Westminster

Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster was the first place in the nation to offer Rural Free Delivery postal service. It was the birthplace of Sargent Shriver (1915-2011), the Democratic candidate for Vice President of the United States in 1972. On June 26, 2015, the city of Westminster lit the Westminster Fiber Network, the first community-wide gigabit fiber to the premise network in the Mid-Atlantic region. On April 15, 1952, an F3 tornado (which has wind speeds of 158206 mph) hit 15.5 miles from the city center, injuring four people and causing between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages. On July 19, 1996, a tornado struck five miles away from the Westminster city center. On February 7, 2020, an EF1 tornado touched down around 8:00 pm. directly over downtown Westminster, heading directly over the city. This damaged shingles on multiple structures and brought down several trees across the county. The tornado damaged much of the county took shelter due to the much needed shelter. The population of the city as of the census of 2010, there were 18,161 people, 7,117 households and 4,117 families living in the city, with 2,803 square miles (1,082 square km) living per capita. It has a humid subtropical climate bordering on a humid continental climate, with hot and humid summers and cool winters with highly variable seasonal snowfall.

History

Westminster was the birthplace of Sargent Shriver (1915-2011), the Democratic candidate for Vice President of the United States in 1972. On June 26, 2015, the city of Westminster lit the Westminster Fiber Network, the first community-wide gigabit fiber to the premise network in the Mid-Atlantic region. On March 10, 2006, members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed the funeral of Matthew A. Snyder who had been killed in the Iraq War. Church members stood on city property adjoining St. John Catholic Church where the funeral took place. Snyder's father sued the church for violating his privacy. The United States Supreme Court in March 2011 ruled in Snyder v. Phelps that church members had a free speech right to picket. Just north of Westminster is the farm at which Whittaker Chambers hid the so-called "Pumpkin Papers." A historic marker states that Westminster was the first place in the nation to offer Rural Free Delivery postal service. In April 1865, Joseph Shaw, newspaper editor, had his presses wrecked and his business destroyed, and was subsequently beaten and stabbed to death by four men in Westminster. In a later trial at the Westminster Court House the four men were acquitted; the reason cited was "self-defense". Since 1868, Westminster has held an annual Memorial Day parade, which is the longest continuously running Memorial Day Parade in the country. The city is home to the National Museum of American History, which was founded in 1851.

Geography

Westminster is located at 39°3436N 77°00W (39.576551, 77.000120). It is approximately 36.5 miles (58.7 km) driving distance northwest of Baltimore. The city lies in the humid subtropical climate zone bordering on a humid continental climate, with hot and humid summers and cool winters with highly variable seasonal snowfall. Westminster has access to two water reservoirs at present, Liberty and Piney Run; the county has also proposed a Union Mills Reservoir and Gillis Falls Reservoir. Westminster's historical tornado activity is slightly above the Maryland state average and 38% greater than the overall U.S. average. On April 16, 2011, a tornado touched down around 8:00 pm EST. Shortly after sunrise on February 7, 2020, an EF1 tornado crossed directly over downtown, heading parallel to Maryland 27 northward on the west side. This damaged siding and shingles on multiple structures and brought down several trees. Schools across much of the county took shelter due to the tornado warning. On July 19, 1996, an F3 tornado struck 5.5mile away from the Westminster city center, injuring three people and causing $5 million in damages. On January 31, 2013, a F2 tornado hit the city, injuring four people and injuring $500,000 to $5,000,000 in damages, causing $1 million in damage to homes and businesses in the area. It was the first tornado to hit Westminster in more than 50 years.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 18,590 people, 7,161 households, and 4,117 families living in the city. 40% of Latinos in Westminster were of Mexican descent, 16% were of Puerto Rican descent, and 3% of Cuban descent. 60% of Westminster's Latino population identified as White, 4% identified as Afro-Latino, 6% identified. as being of more than one race, and 29%identified as some other race. The median income for a household in Westminster was $40,477, and the median family income was $50,477. People of Dutch, Scotch-Irish, Greek, Welsh, Norwegian, Russian, Hungarian, Puerto Rican and Swedish descent each comprised 1% of the population. The city's population was 91.28% White, 5.49% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0,04% Pacific Islander, and 1.11% from two or more races. The racial makeup of the city was 86.0% White. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.05, according to the 2010 census. The population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 14.5% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older.

Economy

The top employers in Westminster are: According to the City of Westminster, the top employers are: The five largest employers just outside Westminster in Carroll County are: the U.S. Postal Service, United States Postal Service, American Telephone and Telegraph, and United States Bank are among the largest employers in the county. The top employer in Westminster is Westminster's largest employer, Westminster Bank and Trust, which has more than 1,000 employees. The city's top employer is Westminster City Hall, with over 1,200 employees. Westminster's top employee is the mayor, with more than 500. The largest employer in the city is Westminster Public Schools, with about 1,100 employees. Carroll County's largest employers are Westminster City Schools and Carroll County Community College, with nearly 1,500 workers. Westminster is the largest employer just outside Carroll County, with almost 1,300 workers. The biggest employer in Carroll county is Carroll County Technical College with over 100 employees. It is the nation's largest private-sector employer, with around 1,400 workers, and the fifth largest employer is the University of Maryland, with 100. The fifth largest employers is Westminster High School, with 75 employees, followed by Westminster City College and Westminster Community College with 75. The five biggest employers outside Westminster are Westminster are Carroll County Schools, Carroll County Health Center, Carroll University, Carroll College, Carroll Community College and Carroll University. Westminster City Hospital is the top employer outside Westminster, with 70 employees. There are more than 100 businesses outside Westminster outside Westminster.

