Welcome To MarylandMaryland is a U.S. statelocated in the Mid Atlanticregion of the Southern UnitedStates, bordering Virginia,West Virginia, and the Districtof Columbia to its south andwest; Pennsylvania to itsnorth; and Delaware to itseast. Maryland was theseventh state to ratify theUnited States Constitution, andUnited States Constitution, andthree nicknames for it, the OldLine State, the Free State, andthe Chesapeake Bay State areoccasionally used.

Capital - AnnapolisLargest city - BaltimoreLargest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metro Area

Website: www.maryland.gov

Religions in MarylandMaryland was founded for thepurpose of providing religioustoleration of England's RomanCatholic minority.Nevertheless, Parliament laterreversed that policy anddiscouraged the practice ofCatholicism in Maryland. Dueto immigration patterns,Catholics have not been aCatholics have not been amajority in Maryland sinceearly Colonial times.Nonetheless, Catholicism is thelargest single denomination inMaryland. The Islamiccommunity in Maryland issmall but it is growing,especially in the Baltimorearea.

Principal Cities

vAberdeen – home toAberdeen Proving Grounds andhometown of baseball greatCal RipkenvAnnapolis – state capital,home of United States NavalAcademyvBaltimore – most populouscity; commercial and culturalhubvBethesda – Suburb of D.C;vBethesda – Suburb of D.C;Home to National Institutes ofHealth (N.I.H.) and BethesdaNaval Hospital; best-educatedcity in the U.S with apopulation of 50,000 or more.vBowie – largest city in PrinceGeorge's County; site of BowieState UniversityvColumbia – largeunincorporated plannedcommunity managed by theColumbia Association

Principal CitiesvEllicott City – county seat ofHoward County and originalterminus of the Baltimore andOhio RailroadvFrederick– western gatewayto Appalachian Mountains,suburban center, county seatof Frederick CountyvGermantown – home to the vGermantown – home to the Department of Energy; fastest growing community in Montgomery CountyvGaithersburg – home toNational Institute of Standardsand Technology; 2nd mostpopulous city.vHagerstown – largestcommunity in three countyWestern Maryland region

Principal CitiesvOcean City – very popularbeach resort on Atlanticcoastline; 2nd most populouscityvRockville – county seat andbusiness center of MontgomeryCounty northwest ofWashington;vSalisbury – largest city andvSalisbury – largest city andbusiness center of DelmarvapeninsulavSilver Spring – Suburb ofD.C.; home to the NationalOceanic and AtmosphericAdministration and theheadquarters of the DiscoveryChannelvWaldorf – largest town inSouthern Maryland

Maryland Attractions

vEastern ShorevBaltimore Inner HarborvAnnapolis City DockvC & O Canal National Historic ParkvMaryland ParksvDeep Creek LakevSix Flags AmericavStrathmore Music CentervBrookside GardensvBrookside GardensvMeriwether Post PavilionvHistoric Ellicott CityvAFI Silver Theater and Cultural CentervNational Wildlife Visitors CentervNASA Goddard Visitor CentervNational Harbor

Website: http://visitmaryland.org

Brookside Garden

Brookside Gardens is a 50-acre award winning garden located within Wheaton Regional Park in Wheaton, Maryland.Park Address and Accessibility:2002 Shorefield RoadWheaton, MD 20902Shorefield Area - Turn onto Shorefield Road from Georgia AvenueGlenallan Area - Turn onto Glenallan Avenue from Kemp Mill Road or Randolph RoadOrebaugh Area - Turn onto Orebaugh Avenue from Arcola AvenuePark Information Line: 301-495-2595

Beach at Deep Creek Lake State Park

Deep Creek Lake State Park is great place for young children to play and swim on the sandy, lifeguarded beach (during the summer months).Getting to Deep Creek Lake:The resort is located just three hours from the Washington DC metro area and Baltimore. Follow I-70 to I-68, Take Exit 14 onto Route 219 South. Follow Route 219 for approximately 13 miles.

Six Flags America

Amusement and Water Park Near Washington, DCSix Flags America is located on Route 214, Central Avenue, approximately five miles from I-495 just 30 minutes from downtown Washington, DC. Contact Details: 13710 Central Ave. Mitchellville, Maryland. (301) 249-1500 and (800) 491-4FUN Tips: Buy tickets in advance - Visit on a weekday - Arrive early to get the most out of your day

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park

Since 1971 the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (C & O Canal) has been a national park, providing a great place to enjoy the outdoors in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.The C & O Canal starts in Georgetown and stretches for 13 miles to Great Falls Park in Virginia. At the Georgetown Visitor Center you can get a map and take a tour on foot, by bike or by mule-drawn boat.

National Wildlife Visitor Center

The National Wildlife Visitor Center is the largest science and environmental education center in the Department of the Interior.Visitor Center Building : Open 9:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. Daily Except Closed on Federal HolidaysWildlife Images Gift Shop : 11:00 A.M - 4:00 P.M. on Visitor Center open days except closed on Mondays - November through mid-March Trails and Grounds : Sunrise - 4:30 P.M. Daily. Except Closed on Federal Holidays

AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center

The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a state-of-the-art moving image exhibition, education and cultural center.Address: 8633 Colesville Road - at the intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue - in the heart of the downtown Silver Spring, Maryland and two blocks north of Metro's Red Line station.See Features and Schedules : www.afi.com/silver/new/default.aspx

National Harbor

National Harbor is a 300-acre waterfront destination in the Washington, DC area that opened in the spring of 2008. National Harbor is located in Prince George's County, Maryland on the Potomac River, just minutes from Washington, DC. The site is accessible from I-95/I-495, I-295, the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and by water taxi from Washington, DC, Old Town Alexandria, Mount Vernon, and Georgetown. Official Website: www.nationalharbor.com

Maryland Gets Greener And Energy Efficient to Live

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