Westminster, MD

Westminster, Maryland, is a city of about 18,000 residents, and it serves as the county seat of Carroll County, which itself has a population of about 150,000. Westminster sits on about 5.5 miles of land, and due to several unique geographical factors, tends to be colder than much of the surrounding region. The city is known as the site of Corbit's Charge, an 1863 cavalry skirmish between Union and Confederate forces. Westminster was founded in 1764 and incorporated as a city in 1818. The city is located about 30 miles northwest of Baltimore.

Westminster has seen significant growth over the past few decades. In 1980, it was home to some 8,800 residents, compared with about 18,000 as of the 2007 census.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

About 75 percent of workers from the city are employed by companies, 16 percent by the government and 3 percent are self-employed. The leading industries in Westminster are education, health and social services, retail trade and manufacturing. The tourism industry plays a significant role in the city's economy, as it is home to numerous popular tourist attractions and events, including a country fair and wine festival.

Major employers from the city are Carroll County, McDaniel College, H Freeman, Carroll Lutheran Village Inc. and Marada Industries.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

The city accommodates about 6,700 houses with an occupancy ratio of about 95 percent, out of which about 3,420 are owner-occupied and roughly 3,000 are renter-occupied. Westminster has a housing density of 1,174 houses per square mile.

There are many restaurants, coffee shops and parks located within a mile from the city's center.

EDUCATION

Westminster is home to two colleges:

• McDaniel College, a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1867 that offers sixty undergraduate majors and over one hundred minors. The institution also operates a satellite campus in Budapest, Hungary.
• Carroll Community College, home to more than 13,000 students annually, offering associate degrees, continuing education and distance-learning programs.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• Carroll County Farm Museum: In order to emphasize the self-sufficient nature of the region's 19th-century homesteads, the 140-acre Carroll County Farm Museum hosts a range of exhibits that detail butter churning, soap making and wool spinning, along with other staple skills of the era. Most of the offerings are housed in renovated structures dating from before the Civil War, including a main house, blacksmith's shop, several barns and a smokehouse, each containing period artifacts that were commonplace among rural communities.
• Westminster Family Fitness Center: A mainstay of the community's recreational life, the Westminster Family Fitness Center offers an extraordinary array of exercise options, including cycling, aerobics, yoga, Pilates, rowing machines and fitness assessments. Also on hand are foosball and air hockey tables, pinball machines and a video arcade. Various membership packages are available for families and individuals.
• Westminster City Park: Though the city is home to quite a few park facilities, Westminster City Park has long been the most popular, featuring such amenities as baseball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball, picnic areas and a "tots lot" for small children.
• Westminster Municipal Pool: Open from late May to early September each year, Westminster Municipal Pool ranks among the city's foremost summer haunts. Aside from the large main pool, the facility also features a separate baby-pool, a sand volleyball court, a six-foot water slide and a concession stand dealing in swim-friendly snacks. The pool also offers swimming lessons.

EVENTS

• Common Ground on the Hill: This yearly cultural get-together brings in a diverse range of artists and musicians not only to regale the crowd, but to educate them as well. Common Ground on the Hill features a number of classes and workshops for those attendees who'd like to take the stage themselves.
• Maryland Wine Festival: Each year in late September, Westminster plays host to one of Maryland's most beloved annual events. Held at the Carroll County Farm Museum, The Maryland Wine Festival acts as a showcase of the state's vibrant wine culture. Aside from dozens of local labels produced by regional growers, the event also features a variety of food, crafts, live music performances and wine-education seminars. Meanwhile, mom-and-pop producers are invited to compete for glory at the festival's amateur wine producer competition. The event is sponsored in part by the Maryland Wineries Association.
• Westminster Fallfest: The city's celebration of the changing leaves has grown from a strictly autumn affair to a year-round series of charitable events aimed at supporting a variety of local service organizations. Still, Fallfest's chief draw comes with the fall, when some 40,000 participants come to the city's downtown area for midway rides, carnival booths, a parade and shopping opportunities galore.
• Carroll County Fair: Carroll County's regional exhibition still operates under the same traditional outline that one generally associates with the institution of the county fair. Held from late July to early August of each year, the Carroll County Fair features livestock-oriented attractions, such as mule jumps and horse drills, along with tractor pulls, farm machinery shows and a demolition derby. The fair also offers live music performances, walking tours and antique shows, as well as a large variety of vendors and booths.
• Commemoration of Corbit's Charge: For nearly one and a half centuries, residents of the Westminster area have found ways to honor the bravery of those who fought in the city streets during Corbit's Charge, the most important Civil War conflict to have occurred in the region. Today, the annual commemorative event includes a free downtown concert and a comprehensive Civil War reenactment complete with an infantry encampment and a graveside ceremony. Other notable features include museum exhibits, period music and site walking tours. The Commemoration of Corbit's Charge takes place in late June.

LOCAL MEDIA

The Carroll County Times is Westminster's daily newspaper, with a circulation of around 25,000 copies.

The Carrol County Community Media Center offers courses in television production, and broadcasts several community access stations, including:

• Cable Channel 18- Carrol Community College
• Cable Channel 19- Public Access
• Cable Channel 21 (CETV-CH21)- Educational
• Cable Channel 23- Town and Community
• Cable Channel 24- County Government

Radio stations in Westminster include:

• WZBA 100.7 FM (Classic Rock)
• WTTR 1470 AM (Oldies)