Brunswick is a city in southwestern Frederick County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, United States. The city is located on the north bank of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

; Loudoun County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

occupies the opposite shore. The population of Brunswick was 7,762 at the 2020 census. There are three schools serving Brunswick: Brunswick Elementary School, Brunswick Middle School, and Brunswick High School.

History

The area now known as Brunswick was originally home to the Susquehanna Native American Tribe. In 1728 the first settlement was built, and the region became known as Eel Town, because the natives would fish for eel in the

. A grant to the land was then given to John Hawkins by

George II of Great Britain George II (George Augustus; german: link=no, Georg August; 30 October / 9 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electorate of Hanover, Hanover) and a prince-ele ...

on August 10, 1753. The grant had the name "Hawkins Merry-Peep-o-Day". The land was sold and Leonard Smith platted it in 1787 with the name of “Berlin,” as many Germans settled in the area. The name “Berlin,” however, could not be used for mail as there was already a

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

on the

Eastern Shore of Maryland The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula tha ...

, so the post office changed the name to "Barry." The town continued to grow and was incorporated April 18, 1890 with the name “Brunswick.” Established along the now-defunct

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, ...

, the city became a hub for the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

, which built a six-mile-long

rail yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or ...

along the Potomac from 1891 to 1912, boosting the population to over 5,000, and making Brunswick virtually a

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

. The railroad reduced its yard operations in the 1950s. During Patsy Cline's early career, she performed at the Moose Lodge in Brunswick where she met her first husband, Gerald Cline. Today Brunswick is home to a

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

station serving Washington, D.C. It is home of the Brunswick Heritage Museum which interprets the history of the city and is home of a large model railroad showing why the city's location was important to the railroad.

Tourism

The largest citywide event is "Railroad Days" on the first weekend in October, a festival celebrating the city's heritage. Another major annual event is the

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than dis ...

Parade, which has taken place each year since 1932. Other events year round include the Wine and Chocolate Walk in September
Farmers' Market
Arts In The Parks,

Little League Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationhistoric downtown and its access to recreational activities on the

C&O Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, wh ...

and Potomac River. The city's history is preserved in the Brunswick Heritage Museum (formerly the Brunswick Railroad Museum), established in 1974. The historic commercial district of the city along Potomac Street features a bike shop, antique stores, restaurants, a brewpub, a yoga studio, a martial arts studio, a convenience store, and a sporting goods store. There are live music performances many nights of the week at Beans in the Belfry, a café located in the restored former First Evangelical and Reformed Church (built in 1910).

Notable people

* Andrew Duck – army officer and politician * Michael Hough – Maryland state senator * Galen R. Clagett – Maryland politician * Brendan Lukens – musician and co-founder of Modern Baseball * Jake Ewald - musician and co-founder of Modern Baseball and Slaughter Beach, Dog

Geography

Brunswick is at (39.313908, -77.626732). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Business

Because of the population of Brunswick increasing, many business are being built in Brunswick. Located in Brunswick are a

Dollar Tree Dollar Tree, Inc. is an American multi-price-point chain of discount variety stores. Headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia, it is a ''Fortune'' 500 company and operates 15,115 stores throughout the 48 contiguous U.S. states and Canada. Its s ...

Walgreens Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, a ...

Weis Markets Weis Markets, Inc. ( doing business as Weis and stylized as weis) is a Mid-Atlantic food retailer headquartered in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. It currently operates 199 stores with over 23,000 employees in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jer ...

, McDonalds, 4 pizza places, a brewing station, and many small businesses with a Holiday Inn Express just built.

Transportation

Highway

The primary method of travel to and from Brunswick is by road. Several state highways serve the city, with the most prominent of these being

Maryland Route 17 Maryland Route 17 (MD 17) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway begins at the Virginia state line at the Potomac River in Brunswick, where the highway continues south as Virginia State Route 287 (SR 287). MD ...

. MD 17 heads south across the

into

, where it becomes

Virginia State Route 287 State Route 287 (SR 287) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Berlin Pike, the state highway runs from SR 7 Business in Purcellville north to the Maryland state line at the Potomac River near Lovettsville, wh ...

. Just north of Brunswick, MD 17 has junctions with Maryland Route 464, Maryland Route 79,

Maryland Route 180 Maryland Route 180 (MD 180) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Jefferson Pike, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 340 in Maryland, U.S. Route 340 (US 340) in Knoxville, Maryland, Knoxville eas ...

, Maryland Route 871 and U.S. Route 340, which provides access to numerous locations across Frederick County. Aside from MD 17, portions of MD 180, MD 464 and Maryland Route 478 also traverse the city.

Railroad

MARC Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

operates commuter trains from Martinsburg, West Virginia, through and stopping at Brunswick then south to Union Station, Washington, D.C.MARC schedule

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 5,870 people, 2,155 households, and 1,515 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 2,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 86.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 7.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population. There were 2,155 households, of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.7% were non-families. 23.2% 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 2.72 and the average family size was 3.22. The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,894 people, 1,866 households, and 1,306 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,957 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.09%

, 5.31%

, 0.25% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.18% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population. There were 1,866 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were

living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.11. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,513, and the median income for a family was $53,232. Males had a median income of $36,304 versus $25,017 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

was $20,685. About 2.5% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Climate data

References

External links

* * {{authority control Cities in Frederick County, Maryland Cities in Maryland Maryland populated places on the Potomac River Company towns in Maryland Populated places established in 1787 1787 establishments in Maryland