata" after the river. [cite news
last = Winkler
first = Wayne
title = How La Plata Got Its Name
publisher = Town Notes: News from La Plata Town Hall
date = February/March 2007
url = http://www.townoflaplata.org/vertical/Sites/{C5944482-8A4A-48D0-B56C-BE347B799FF3}/uploads/{9811B3A4-5434-428B-88D9-07C5D61B95B0}.PDF
accessdate = 2007-02-02 ]

The town was founded approximately 1895 after the river flowing into the previous County seat, Port Tobacco (a few miles to the west), silted up, ending that town's utility as a port. At the same time, a new railroad line made La Plata attractive as a new county seat location. The Courthouse was built there after the Port Tobacco courthouse burned down (arson suspected, but unproven). [cite web
url=http://www.mdmunicipal.org/cities/index.cfm?townname=porttobacco
title=Port Tobacco
publisher=Maryland Municipal League] Christ Episcopal Church was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt in La Plata. In 1940, the opening of the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge, which carries U.S. Highway 301 over the Potomac River, provided a link to Virginia and brought many long-distance east coast thru-travelers through the town as an alternative to using urban U.S. 1 and, later, the often-congested Interstate 95.

Geography

La Plata is located at coor dms|38|32|3|N|76|58|24|W|city (38.534258, -76.973377)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.9 square miles (18.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,551 people, 2,223 households, and 1,578 families residing in the town. The population density was 942.7 people per square mile (363.9/km²). There were 2,308 housing units at an average density of 332.1/sq mi (128.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 72.72% White, 23.69% African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.

There were 2,223 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $56,490, and the median income for a family was $66,288. Males had a median income of $42,492 versus $32,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,669. About 8.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

La Plata is largely a residential community. Many residents work for the Charles County government, while others commute to Waldorf or the Washington, D.C. area for work, including to Andrews Air Force Base. The town is experiencing a transformation into a thriving business and commercial center, thanks to development of office buildings and the town's recent reconstruction (more below).

Historic Mount Carmel, the oldest Catholic convent in the United States,Fact|date=October 2007 is just outside La Plata, near the main campus of College of Southern Maryland.

La Plata has county offices, Civista Medical Center (recently enlarged), a community theater, a large construction business, and a host of stores and restaurants, in addition to a twice-weekly farmers' market.Fact|date=February 2008 At the north edge of town are two department stores and two supermarkets.Fact|date=February 2008 A third supermarket, a large home-products store, and an all-night drug store should open by mid-2008Fact|date=February 2008 [cite web
url=http://www.somdnews.com/stories/04162008/indybus193219_32212.shtml
title=La Plata’s retail boom continues with eateries
last=McConaty
first=Nancy Bromley
publisher= The Independent
date=April 16, 2008
accessdate=2008-04-17] , while a third department store is contemplated.A road that connects Washington Avenue in La Plata with St. Charles Parkway in the adjacent unincorporated city of Waldorf and parallels U.S. Route 301 (Maryland) is under construction, and the finished road will relieve traffic congestion on Route 301. Public schools that serve this area include the Milton Somers Middle School, Piccowaxen Middle School, La Plata High School and McDonough High School.

Tornado

On April 28, 2002, an F4 tornado cut a 24-mile-long swath through Charles County, with areas around La Plata damaged most severely. This tornado caused four deaths. New public buildings have risen over the storm-damaged area downtown. The new La Plata Town Hall, for example, is Southern Maryland's first LEED certified building. [cite web
url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/15/AR2007081500046.html
title=La Plata Town Hall Is First 'Green' Building in S.Md.
last=Rucker
first=Philip
publisher=The Washington Post
date=August 16, 2007
page=SM01
accessdate=2008-05-02] Many would notice that the old historic CVS building has moved. For more details, see Midwest to Mid-Atlantic United States tornado outbreak of 2002. A large amount of the credit for La Plata's recent growth goes to new construction efforts following the tornado.Fact|date=October 2007

La Plata previously had suffered an F4 tornado on November 9, 1926, which had a death toll of 16 people, 13 of them in La Plata Elementary School, which was destroyed. [cite journal
url=http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1175%2F1520-0493(1926)54%3C462%3ATTISMN%3E2.0.CO%3B2&ct=1
title=The Tornado in Southern Maryland, November 3, 1926
author=Thomas R. Brooks
journal=Monthly Weather Review
publisher=American Meteorological Society
pages=462–462
volume=54, 11
date=November 1926
year=1926
doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1926)54<462:TTISMN>2.0.CO;2]

References

External links

*http://www.townoflaplata.org

Tornado Related

**Video footage of 2002 tornado [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piEoqPAF2ks]
**Aerial photo of 2002 tornado's path [http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/lwx/Historic_Events/apr28-2002/nasa-highres-LaPlata.jpg]