La Plata, MD
| La Plata, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
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Charles County Courthouse
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 Location of La Plata, Maryland |
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| Coordinates: 38°32′3″N 76°58′24″W / 38.53417°N 76.97333°WCoordinates: 38°32′3″N 76°58′24″W / 38.53417°N 76.97333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| County | Charles |
| Incorporated | 1888 |
| Founded by | Colonel Samuel Chapman |
| Named for | Río de la Plata |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.45 sq mi (19.30 km2) |
| • Land | 7.40 sq mi (19.17 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 190 ft (58 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 8,753 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 9,239 |
| • Density | 1,200/sq mi (450/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 20646 |
| Area code(s) | 301 |
| FIPS code | 24-45750 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0585340 |
| Website | www |
La Plata /ləˈpleɪtə/ is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,753 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Charles County.
According to one of several legends, the town was given its name by Colonel Samuel Chapman, whose family owned 6,000 acres (24 km2) of land in Southern Maryland, including what would become the areas of La Plata and Port Tobacco. The Colonel traveled to Central and South America with his son George, who had contracted tuberculosis, in search of a cure. In his travels, the Colonel was impressed with the La Plata River in Argentina, so he decided to name a portion of his property "La Plata" after the river.
The town was founded in 1888 after the river flowing into the previous county seat, Port Tobacco (a few miles to the west), silted up, ending that town's utility as a port. At the same time, a new railroad line made La Plata attractive as a new county seat location. The courthouse was built there after the Port Tobacco courthouse burned down (arson suspected, but unproven). Christ Episcopal Church was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt in La Plata. In 1940 the opening of the then "Potomac River Bridge" (later renamed the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge), which carries U.S. Route 301 over the Potomac River, provided a link to Virginia and brought many long-distance east coast thru-travelers through the town as an alternative to using urban U.S. 1 and, later, the often-congested Interstate 95.
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