Maryland, one of the original 13. The state that helped birth this incredible nation of ours. It's one of the smallest states in overall area, but one of the most densely populated. It is considered by many to be the birthplace of religious freedom in America as it was here that George Calvert created a refuge for persecuted Catholics in England. It's right on Chesapeake Bay, which means that it's one of the most perfect places in the country for some of the freshest crab you can find. . It is also home to Baltimore, the city that inspired David Simon's remarkable HBO show, The Wire, which is one of the greatest, most incisive and well-made television shows ever.
It may be a small state, but that doesn't mean it can't also have some big things in it. For instance, did you know that the second-longest continuous truss bridge in the country is found in Baltimore? That's right, the Francis Scott Key Bridge is 1,200 feet long, nearly a quarter of a mile. It's just one of the things that Marylanders drive over as they log (on average) 14,373 miles annually on the 4.5 million registered cars in the state. Of course, the 1,743 dealerships with cars for sale help keep that going, charting nearly $12.5 billion in new car sales, and helping to generate 93,309 in auto industry jobs.
Being so old, Maryland naturally has plenty of weird idiosyncrasies. For instance, it's prohibited to spit on a sidewalk in Baltimore City. In Rockville, you can't swear while on the highway. Just be sure that, if you find yourself a radio DJ in Maryland, that you don't play Randy Newman's song Short People Got No Reason To Live. That's against the law.
