The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development
The Pennsylvania State University
7 Armsby Building, University Park PA 16802-5602
814/863-4656(phone); 814/863-0586(fax)
Please send questions and comments to:
nercrd@psu.edu

Maryland

Land-Grant University Network

University of Maryland
- College of Agriculture and Natural Resources http://www.agnr.umd.edu/
- Cooperative Extension www.agnr.umd.edu/CES/
  The University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension Service maintains a comprehensive, web site with information and news on extension programs. The site includes a current, clickable calendar of extension-related events, timely extension tips, weather information, extension personnel, and current news items. The site also includes information on extension programs in 4-H youth development; farm development; family finance; field crops; food and nutrition; greenhouse, nursery, landscape, and turf; home, garden, and yard; leadership and government services; livestock, poultry, dairy, and horses; marketing and farm business management; and natural resources and the environment. Each category leads to relevant links to Maryland Cooperative Extension publications, University of Maryland web sites, and external web sites. The site includes extension publications, searchable by an extensive subject list. Publications are available in HTML or PDF format, or can be ordered from the extension office. The site also offers links to other extension sites.
- Library System http://www.lib.umd.edu/UMCP/
- University Website http://www.umd.edu/
University of Maryland —— Eastern Shore
- Agriculture Department http://www.umes.edu/~home/departments/agriculture_science/agriculture.html
- The Small Farm Institute http://skipjack.net/sfi/sfi.html
- University Website http://www.umes.edu/

