Arnold elected official, Arnold Delegate Tony McConkey has represented Anne Arundel County in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2003, and Arnold since redistricting and the 2014 elections. Tony will be running for re-election in the next state elections in 2018. Tony is the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee and was formerly the Vice Chairman of the Anne Arundel County Delegation.
Aug 19, 2013 – Big Vanilla In Arnold To Become Greater Annapolis Family Center Y – Sun
Arnold Churches
Annapolis Church of Christ
Asbury United Methodist Church
Broadneck Evangelical Presbyterian
College Parkway Baptist Church
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
New Hope Chapel
Arnold Post Office
21012
Arnold Schools
Arnold Elementary School
Broadneck Elementary School
The Goddard School
Magothy River Middle School
Severn River Middle School
Arnold History –
The early settlement of Arnold, an area between the Magothy and Severn rivers, began with the farm of John Arnold. Arnold, a veteran of the War of 1812, acquired 300 acres (1.2 km2) on the north side of the Severn River
A partial history from the Arnold Preservation Council:
Arnold Comes of Age Post World War II
After World War II a great change took place in Arnold and Anne Arundel County. The national trend toward suburbia had begun. Encouraged by government-sponsored housing loans and much improved highway systems, people could now afford to work in the city and have a short commute to “the good life” in the country. The suburban sprawl began creeping down Ritchie Highway toward Arnold. There was land available, and no zoning laws to control development. Truck farming was on the decline; and farmers, whose land was in great demand, began selling to developers. As many as 100 building permits were being issued per day. In 1952 the first Comprehensive Zoning was adopted, and the land on four corners of the Arnold Road intersection with Ritchie Highway was zoned commercial.
Arnold Elementary School fifth and sixth graders published a booklet called “Getting to Know Your Community” in 1953, in which the students report;
Arnold began as a community of privately built and individually owned
homes, varying from very small one-story bungalows to small two-story
houses of five or six rooms. However, it is now experiencing a rapid rise
of new housing developments, known as Belvedere Heights, Rupert Manor,
and Terrace Gardens. These are separate frame dwellings, each with its
own yard, sewerage system, and water supply. The only settlement with a
community water system is Pines-on-Severn. All the communities have
electricity and provide telephone service to those who desire it. Only a
rather small area is served by the gas line, although bottled gas may be had
in any part of Arnold.
Although Arnold does not have a resident physician or dentist at the present
time, we are looking forward to having Dr. de Quavade open an office in the
building next to the Post Office.
The Arnold area is largely rural, and therefore the problem of garbage
disposal is a relatively unimportant one. Most people have enough property to
dispose of their own rubbish.
In 1953, with the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and US Route 50 leading to the more rural Eastern Shore, Arnold was embraced by two major highways. One highway going east and west and one highway going north and south split the Broadneck peninsula both ways. And Arnold began to “come of age.” Planned residential developments took the place of farms. Controlling growth became a primary concern to the citizens of the Arnold area. The residents of Arnold wanted desperately to preserve their quality of life. In 1959 representatives of local community associations met to form the Broadneck Council.
The old county commissioner form of government was unable to cope with the new demands of over-crowded schools, poor roads, lack of zoning, and inadequate sewage disposal and dependable water supply. Finally, in 1964, the voters of Anne Arundel County approved a new charter government replacing the county commissioners with a county executive and a county council.
The 1960s ushered in the period of unequaled population growth. Arnold became the site of bedroom communities for Baltimore and Washington. Because Arnold has no focal point, as well as its rural neighborly heritage, it has become very community oriented. Each community usually has a community association which plans activities around home and children. Names of the approximately thirty organized communities should indicate the “close to nature” feeling of the area. Those names like Bay Hills, Campus Green, Dividing Creek, Hunters Point, Moorings on the Magothy, Severnview, Shore Acres, Terrace Gardens, Twin Harbors express a certain feel for the land.
Arnold is home to Anne Arundel Community College. The college started with night classes enrolling 270 students at Severna Park High School in 1961. In 1967 the school moved to its 165 acre campus off College Parkway in Arnold. The school was awarded full accreditation in 1968. The campus now includes 230 acres with a current enrollment of 14,699 students.
Increasing from a one-room school at the corner of Baltimore and Annapolis Boulevard and Church Road in 1878, Arnold now has five elementary schools. There are also a middle school, a junior high school, and a senior high school. In addition, there are private pre-schools, elementary schools, and academies.
As a result of the 1952 zoning changes, the Arnold Road intersection now has 2 filling stations, a Safeway Store, 4 banks, a furniture store, and the Arnold Station shopping center, complete with a MacDonald’s . Bay Hills Shopping Center and Cape St. Claire Shopping Center also supply Arnold with goods and services. Other individual businesses such as Special Beginnings Birth and Women’s Center and the YWCA have established themselves on Baltimore and Annapolis Boulevard. Providence Center, Inc. has two locations in Arnold. One of the newest businesses is Neil McGarvey’s Arnold Professional Pharmacy. Formerly at the Safeway pharmacy, Neil wanted to serve the customers better and be more personally helpful, so he opened his own business in Arnold Station shopping center.
According to the census bureau, Arnold has a total area of 13.4 square miles, of which 10.8 square miles of it is land and 2.6 square miles of it is water. The 2000 census reports 23,422 people living in Arnold. Combined with Cape St. Claire’s 7,878 year-round residents, the Arnold portion of Broadneck supports 31,300 people. Twenty three churches are listed in the phone book. At least 45 doctors practice in Arnold. There are 12 marinas in Arnold. Broadneck Park is free and open to the public. Almost every organized community has a playground and/or community pool. The Baltimore Annapolis Trail connects Arnold with Annapolis and Severna Park.
Along with the improvements that growth has brought to Arnold, there is a downside. Miles of traffic back-ups on Ritchie Highway, Route 50 leading to and from the Bay Bridge, and the Severn River bridge create frayed tempers and late appointments. Schools are overcrowded and in need of repair, and uncontrolled storm water runoff is polluting our rivers. Once again, controlling growth is a prime consideration of the residents of Arnold. Community associations have banded together in such groups as Arnold Preservation Council, Growth Action Network, Magothy River Association, and Broadneck Federation of Community Associations to be watch dogs for the area. The groups monitor traffic, land use and development issues, encourage active stewardship of the Magothy and Severn Rivers, and support local small businesses.
To read more about the history of Arnold, please visit The Arnold Preservation Council