Aberdeen, Maryland

Aberdeen began as a farming community in 1720, when Charles Calvert, the fifth Lord Baltimore, granted 1,140 acres of fertile land to Edward Hall. Located on the western edge of the Chesapeake on the main road between Alexandria and Philadelphia called the Old Post Road, the village at Halls Cross Road remained small until the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad scouted the area for a watering station in 1835. One of the railroad companies engineers was Edmund Law Rogers who saw the great potential in the place for development.

The Village of Aberdeen was a development by Edmund Law Rogers around 1800.[2] The name originated from its mother city, Aberdeen, Scotland, as a result of the close relationship the Rogers family of Baltimore had with their cousin, the Earl of Aberdeen, who became Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1852.[4] The area now known as Aberdeen is a cluster of three communities[5][6]

• Hall's Cross Roads, located[7] at the intersection of Old Philadelphia Road (MD-7, in some places known as Old Post Road, then known as Philadelphia Post Road) and Bush River Neck Road[8] (then the main road from Swan Creek 39°31′28.41″N 76°8′17.75″W)
• Mechanicsville, located[9] at 39°36′7.3836″N 76°19′10.8516″W
• The Village of Aberdeen[5]

In 1892, Aberdeen was incorporated as a town, under Chapter 136 of the Acts of 1892.[10]

Upon incorporation as a town, the Aberdeen government was led by a board of commissioners.[11]

• 1892–1905, a Board President was elected annually by the commissioners
• 1906–1954, this election was changed to be biennial
• 1955–1992, the election of a Board President was changed back to be annual

In 1992, the Town of Aberdeen revised the Charter and became the City of Aberdeen with an Elected Mayor. The first mayor of the City of Aberdeen was Ruth Elliot. The second mayor was Doug Wilson, and Fred Simmons was elected mayor in 2005. Michael Bennett served as mayor from 2007 to 2015. In 2015, Patrick McGrady was elected Mayor of Aberdeen and is currently serving a 4-year term.

In 1992, Aberdeen was incorporated as a city.

On September 20, 2018, 26-year-old Snochia Moseley opened fire at a Rite Aid he temporarily worked at. He killed three people and injured three others before turning the gun on himself.[12]

The B.&.O. Aberdeen Station is a historic train station in downtown Aberdeen. It was designed by Frank Furness and built in 1885 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The Historical Society of Harford County is currently in search of funding to save the station from being demolished.

Ripken Stadium is the home of the Aberdeen IronBirds, located on Maryland Route 22, and named after former Baltimore Orioles star player Cal Ripken. Across the street is The Ripken Experience, a baseball complex with ten youth fields for tournaments, camps and clinics. The fields are scaled replicas of current and former MLB stadiums.

Aberdeen Festival Park is located in the heart of downtown on North Parke Street in Aberdeen. It is home to many city events such as the Aberdeen Farmers Market. It has an outside field, a playground and is home to the APG Memorial.

Victory Street Park on Victory St. features a playground, basketball court, disc-golf, and a dog park.

As of the census[17] of 2000, there were 13,842 people, 5,475 households, and 3,712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,166.2 inhabitants per square mile (836.4/km²). There were 5,894 housing units at an average density of 922.4 per square mile (356.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.90% White, 27.38% African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.

There were 5,475 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,190, and the median income for a family was $48,357. Males had a median income of $32,783 versus $26,025 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,940. About 9.0% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

As of the census[18] of 2010, there were 14,959 people, 5,801 households, and 3,897 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,199.9 inhabitants per square mile (849.4/km²). There were 6,191 housing units at an average density of 910.4 per square mile (351.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.9% White, 30.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.4% of the population.

There were 5,801 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.09.

The median age in the city was 38 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

Several major highways serve Aberdeen, with the most prominent of these being Interstate 95. I-95 briefly crosses the northwestern corner of Aberdeen and provides access to many major cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and New York City. Access to Aberdeen is provided via an interchange with Maryland Route 22, which also connects directly to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds as well as to Bel Air, the county seat. U.S. Route 40 also serves the city, running parallel to I-95 from Baltimore to Wilmington and serving as an alternate route. Other state highways serving Aberdeen include Maryland Route 7, Maryland Route 132, Maryland Route 159, Maryland Route 462 and Maryland Route 715.

The city of Aberdeen is located on the old Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad which is now operated by CSX. The new Aberdeen station is located on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor main line is served by Amtrak Northeast Regional, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Penn Line trains and local buses. Located just south of the East Coast Greenway, the city has access to a walking and biking trail network linking the major cities along the U.S. east coast.

The city of Aberdeen is part of the Harford Transit LINK public bus system. Routes 1 (Green Line), 2 (Blue Line), 3 (Silver Line) and 5 (Teal Line) connect Aberdeen with Havre de Grace, Bel Air, Edgewood, Joppatowne and Perryville. Route 4 (Yellow Line) is the Aberdeen Circulator which services the different neighborhoods within the city of Aberdeen.

• Ruth Elliott, 1992–1994
• Charles R. Boutin, 1994–1998
• Douglas S. Wilson, 1998–2005
• S. Fred Simmons, 2005–2007
• Michael E. Bennett, 2007–2015
• Patrick McGrady, 2015–present

The city council[21] and mayor are elected by voters to 4-year terms beginning in November 2011. Their current terms expire in 2023.

• Patrick L. McGrady, Mayor
• Adam Hiob, Council President
• Sandra Landbeck, Councilwoman
• Timothy Lindecamp, Councilman
• Tandra Ridgley, Councilwoman

Council District E

• Jessica Boyle-Tsottles [22] (Republican)

State Senate, District 34

• State Senator Mary-Dulany James (Democrat)

House of Delegates, District 34A

• Andre Johnson Jr (Democrat)
• Steve Johnson(Democrat)

US Senate

• Senator Benjamin L. Cardin[23] (Democrat)
• Senator Chris Van Hollen (Democrat)

US House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District

• Congressman Andy Harris[24] (Republican)