Happy Maryland Day! We love our great state for more reasons than we could possibly list here,  so we’ll abridge our love letter to Maryland with ‘Ten Reason to Fall in Love with Maryland Again and Again’. We might be a tad bit biased, after all wear our Maryland pride loudly and proudly, but who can argue with the facts: blue crabs, Smith Island Cake, history, celebrity status, and the BEST of the state flags. Oh Maryland, you keep doing you and we’ll keep on loving you.

1. The Maryland Flag

We’ll start with the most obvious – that flag! Adopted in 1904 and designed with Lord Baltimore’s Seal in mind, the Maryland flag is hands down the coolest of the state flags. What we really love about the Maryland flag though is how proudly residents wear it, be it on t-shirts, hats, towels, tattoos, bathing suits…the design is everywhere, and for good reason!

2. Waterworld

No we aren’t referring to the Kevin Costner movie that failed to deliver, we’re talking about the fact that 16 of the 23 Maryland counties border on tidal water. Maryland’s residents are fortunate enough to enjoy the beaches and the bays, which is a double win but it also means we are avid watermen. Fishing, crabbing, surfing, sailing, boating, canoeing, paddleboarding, kayaking, swimming…we get to do it all!

3. First to the Party

Call us trendsetters if you will, because Maryland was one of the original 13 colonies. The entire state is studded with historical sights, all of which are well worth the day trip to enjoy and explore.

4. Because Oprah

Did you know that Oprah actually got her start in Baltimore? The larger than life personality got her start working as a co-anchor on WJZ. That’s right Maryland, we helped shape Oprah’s future.

5. Words of Wisdom and Feats of Wonder

Oprah isn’t the only famous name to come out of Baltimore, in fact Maryland has produced a number of famous individuals. Two others that we would like to give nod to are Edgar Allen Poe and Babe Ruth. For our literary friends and our baseball enthusiasts, you’ll be glad to know that two of the greats in those respective categories came straight outta Maryland.

6. Birdland

And since we are talking about baseball…how about dem O’s hon! Camden Yards is arguably one of the best baseball stadiums in the country (ok, we are being very biased now). We love our state bird – the oriole – but we also have a love for ravens (ahem, looking at you here Poe). Between our football and baseball teams, we have a LOT of pride for our local teams. Now if we could only get a basketball team…

7. Blue Crabs

Enough said.

8. Bridging the Gap(s):

Maryland is home to two very noteworthy bridges, one of which was dubbed one of the World’s Scariest Bridges. We are used to it at this point, but there are many, many people who have to pull over before crossing the Bay Bridge in order to have someone drive them across. There’s also the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, which has been called one of the seven engineering wonders of the world.

9. Geographical Diversity

In Maryland’s 10,460 square miles of land and water, there are beaches, farmlands, mountains, lakes, bays, and major metropolitan areas. Simply stated, we have it all! Not many state residents can say they hit the beach and the mountains in one day, but Marylanders can!

10. The Free State

One of Maryland’s nicknames is the ‘Free State,’ which apparently came to be because of Maryland’s long tradition of political freedom and religious tolerance, as well as Maryland’s opposition of prohibition.

Happy Maryland Day!