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Havre de Grace, Maryland
Seal
Location in Maryland
Coordinates: 39°32′54″N 76°5′51″W / 39.54833, -76.0975
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Harford
Incorporated	1785
Government
- Mayor	Wayne Dougherty
Area
- Total	5.4 sq mi (14.0 km²)
- Land	4.0 sq mi (10.4 km²)
- Water	1.4 sq mi (3.5 km²)  25.23%
Elevation	56 ft (17 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	11,331
- Density	2,815.1/sq mi (1,085.6/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	21078
Area code(s)	410
FIPS code	24-37600
GNIS feature ID	0590437
Website: www.havredegracemd.com

Havre de Grace (HDG) is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,331 (17,221 in the greater Havre de Grace area) at the 2000 census. Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France. Its name in French means "Gracious Harbor," or, more literally, "Harbor of Grace."

Havre de Grace was once a place with a rather high poverty rate prior to the 1990's (19.6%) with only 9,000 residents, but it is now becoming increasingly upscale every year. Per capita income has doubled over the 1990-2000 era, not to mention the people in poverty grew little compared to the large shipment of wealthier residents to the newer suburban projects of the city. The city takes pride in the fact that it has revitalized itself almost completely, and has, if anything, become safer over the years, something to be grateful for.

Havre de Grace is a small city but has in recent years expanded through the process of annexing land. Housing development is moderate but steady and includes the complete re-building of blighted areas into middle class homes. Havre de Grace is poised to prosper in the next few years as activities of the Department of Defense relocate from various bases to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, a few miles away. This will enhance the population with additional skilled and professional employed residents. Havre de Grace also claims a re-vitalized seaplane port. There are five public schools. Not to mention the oldest hospital in Harford County, "Harford Memorial Hospital".

Havre de Grace's location on the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay and the outlet of the Susquehanna River makes it popular for recreation. There are marinas and service operators dotting the shore line. There is also a city yacht basin and park where various events are held each year; it is a focal point of community life during the summer. A promenade and boardwalk that runs the length of the shore from the Concord Point Lighthouse to the yacht basin was devastated by Hurricane Isabel and was recently rebuilt.

Havre de Grace is an influential town with history, having lost the election to be the Nation's final capital to Washington D.C. by only 1 vote.^{[citation needed]} There is a carnival annually, one of the best in Maryland, attracting many crowds because of its location and atmosphere. The water is a huge part of the community. There's nothing more relaxing than walking down the Havre de Grace promenade on a calm evening and looking across the bay.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 History 3.1 Early History 3.2 1800's era 3.3 20th Century 3.4 Today 4 Pronunciation 5 Notable people from Havre de Grace 6 External links

Havre de Grace is located at 39°32′54″N, 76°5′51″W (39.548412, -76.097554)^GR1 at the mouth of the Susquehanna River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14.0 km²), of which, 4.0 square miles (10.4 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.5 km²) of it (25.23%) is water.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 11,331 people, 4,557 households, and 2,870 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,815.1 people per square mile (1,085.6/km²). There were 4,904 housing units at an average density of 1,218.4/sq mi (469.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.24% White, 16.15% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.

There were 4,557 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.07. Over half (54%) of the housing units in the city are renter-occupied.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,218, and the median income for a family was $53,838. Males had a median income of $37,985 versus $27,173 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,176. About 7.5% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

During the Revolutionary War the small hamlet known as Harmer's Town was visited several times by General Lafayette, who commented that the area reminded him of the French seaport of Le Havre, which had originally been named Le Havre-de-Grâce. Inspired by Lafayette's comments, the town was incorporated as Havre de Grace in 1785.

On May 13, 1814, during the War of 1812, Havre de Grace was under siege by the British, after they had burned Washington and been held at bay by the defenders of Baltimore in the siege of Fort McHenry and the Battle of North Point. Lieutenant John O'Neill single-handedly defended the city of Havre de Grace by firing a cannon at the British fleet as they approached on the Susquehanna River. He was wounded, captured by the British, and eventually released. The city of Havre de Grace was sacked and burned, with only two houses and a church spared destruction. Havre de Grace was rebuilt, and in 1878 the town became a city with the establishment of its own government. Around that time, Havre de Grace had a number of citizens who honorably participated in the activities of the Underground Railroad in the forwarding of former slaves to safe haven.