Others

Allegany County http://gov.allconet.org/
The Allegany County government web site includes information on county departments and "quality of life" subjects, including weather, a telephone directory, libraries, and information on other county organizations and facilities.
Calvert County www.co.cal.md.us
The Calvert County web site offers a visitors' guide, information about the county history and government; services; recreation; finance; economic development; development, land use, and planning; and public safety. It also includes a list of links to other Maryland web sites.
Carroll County www.carr.org
Carroll Online is a service of the Carroll County Public Library and Carroll County government. It offers information on the library, the county government, cities and towns within Carroll County, education, services and organizations, business and agriculture (including economic development programs), health, news and weather, and visitor information. Each subject area includes contact information and more detailed subject areas.
Cecil County www.ccmagazine.org/cecilcounty.htm
The Cecil County government web site offers information on county offices and agencies, the board of county commissioners, and tourism information as well as information on the county's women's commission and the economic development organization. The economic development page includes charts and graphs citing county demographic and financial statistics as well as information on businesses and industrial sites within the county.
Dorchester County www.docogonet.com
Dorchester County's web site offers an overview and history of the county, and information on local government, services, and state legislators. The site also includes maps of the area, county commissioners' news, and links to other sites.
Economic Development Commission, Charles County www.govt.co.charles.md.us/edc
The Charles County Economic Development Commission web site includes information about general quality of life, location, business resources, business opportunities, available business sites, events, programs, development issues, and news. It also offers detailed statistical information, charts, and graphs on area demographics. The commission's newsletter, Charles County Quote, is available online in PDF format.
Economic Development, Salisbury-Wicomico www.swed.org
Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development is a public-private partnership promoting economic growth in rural Wicomico County. The web site offers extensive demographic information on the area; information on the infrastructure, financing, and incentives; information on selected industries in the area, on industrial sites, and a list of members. The entire site may also be viewed in German.
Economic Development, Worcester http://skipjack.net/le_shore/worcestr/
Worcester Economic Development serves Worcester County in eastern Maryland. The web site offers extensive information on location, communities, the economy, industrial sites, schools, health care, tourism, demographics, and business incentives. The site includes extensive data and statistics in each area, including some full reports available online in PDF format. It also contains a list of county links.
Economic Development Resource — M/Quest Maryland www.mquest.org
M/Quest is a public-private partnership of economic development proponents, designed to promote business in Maryland. The web site includes information on Maryland and its business environment, including location, workforce, quality of life, and tax issues. It includes links to economic development organizations, corporations, and state agencies.
Electronic Capital, Maryland's www.mec.state.md.us
The state of Maryland's official web site includes general information about the state, its history and government, tourism, technology in Maryland, and cultural heritage. It also offers links to state offices, agencies, and educational resources. The site also includes links to communities and counties in Maryland, including links to community facilities and organizations, organized by facility or organization type. Communities and counties are linked by name. County links include lists of links within those counties.
FORVM for Rural Maryland www.ruralforvm.state.md.us
The FORVM for Rural Maryland is a state rural development council serving as a partnership of federal, state and local government, together with the private sector, to improve the quality of life of citizens of rural Maryland by working to enhance collaborative relationships between governments and the private sector, conducting policy research and analysis, promoting regional cooperation, assisting rural communities in development of strategic visions, protecting and enhancing natural resources and cultural heritage of rural Maryland, and advocating priorities and needs of rural communities. The web site offers information about the FORVM, its board, and its goals. It also has a calendar and a list of links to other rural development resources within Maryland and at the federal level.
Frederick County www.co.frederick.md.us
The Frederick County web site includes information on county government, education, business, and the community. It includes a link to the county's Office of Economic Development (www.discoverfrederickmd.com), which includes information on the business climate, available properties, and general community information. Both sites offer links to other web sites.
Garrett County Economic Development gcjobs.co.garrett.md.us/
The Garrett County Office of Economic Development web site offers information on location, transportation, utilities, featured properties, workforce, quality of life, business incentives, and business funding resources. It includes a link to the Garrett County government home page (www.co.garrett.md.us), which includes more detailed information on the county government and community services.
Harford County www.co.ha.md.us/index.html
Harford County's web site is devoted to economic development within the county. It includes news and business information, as well as links to county agencies. The business guide offers internal links to departments and agencies dealing with business development, and includes an industrial site search page, a workforce information page, and a business assistance directory.
Historic Trust, Maryland http://www2.ari.net/mdshpo
The Maryland Historic Trust is the principal operating unit within the Division of Historical and Cultural Programs, which is an agency of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. The Trust assists in identifying, studying, evaluating, preserving, protecting, and interpreting the state's significant prehistoric and historic districts, sites, structures, cultural landscapes, heritage areas, cultural objects, and artifacts, as well as human and community traditions. The web site offers information on historic sites, the Division of Historical and Cultural Programs' library and archives, archaeology, historic preservation, and grants and loans. The site also includes a listing of MHT Press publications, which may be ordered from MHT, and a calendar of upcoming events. The sites also includes links to other sites both within Maryland and nationwide, organized by area and subject.
Howard County www.co.ho.md.us
Howard County's official web site offers information on news, meetings, events, and jobs, as well as detailed information on county government and business in Howard County. County publications are available online. The site offers links to other community web sites, as well as Maryland state government sites.
Housing and Community Development, Maryland Department of http://www.dhcd.state.md.us/
Kent County www.kentcounty.com
