SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM IN Annapolis

Annapolis

Annapolis is the capital city of Maryland and the county seat of Anne Arundel County, located where the Severn River flows into Chesapeake Bay. Situated 25 miles south of Baltimore and about 30 miles east of Washington, D.C., Annapolis is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The city’s population was 40,812 as of the 2020 census. This makes Annapolis the seventh-largest city in Maryland. The city features 17 miles of waterfront and has a compact size of 7.2 square miles.

A settlement in the Province of Maryland named “Providence” was founded on the north shore of the Severn River in 1649 by Puritan exiles from the Province of Virginia. In 1694, Royal Governor Francis Nicholson moved the capital of the royal colony to Anne Arundel’s Towne and renamed the town “Annapolis” after Princess Anne of Denmark and Norway, soon to become Queen Anne of Great Britain. Annapolis was incorporated as a city in 1708. The capital of Maryland was the country’s capital when the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War, was signed here. It was in Annapolis on December 23, 1783, that General Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. All four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence had impressive homes in Annapolis, which still stand today.

The entire downtown region of Annapolis, home to numerous eighteenth-century buildings, is a National Historic Landmark. The most visible landmark is the Maryland State House, built in 1779 — the oldest capitol building in the United States still in use. Today, Annapolis has more original 18th-century structures standing than any other city in the United States. Annapolis now ranks with Williamsburg, Virginia, as the most authentic colonial urban area in the nation.

The city is home to two prestigious institutions of higher learning: St. John’s College, founded as King William’s School in 1696, and the United States Naval Academy, founded in 1845. Fort Severn became the U.S. Naval Academy in 1845, and the campus spans nearly 340 riverside acres. The Naval Academy has a full-time enrollment of 5,681 students.

Approximately 53.1 percent of the population is White, African Americans make up the largest minority group at 22.9 percent, and about 17.4 percent of the population is Hispanic or Latino. The median age is 40.9 years, and 53.7 percent of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, indicating a highly educated population relative to national averages. The estimated per capita income is $62,445, and the estimated median home value is $521,870.

The economy of Annapolis relies heavily on government administration, professional services, and education, reflecting its role as Maryland’s state capital and home to the United States Naval Academy. Tourism also represents an important part of the city’s economy, driven by its colonial architecture, picturesque waterfront, and the Naval Academy.

The city of Annapolis utilizes a council-manager system combined with a strong mayor. The city council serves as the city’s primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city’s chief executive, while a city manager oversees the city’s day-to-day operations. The current Mayor of Annapolis is Jared Littmann (D), who assumed office in 2025. The City is governed by a City Council comprised of the Mayor and eight Alderpersons.

Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts is a thriving center for studying, exhibiting, performing, and practicing the arts, with resident companies including ballet, symphony, opera, and chorale that all give performances in its 800-seat auditorium. Important festivals include the Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival, which celebrates the city’s African American and African Caribbean heritage, and the Maryland Renaissance Festival, considered the second-largest Renaissance festival in the country. The Kunta Kinte–Alex Haley Memorial, located in a park at the head of Annapolis City Dock, commemorates the arrival point of Alex Haley’s African ancestor Kunta Kinte, whose story is related in Haley’s 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family.

Annapolis is known as “America’s Sailing Capital” and is home to the United States Sailboat Show. Annapolis is the only capital city in America east of the Mississippi River without any rail transportation.

City of Annapolis