SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM IN Edgewood

Edgewood

Edgewood is an unincorporated census-designated place in Harford County, Maryland, situated adjacent to the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in the northeastern part of the state. Edgewood is located in southwestern Harford County, bordered to the west by Baltimore County. As of the 2020 United States Census, the community had a population of 25,713 residents. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Edgewood CDP has a total area of 17.9 square miles, of which 17.8 square miles are land and 0.2 square miles are water.

Aberdeen Proving Ground was established in 1917 on the shores of Chesapeake Bay in Harford County, Maryland, to provide the nation a site where Army materiel could be tested. At the same time, the Edgewood Arsenal was established nearby to provide a site for the development, production, and testing of chemical warfare materiel. The two installations were officially joined as Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1971. From 1955 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified medical studies at Edgewood Arsenal. The purpose was to evaluate the impact of low-dose chemical warfare agents on military personnel and to test protective clothing and pharmaceuticals, with about 7,000 soldiers taking part in experiments involving exposures to more than 250 different chemicals.

With more than 21,000 civilian, military, and contractor employees, Aberdeen Proving Ground is Harford County’s largest employer and one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland. Workers at APG are responsible for numerous technical achievements in military intelligence, medical research, engineering, communications, and computer technology. The base’s presence has long shaped Edgewood’s character as a community closely tied to national defense.

The largest racial and ethnic groups in Edgewood are Black at 44.7%, followed by White at 36.3% and Hispanic at 9.9%. The median household income is $86,355, and the median age for Edgewood residents is 36.2 years. The most common employment sectors for residents are Health Care and Social Assistance, Public Administration, and Retail Trade. The average commute time is 31 minutes, with most residents driving alone to work.

The Harford County Board of Education provides educational services to Edgewood residents. Edgewood has several elementary schools, a middle school, and Edgewood High School, which is home to two special magnet programs: the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and the Academy of Finance.

US Route 40 leads southwest to White Marsh and northeast to Aberdeen. Maryland Route 24 begins at an entrance to Aberdeen Proving Ground in the southern part of the CDP and leads north to Bel Air, the Harford County seat. Edgewood also has commuter rail access via the Edgewood MARC station, providing convenient connections to Baltimore and the broader region.

Notable people from Edgewood include actor Johnathon Schaech, former MLS goalkeeper Zach Thornton, NFL offensive lineman Brandon Albert, former Maryland state legislator B. Daniel Riley, and musician and film director Frank Zappa.

The Gunpowder Meetinghouse and Presbury Meetinghouse, located within the grounds of Edgewood Arsenal, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Bosely Conservancy, one of two areas of the Otter Point Creek Component, is 350 acres of wet wooded forest open from dawn to dusk, offering outdoor recreation for residents and visitors alike.

Edgewood, Maryland