Arts and culture

The Hashawha Tower is a windmill in Westminster, Maryland. It stands at theHashawha Environmental Center. The Carroll County Fair and Maryland Wine Festival are among the events held at the tower. It is located in the historic district of Westminster, which was built in the 17th century. The tower is one of the oldest windmills in the United States, dating back to the 16th Century. It was built to power the town's first power station, built in 17th Century Westminster. The windmill was later converted into a home for the city's first mayor, George H.W. Bush, who was born in the town in 1776. The town is also home to the Maryland State Museum, which dates back to 18th century, and the Maryland Museum of Fine Arts, which opened in 1881. The Maryland State House is also located in Westminster and was once the site of the state's first state fair, which took place in 1883. The state's oldest museum is the National Gallery of Maryland, which is located on the second floor of the Capitol Building. The State House was founded in 1887 and is the oldest building in the state, along with the State House Museum of Arts and Crafts, which stands on the third floor. The National Gallery is home to a collection of historic buildings, many of which were built during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Capitol Building was the first building to be built in Westminster in 1781, and is now the seat of the Carroll County Council.

Education

Carroll County is the ninth largest school system in the state of Maryland. There are seven high schools, 23 elementary schools and 9 middle schools. Carroll County is home to McDaniel College, Dream Flight School and the National Honor Guard Academy. It is also the home of the Maryland Air Force Academy, which provides flight lessons at the local airport.

Transportation

The main method of travel to and from Westminster is by road and four primary highways serve the city. The Owings Mills station of the Baltimore Metro SubwayLink is a 20-minute drive by car from Westminster. Due to longstanding opposition to mass transit from local residents and politicians, there is no inter-county bus or rail transit linking Westminster to nearby suburban communities of Baltimore County. The Carroll Transit System is prohibited from offering bus services into or out of the county due to a resolution passed by the Carroll County Board of Commissioners. There is no direct route from Westminster to Washington, D.C. The city is located in Carroll County, which is part of the Carroll-Winthrop County Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties. It is located on the eastern edge of the state, near the border with Maryland, and is in the eastern suburbs of Baltimore and Maryland. The town has a population of 4,000, making it one of the smallest cities in the state. The population of Westminster is about 2,500, with the majority of its residents living in the city center. The majority of the city's residents live in the central area of the town, with most of the rest of the residents living outside the city centre in the suburban areas of Baltimore, Frederick, and Harford counties. Westminster is located near the Maryland-Maryland state line, which runs east-southeast to west-northwest across the area. The main highway through the city is Maryland Route 140, which connects the city to Baltimore.

Sister city

of Paide, Järva County, Estonia (since 2002) Paide is also a sister city of Tallinn, capital of Estonia. Paide and Tallinn are twin cities of the Estonian capital Tallinn. The city has a population of around 1,000,000 people (as of 2011) and 1,200,000 (since 2000) people (since 2001) in Paide alone. It is the only Estonian city to be twinned with another country. It also has a twin city of its own, Tallinn-Estonia, which has a total population of 1,500,000. It has a sister town of its same name, also in Estonia, called Paide. It was also twinned to Tallinn in 2001, and has an Estonian sister city, Tallin, since 2006. It's also a twin town of Tallin in Finland, with 1,300,000 residents. It had a twin sister, Paide-Tallin, which was founded in 1881, and now has 1,400,000 inhabitants. It shares a border with Estonia's capital city Tallinn with a total of 2,500 people (in 2000), and has been twinning with Tallin since 2002. The Estonian government has also made Paide its sister city since 2002, and it is also twin city to Tallin-Elliott in Finland (since 2007) It is also sister city to Paide in Finland and Estonia's largest city, Estonia.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland = 30.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 50. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 97. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Westminster = 3.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 20,126 individuals with a median age of 34.3 age the population grows by 9.11% in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,030.57 residents per square mile of area (1,170.19/km²). There are average 2.35 people per household in the 6,977 households with an average household income of $55,045 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.50% of the available work force and has dropped -4.84% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.82%. The number of physicians in Westminster per 100,000 population = 121.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Westminster = 43 inches and the annual snowfall = 31.4 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 115. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 204. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 22.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 48, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland which are owned by the occupant = 51.94%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 26 years with median home cost = $238,000 and home appreciation of -6.12%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.39 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,581 per student. There are 16 students for each teacher in the school, 700 students for each Librarian and 325 students for each Counselor. 5.94% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 15.76% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.19% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).