Fort Meade, Maryland
census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States
Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,324 at the 2020 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command and the Defense Information Systems Agency, which are located on the U.S. Army post Fort George G. Meade.
Geography
Fort Meade is located at 39°6′18″N 76°44′29″W (39.105015, −76.741260) in northwestern Anne Arundel County. It is located between the cities of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and is located approximately 20 minutes from the state capital of Annapolis. It is bounded on the northwest by the Baltimore–Washington Parkway (Maryland Route 295) and on the south and southwest by the Patuxent Freeway (Maryland Route 32), which leads southeast towards Annapolis and northwest to Columbia. Exit 38A off Interstate 95 (in adjacent Howard County) also offers access to here.
Adjacent CDPs and communities
Annapolis Junction
Hanover
Jessup
Laurel
Linthicum
Maryland City
Odenton
Patuxent Research Refuge
Seven Oaks
Severn
Bedroom towns
Columbia
Crofton
Crownsville
Davidsonville
Edgewater
Elkridge
Ellicott City
Gambrills
Glen Burnie
Linthicum
Parole (near Annapolis)
Pasadena
Savage
Severna Park
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fort Meade has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Fort Meade had a population of 9,324.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Fort Meade, Maryland” as census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q755026. Authority coordinates are 39.105, -76.741. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Fort Meade, Maryland”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fort Meade, Maryland primary sources, Fort Meade, Maryland archive and Fort research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fort Meade, Maryland”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fort Meade, Maryland” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.