Population: 62,585 Municipal: 35,838 Unincorporated: 26,747 Office Market: 3 msf First Settled: 1649 Incorporated: 1708 Became Capital: 1694 Municipal Land Area: 7 sq miles Distance From DC: 32 miles

The first city in America to be laid out using the Baroque principles that would later guide Pierre L’Enfant’s plan for Washington, Annapolis was founded in 1649. By 1694 it was home to the colonial government of Maryland (previously located in Saint Mary's City). In 1696 Saint John's College (then King William's School) was founded, only the third college in the 13 colonies. In 1708 Annapolis was incorporated as a city by direct charter of England’s Queen Anne. The State House was constructed in 1780, making it the oldest US state capitol building still in use. In 1783-84 Annapolis served as capital of the United States. During that time Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized the United States as an independent nation. Annapolis would remain one of the larger cities in the country until around 1830, when it fell unalterably behind Baltimore and the triad of cities just below the Potomac’s fall line: Georgetown, Alexandria and Washington.

Compact and charming, Annapolis sometimes seems to have come from a storybook. The fact is not lost on tourists, however, and parts of the town, particularly Main Street, can feel unnaturally sterile. The Maryland and Anne Arundel County governments are responsible for most non-retail, non-academy jobs, giving Annapolis a government-town image that, accounting for size, rivals or exceeds that of Washington. The presence of the US Naval Academy exerts an enormous influence and while it contributes to the government-town image, paradoxically also gives Annapolis a bit of a college-town character. Realities of modern-day economics aside, Annapolis is a gorgeous town with an incredible wealth of lovely, historic buildings that qualify as ancient by American standards. It’s well worth a visit for anyone even remotely interested in architecture, history or city planning.