5 Reasons to Love Living in Maryland

If you’ve only lived in Maryland for a few years, it’s possible you’ve discovered what makes this state so remarkable. Many of the locals will tell you it’s the oh-so-delicious blue crab, the diverse cultural heritage, or the state’s amazing education system. Whatever your reason for living in Maryland, we’re here to offer five more incredible reasons to absolutely love living in the Free America state.

Amazing Seafood

If you’ve never tried Maryland’s famous blue crab, then you are definitely missing out! Maryland is known for this blue underwater crustacean as it harvests about 50% of the country’s supply. While they’re famous for their succulent blue crabs, they’re also well-known for other seafood fares, such as fresh local oysters, rockfish, crab cakes, and coddies. These traditional fried cakes from the early 1900s are a mixture of salt cod and potato served between saltine crackers with mustard on top.

We highly recommend trying some of Baltimore’s popular seafood cuisine at a few of our local favorite restaurants and diners. Bertha’s Restaurant & Bar is known for serving mussels in a variety of flavors, such as garlic butter, Old Bay, Guinness broth, and spicy coconut milk. Established in 1886, Faidley’s Seafood, located in Lexington Market, is famous for its jumbo lump crab cakes, oysters, fried fish, Maryland crab soup, and coddies. A restaurant that is always packed, Thames Street Oyster House serves a lobster roll that makes New England lobster rolls jealous.

When it comes to delicious seafood, you won’t go wrong living in Maryland. Along with its tasty underwater delights, Maryland is also known for Smith Island Cake, Berger cookies, National Bohemian Beer, Fisher’s Popcorn, and a Baltimore summer tradition, the Snowball. 

Widely Diverse Culture

Another great reason to love living in Maryland is the state’s widely diverse culture. From its historical roots and its close location to the Mason-Dixon line, the Old Line State has a rich foundation that represents cultures from across the nation and the world. Out of the 10 most ethnically diverse cities in the United States ranked by WalletHub, four of them are in Maryland — Germantown, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, and Rockville. There are several minority-owned businesses as well. Entrepreneur named Baltimore the #5 city in the country for supporting and providing opportunities for minority business owners.

Maryland also celebrates its melting pot heritage as it plays host to several ethnic festivals. You can find events that pay homage to a number of ethnic cultures, such as Polish, African, Greek, Korean, Ukrainian, and more. The Caribbean Carnival and parade is held in Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park each year in July. The Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival is an annual tradition held at Annapolis City Dock each September. Maryland also honors the Hispanic and Latino community with several galas and celebrations across Maryland all year long.

For parents who want to expose their children to the value and significance of culture and ethnicity, Maryland is the perfect place to raise a family.

Historical Significance

Maryland offers great historical significance, specifically in regards to the foundation of our country. King Charles I gave a royal charter to George Calvert for the land that would one day become the state of Maryland. His son, Cecil, established Maryland as a British colony in 1632 and named it after the king’s wife, Henrietta Maria. This east coast state was also one of the first 13 colonies that declared independence from Great Britain. 

Maryland is home to several noteworthy events and people of historical significance. Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross, was from Maryland. Frederick Douglass, who was an outspoken abolitionist and statesman, called this great state his home. The Bucktown Village Store is still standing, which is where Underground Railroad activist Harriet Tubman first defied slavery and oppression. Maryland is also home to the Antietam National Battlefield, the Civil War ship USS Constellation, Fort McHenry, and Fort Frederick. Every time you hear the Star-Spangled Banner at an event, you can thank Maryland for our country’s national anthem. 

Many of the country’s and world’s first inventions took place in Maryland as well. The first railroad station, first telegraph, and first dental school were all created in the Little America state. If you wish to learn more about our country’s history, Maryland is an excellent choice for exploring our nation’s past.

Superior Education System

If you’re a parent living in Maryland, you can be proud to be part of one of the country’s superior education systems. In a recent study published by WalletHub in 2021, Maryland is listed as the second most-educated state in the nation. This research looked at several key metrics for ranking the country’s education programs, such as quality of universities, public high school graduation rate, math and reading test scores, free community college, number of Blue Ribbon Schools, and several more. 

The level of education is directly linked to income potential and a lower risk of unemployment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Maryland also typically ranks in the top 10 most-educated states in the country. You can be assured your children are in highly effective hands when it comes to the state’s education programs.

Outdoor Opportunities Galore

Maryland is known for its incredible seafood, ethnic heritage, historical foundation, and excellent school system, but if you are a lover of the outdoors, you will absolutely love living here. While the state boasts several popular tourist attractions, there are several hidden gems worth discovering. 

Did you know that almost half of the state is covered in trees? That’s right — about 41% of Maryland is all forests, making it easy to connect with nature after a long week of work in the big city. If you’re more of a water lover, you can’t go wrong exploring the Chesapeake Bay. You and your kids will have loads of fun playing on the beach, walking through coves, and hiking over freshwater creeks. Be sure to take the time to explore the many islands that are dotted along the bay.

For the hiking and outdoor enthusiast, you need to take the time to check out two of the country’s most gorgeous and majestic mountain ranges: the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. There are two beautiful and relaxing parks you should add to your outdoor exploration agenda as well. Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park both offer access to the largest waterfall in Maryland.

Are there any other reasons you love living here? If so, please let us know! We’d love to add it to our list.
 

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*Image via Flickr by Mike Licht

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