Queen Anne’s County, Maryland

Queen Anne’s County is a county in Maryland, United States, on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, anchored by Kent Island at the foot of the Bay Bridge. It had a population of 49,874 at the 2020 census and covers 511 square miles (1,320 km2), of which 372 square miles (960 km2) is land, centred near 39°02′N 76°05′W.

Centreville is the county seat, and its postal code is 21617. The county has 8 incorporated towns, 6 census-designated places, and dozens of small unincorporated communities and residential subdivisions. Queen Anne’s County uses the Eastern time zone.

Towns & Villages in Queen Anne’s County

Queen Anne’s County has 8 incorporated towns, 6 census-designated places (CDPs) recognized by the Census Bureau, and a long roster of small unincorporated communities, waterfront developments, and named subdivisions across the Eastern Shore countryside. Most of the smaller entries below are place names on maps and postal directories rather than separately governed communities; the county government has no jurisdiction below the town level outside those 8 municipalities.

Several waterfront developments split names across the Wye and Chester rivers — Queen Anne Colony, Queen Anne Woods, Queen Annes Acres, Queen Annes Circle, Queen Annes Estates, and Queen Annes on Wye are all distinct subdivisions near the town of Queen Anne, not the town itself. Millington and Templeville, two of the county’s 8 incorporated towns, sit mostly across the line in Kent and Caroline counties and are listed here for completeness.

ZIP Codes

• 21617 — Centreville (also serves the county government center)
• 21666 — Stevensville (Kent Island’s most populous ZIP)
• 21619 — Chester (Kent Island)
• 21638 — Grasonville, including Kent Narrows
• 21658 — Queenstown
• 21657 — Queen Anne
• 21623 — Church Hill
• 21668 — Sudlersville
• 21607 — Barclay
• 21628 — Crumpton (PO Box ZIP)
• 21644 — Ingleside (PO Box ZIP)
• 21656 — Price (PO Box ZIP)

Kingstown and Romancoke share their ZIP codes with neighboring Centreville and Stevensville respectively, since neither has its own post office.

Geography

Queen Anne’s County occupies the northern half of the Delmarva Peninsula’s Eastern Shore, split between the mainland and Kent Island, which the county shares with no other jurisdiction. The Chester River forms much of the county’s northern edge and the Wye River cuts into its southern shore; the Chesapeake Bay forms the entire western boundary, crossed by the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge (the Bay Bridge) at Kent Island. Terrain is flat to gently rolling coastal plain, given over largely to row-crop farmland and tidal marsh.

Queen Anne’s County borders Kent County to the north, Kent County, Delaware to the northeast, Talbot County to the south, Caroline County to the southeast, and Anne Arundel County across the Chesapeake Bay to the west.

Demographics

Queen Anne’s County had a population of 49,874 at the 2020 census, up from earlier decades as Kent Island’s commuter subdivisions filled in. Stevensville and Chester, both on Kent Island, are the county’s two largest population centers. Population density works out to roughly 134 people per square mile of land. Current federal estimates for the county’s median household income were not verified for this profile; for context, the Maryland statewide median is $98,678.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture remains central to the county’s economy away from Kent Island — grain, soybeans, and broiler-chicken production dominate the mainland, supplying Delmarva’s poultry-processing industry. Kent Narrows is the county’s tourism and seafood hub, with working watermen’s docks alongside restaurants and marinas that draw Bay Bridge traffic bound for the ocean beaches. Centreville anchors county government and a historic downtown; many residents commute west across the Bay Bridge to Annapolis and the Baltimore-Washington corridor.

History

Queen Anne’s County was organized in 1706, named for Queen Anne of Great Britain, who reigned when the county was created out of Talbot County land. Centreville, laid out in 1782, has served as county seat since the courthouse relocated there from the older river-landing town of Queenstown. The county’s modern character shifted sharply after 1952, when the opening of the original Bay Bridge connected Kent Island directly to Annapolis and turned a once-isolated farming and watermen’s community into a bedroom suburb.

Getting There

US 50/301 crosses the county via the Bay Bridge and Kent Island before splitting toward Ocean City (US 50) and Delaware (US 301) at Queenstown; Maryland Route 213 runs north-south through Centreville and Church Hill.

• Annapolis — 10 miles west across the Bay Bridge
• Easton — 20 miles south
• Chestertown — 15 miles north
• Dover, Delaware — 30 miles northeast

The nearest commercial airport is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), about 35 miles northwest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Queen Anne’s County?
It is on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, immediately across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Annapolis.

What is the population of Queen Anne’s County?
49,874 at the 2020 census.

How big is Queen Anne’s County?
511 square miles (1,320 km2) total, of which 372 square miles is land and the rest is Chesapeake Bay and tidal river water.

What is the county seat of Queen Anne’s County?
Centreville is the county seat.

How many towns are in Queen Anne’s County?
8 incorporated towns, plus 6 census-designated places and many smaller unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Queen Anne’s County?
Centreville is 21617; other towns and CDPs include Stevensville 21666, Chester 21619, Grasonville 21638, Queenstown 21658, and Church Hill 21623.

Why is Queen Anne’s County named that?
It was named for Queen Anne of Great Britain, who was reigning when the county was organized in 1706.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Maryland.