The early industry of Havre de Grace included oyster and crab harvesting and fruit orchards. It was also the southern terminus for the Proprietors of the Susquehanna Canal and later the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal, which carried freight up and down the Susquehanna River between Havre de Grace and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and connected to the Pennsylvania Canal. The Lock Keepers house and remnants of the canal exist today as a museum. Havre de Grace was also known for duck hunting and its hotels were full of hunters who used local guides to escort them on hunting trips. A strong cottage industry of decoy making soon sprang up.

During the civil war, a large population of free African Americans and found a home there by the 1860s, so much so that it became one of the seven sites for the recruiting of “U.S. Colored Troops” during the Civil War. Most of the citizens were Union sympathizers.

Havre de Grace was known as '"The Graw'" from 1912 through the 1950s, and prospered as a stop off for travelers. These included gangsters and gamblers en route to New York City from the south following the pony routes. Havre de Grace had a horse track into the late 50s. Alphonse Capone was reported to have spent some time at the former "Crazy Swede" (now known as "Ken's Steak and Rib House"). However, at the end of the 50's, the horse track was removed and it's rights were sold to Pimlico. The city still has a potential for another race track, and is under consideration.

More recently, as of the 1980's, Havre de Grace has been undergoing a complete reconstruction, turning blighted communities into new housing. This includes the addition of Uptown Havre de Grace, but the town has slowly blended back together over the 90's.

The downtown district still houses all the poverty of the city, and many of the suburbs have successfully raised the income to the city. By 2000, the economy of the town had doubled, thanks to the new projects the city council put into place in the 90's.

In 2003, Hurricane Isabel struck the town hard. It destroyed the boardwalk and flooded the city about 2 blocks into downtown. While Havre de Grace is tiny compared to Baltimore, today Havre de Grace is growing rapidly, expanding, and heading towards the sky, one building at a time. A new hospital and school is already planned for the area with the addition of Bulle Rock, and a new medical center has recently been built on Route 40.

Today, "'The Graw'" has recently been discussed coming back to town, according to several sources. Havre de Grace's version of Main Street, "'Washington Street'", is still thriving off of it's historic bars and antique shops. New condos are being built on the water, which draw large crowds of people of various groups to the city every year. Havre de Grace is all about improving. The city has improved non-stop over the last two decades, nearly doubling its land value and halving its crime.

Despite the French origin of the name, it is locally pronounced "HAV-ur dee GRACE".[1]

• Cal Ripken, born August 24, 1960. Major League Baseball Player and Hall of Famer for the Baltimore Orioles.
• Billy Ripken, born December 16, 1964. Major League Baseball Player for the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. Also, he is the brother of Cal Ripken.
• David Hasselhoff, born July 17, 1952. Actor, musician, presenter.
• Ultra Naté, born November 2, 1968. American House music singer, song writer, and record producer.
• Millard Tydings, born April 6, 1890. U.S. Senator 1927 - 1951.
• Fred Hatem, Prominent Havre De Grace Lawyer.
• David R. Craig, born June 12, 1949. Harford County Executive, 2005-present.
• Barry Glassman, born March 24, 1962. Maryland Delegate, 1999-present.

(Because the primary hospital in eastern Harford County is Harford Memorial in Havre de Grace, the town is the birthplace of many people who never actually lived there. For example, the Ripken family lived in nearby Aberdeen, Maryland, but because Cal and Billy were born in the hospital Havre de Grace is listed as their town of birth.)

• Chamber of Commerce website
• Havre De Grace Tourism website
• Susquehanna Museum

• Havre de Grace, Maryland is at coordinates 39°32′54″N 76°05′51″W / 39.548412, -76.097554Coordinates: 39°32′54″N 76°05′51″W / 39.548412, -76.097554

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Harford County, Maryland
County seat: Bel Air
Cities	Aberdeen | Havre de Grace
Towns	Bel Air
CDPs	Aberdeen Proving Ground | Bel Air North | Bel Air South | Edgewood | Fallston | Jarrettsville | Joppatowne | Perryman | Pleasant Hills | Riverside
Communities	Abingdon | Cardiff | Gunpowder | Castleton | Churchville | Darlington | Dublin | Forest Hill | Joppa | Norrisville | Pylesville | Street | Whiteford | White Hill