Originally a planned community, Crofton was established in 1964 in Anne Arundel County with a population of
about 28,000.
Voted the #1 Place to Live in Anne Arundel County by Niche.com in 2020.
A Taste of History
In 1963 the Crawford Company had obtained 1600 acres of land and announced they would be planning the
community that would be anchored by a golf course. Crofton was officially founded in the fall of 1964.
Originally a gated community, the town was opened and the gates now stand only as a symbol.
Money magazine named Crofton in the 'Top 100 Places to Live" twice. The first time in 2007 they ranked
72nd, and then again in 2011 they ranked 82nd.
Just a few of the Local Attractions
In Crofton you will find the Katcef Archeological Site, an archaeological site with native camp sites ranging
from the Paleo-Indian Clovis period to the late Woodland period. In 1991 it was listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
Located next to Crofton Middle School and the planned location for Crofton High School, Linthicum Walks
is owned by Anne Arundel County, run by the Department of Recreation & Parks and is currently being
restored. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Linthicum Walks is a home built
over 200 years ago by Thomas Linthicum III, and George Washington reportedly stayed here during his travels to and
from Annapolis and Philadelphia and his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
The birthplace of Johns Hopkins, the entrepreneur and philanthropist whose greatest legacy is the
funding of Johns Hopkins University. The Hopkins family was in the Crofton area for 270 years and
accumulated more than 1,000 acres of land. The historic house, built in the late 1700s, still exists near the
corner of Riedel Road and Johns Hopkins Road.
Geography
The original community of Crofton was built within a triangle formed by three major roads: Crain
Highway (MD Rte 3) to the northwest, Davidsonville Road (MD Rte 424) to the northeast, and Defense
Highway (MD Rte 450) to the south. Within the triangle, Crofton Parkway, a loop road 3.5 miles long,
encircles the center of the community.
The Little Patuxent River borders Crofton on its southwest corner at the intersection of Rte 3 and Rte 450,
providing a buffer between Anne Arundel and Prince Georges counties.
Community parks:
Bell Branch Dog Park
Crofton Down Park
Crofton Park
Crofton Park Fields
Swann Park
Walden Neighborhood Park
Distances
Fort Meade - 12.7 miles
US Naval Academy - 13.2 miles
NSA - 17.1 miles
BWI International Airport - 18.1 miles
Washington DC - 23.5 miles
Joint Base Andrews - 23.7 miles
Baltimore - 26.4 miles
Pentagon - 26.6 miles
Schools
Crofton Elementary School
Crofton Meadows Elementary School
Crofton Woods Elementary School
Nantucket Elementary School
Arundel High School
South River High School