Maryland was one of the first regions in the Americas to be continuously inhabited by Europeans. The colony of Maryland was founded by Lord Baltimore in March 1634. Maryland eventually joined the other twelve original colonies in revolting against British rule to create the sovereign nation of the United States of America. Maryland’s population in 2003 was estimated at 5,558,058. The state’s largest city is Baltimore with a 2003 estimated population of 628,670 people. This outweighs the state’s capital, Annapolis, which weighs in with only 36,178 people in 2003 (estimated).
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Virginia was the first part of the Americas to be settled by England and would eventually become one of the original thirteen states to revolt against British rule in the American Revolution. Virginia is known as both the “Mother of Presidents” and the “Mother of States.” Eight U.S. presidents have called Virginia home, more than any other state. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Woodrow Wilson are some of the more notable presidents to have hailed from Virginia. Virginia is sometimes referred to as the “Mother of States” because portions of its original land mass have over the years “broken” off to form West Virginia, Kentucky, and portions of Ohio and Indiana.
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Washington, D.C. was founded on July 16, 1790 based on a plan by world renowned architect and urban planner Pierre Charles L’Enfant. The site for the new capital city was picked by its namesake, the first president of the United States, George Washington. The 68.3 square miles that compose Washington, were carved out of Maryland and Virginia to create a one-of-a-kind federal district. The district is ultimately governed by Congress, but much of the day-to-day administrative and routine work is left to an elected mayor and a small municipal government. read more..