Kent County's web site is divided among the areas of business, government, community, and tourism. The business section of the site is a directory of Kent County businesses, arranged by type of business. The government section includes information on commissioners, economic development, parks and recreation, planning and zoning, and public works. The economic development page includes information on location, business assistance, taxes, and organizations.
Maryland Association of Counties www.mdcounties.org
The Maryland Association of Counties is a nonprofit organization representing all 24 Maryland counties, including Baltimore City. It promotes communication, provides special services, and advocates county issues, primarily at the state government level. The association's web site includes information about upcoming conferences and events, special services of the association, publications available through the association, legislative action, association affiliates, and a list of relevant links.
Maryland Manual Online www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/html/mmtoc.html
Published by the Maryland State Archives, the Maryland Manual Online is a searchable directory of Maryland's government, including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government, local governments, and the federal government. It includes information on the state budget, constitution, elections, political parties, and agencies. Local government pages include information on counties, intercounty agencies, and local municipalities, organized both by county and by name. Information includes a short description of the agency, government, or organization, along with contact information, including internet links and email addresses.
Natural Resources, Department of www.dnr.state.md.us
The Department of Natural Resources is a state agency to protect the natural resources and diverse landscape of Maryland. It operates programs focusing on the Chesapeake Bay, public lands, wildlife and plants, fish and shellfish, Natural Resources Policy, forests, and education. The DNR web site includes information on a wide variety of Maryland natural resources and programs; information about the department, its programs, history, and staff; an extensive list of publications available online; and a calendar of upcoming events. The site also offers news, contact information, and weather information. It includes a list of resources, including a small collection of links to related sites.
Park and Planning Commission, Maryland-National Capital www.mncppc.org
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency, which acquires, develops, maintains and administers a regional system of parks in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland, adjacent to the District of Columbia. The Commission also prepares and administers a General Plan for the physical development of most of the bi-county area and, in Prince George's County, conducts the public recreation program. The commission is divided into two boards, one serving Montgomery County and one serving Prince George's County. The web site offers information and news about the commission, the two boards it includes and links to other sites within the two counties.
Queen Anne County www.qac.org
Queen Anne's County's web site offers information on tourism, quality of life, location and climate, business development, government services, and demographics.
Rural Development Center, Maryland http://skipjack.net/le_shore/rural
Located at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the Rural Development Center assists community groups, non-profit organizations, local elected and appointed officials and private firms in developing plans, loans, grants, projects and programs for community and county vitality on the nine-county Eastern Shore of Maryland. The web site offers information on center programs and assistance in the areas of revolving loans, grant writing, product promotion, and heritage tourism. The site also includes an economic development newsletter, downloadable in PDF format, and links to other sites, organized by category.
SAILOR www.sailor.lib.md.us
Sailor is a public online network, connecting libraries, schools and government agencies on a searchable, indexed site. The project is sponsored by the Maryland Public Libraries. Sailor organizes Maryland and global links by subject area, and includes links to regional and community web sites. Its search tool searches a variety of Maryland online databases, including state databases, libraries, and web sites.
St. Mary County www.saintmaryscountymd.com
St. Mary County web site offers information on county history, county government, and tourism. It includes contact information, meeting minutes, and guides and forms available online.
Small Business Development Center Maryland — Southern Region www.sbdchelp.com
The Small Business Development Center is part of a statewide network supported by the Small Business Administration and the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. The program provides low- or no-cost guidance and training to help small business owners and potential owners. The web site offers information about the center and its work, and information on writing a business plan, starting a business, home-based businesses, expanding a business, and courses and seminars. It also includes a list of links to relevant sites, organized by subject.
Small Farm Institute http://skipjack.net/sfi/sfi.html
The Small Farm Institute, at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, coordinates research and extension outreach to evaluate and develop alternative agriculture technologies; develops marketing strategies to help maintain small family farm operations; and trains and educates local growers and technical specialists. Programs include education support, extension workshops, and research and development. The web site offers information about the Small Farm Institute and its programs, directions to the institute, information on the Hydroponics Greenhouse, and links to other web sites, organized by subject.
Somerset County www.skipjack.net/le_shore/somerset
Somerset County's home page offers information on accesses, communities, industrial locations, labor profile, education, business climate, quality of life, and a community profile. It includes an events calendar and links to other relevant sites.
Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland www.somd.lib.md.us/TCC
The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland is the regional planning development agency serving Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties, working to promote the social and economic development of the region, and environmental protection. The council's activities include research, information management, and the preparation of a regional plan. The council's web site includes information on the council and the counties it serves, statistical information, and information on other organizations within the area, including the Southern Maryland Agricultural Commission and the Southern Maryland Tobacco Board. It also includes news and bus information and schedules.
Washington County http://pilot.wash.lib.md.us/washco/index.html
The official Washington County web site includes information on county administration, county boards and commissions, the county commissioners, county attorney and county treasurer, economic development, and public safety issues. The Parks and Recreation Program Guide is available online in HTML format, as are county commissioners' meeting minutes. The economic development page includes information on building sites, industrial parks, and financial incentives, as well as an extensive list of links of relevance to business development in the area.