Charles County
Maryland

Charles County was created in 1658 by an Order in Council. There was also an earlier Charles County from 1650 to 1653, sometimes referred to in historic documents as Old Charles County. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore.

In April 1865, John Wilkes Booth made his escape through Charles County after shooting President Abraham Lincoln. He was on his way to Virginia.

In 1926, a tornado ripped through the county leaving 17 dead (including 13 schoolchildren). On April 28, 2002, another tornado destroyed much of downtown La Plata.

The county has several properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Among them are Green Park and Pleasant Hill, home of the Green and Spalding Families.

On December 4, 2004, an arson took place in the development of Hunters Brooke, a few miles southeast of Indian Head. The Hunters Brooke Arson was the largest residential arson in Maryland history.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 146,551 people, 51,214 households, and 38,614 families residing in the county.
The median income for a household in the county was $88,825 and the median income for a family was $98,560. The county seat is La Plata.