Solomons, also known as Solomons Island, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,368 at the 2010 census, up from 1,536 in 2000. Solomons is a popular weekend destination spot in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area.
Geography
Solomons is located at the southern tip of Calvert County at (38.336431, −76.464102). It includes Solomons Island and mainland on the north side of the mouth of Patuxent River, where it meets the Chesapeake Bay. It is just across from the U.S. Naval Air Station Patuxent River (on the south side of the mouth of the Patuxent River). The city also included the west and south part of the Dowell Peninsula.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Solomons CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 14.76%, is water, consisting mainly of Back Creek, a tidal inlet that extends north from the Patuxent River.
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, Solomons has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Monthly average temperatures on Solomons Island range from 36.7 °F in January to 78.7 °F in July.
History
Early settlers
Originally called Bourne's Island (1680), then Somervell's Island (1740), Solomons takes its name from 19th century Baltimore businessman Isaac Solomon, who established a cannery there shortly after the Civil War. Solomon's home still stands on the front of the island.
The area has been inhabited since colonial times.
Shipbuilding and maritime activity
In the 19th century, shipyards developed to support the island's fishing fleet. The Marsh Shipyard built schooners and sloops but became famous for its bugeyes, the forerunner of the skipjack. In the War of 1812, Commodore Joshua Barney's flotilla sailed from here to attack British vessels on Chesapeake Bay. The deep, protected harbor has been a busy marine center ever since. Kronprinzessin Cecilie, a 1906-built German ocean liner which during World War I was commandeered (and renamed Mount Vernon (ID-4508) by the US, was laid up at Solomons in 1920.
Supporting the U.S. Navy during World War II
During World War II, the island was chosen by the Allied command as the site for Naval Amphibious Training Base Solomons. The lessons learned at Solomons proved invaluable on D-Day, at Tarawa, at Guadalcanal, and in numerous other military operations. Three naval bases were established at the mouth of the Patuxent River. These three facilities made a major contribution to the war effort and brought new jobs to local residents. Between 1942 and 1945, the population of Solomons increased from 263 to more than 2,600. Over 60,000 troops trained at Solomons during the war.
Coincidentally, many of the servicemen who trained at the Solomons base in Maryland were sent to fight in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Solomons was the site of the following U.S. Navy activities during the war: Naval Mine Warfare Test Station, now the Solomons Annex Naval Recreation Center Naval Amphibious Training Base, now Calvert Marine and Harbours Point Park Mine Warfare Experimental Station Naval Dispensary, at Naval Amphibious Training Base
Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge
Solomons was a rather isolated boat-building town housing the University of Maryland Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, until 1977 when the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge was built. The bridge leads from just off Solomons Island proper to St. Mary's County and the Patuxent Naval Air Station.
Tourism
The town now welcomes tourists with numerous marinas, seafood restaurants, gift shops, a boardwalk, a sculpture garden, the Calvert Marine Museum where visitors can climb atop a former lighthouse, board harbor cruises, and hear occasional outdoor concerts by famous performers. Solomons also has three major hotels, a U.S. Navy family recreation center, and a church retirement home. St. Peter's Chapel is an historic 1889 Carpenter Gothic-style church that is still in use.