Learn about the City of Annapolis, Maryland
The City of Annapolis, Maryland was founded in 1649. It is the capital of Maryland. They city is also the county seat of Anne Arundel County. Annapolis is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River. It is 25 miles south of the City of Baltimore, Maryland and about 30 miles east of the City of Washington, DC.
Annapolis served as the seat of the Confederation Congress (also known as the Second Continental Congress). The City also served as temporary capital of the United States in 1783–1784. At that time, General George Washington came before that body in the new Maryland State House. This is where he resigned his commission as commander of the Continental Army. A month later, the Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris of 1783. This ended the American Revolutionary War. Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States. The City and was also the site of the 1786 Annapolis Convention. The Convention issued a call to the states to send delegates for the Constitutional Convention to be held in Philadelphia.
The City offers a delightful combination of history and a zest for living. Visitors and residents can walk along the old brick sidewalks much as George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. Architecturally, Annapolis has some of the finest 17th and 18th Century buildings in the country. These homes include the residences of all four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Annapolis is the home of the United States Naval Academy. It was founded in 1845. It is also the home of St. John’s College, founded in 1696 as King William’s School. The school is the third oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
The city is a part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. It is relatively flat. The highest point is only 50 feet above sea level. The City has a total area of 8.10 square miles; 7.18 square miles is land and 0.92 square miles is water. Annapolis lies within the humid subtropical climate zone. The City has hot, humid summers and cool winters. It gets generous amounts of precipitation all year long. The low elevation and proximity to the Chesapeake Bay give it more moderate spring and summer temperatures and slightly less extreme winter lows than locations further inland.