Annapolis is the capitol of the State of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. The city is populated by 38,394 people and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, 26 miles (42 km) south of Baltimore and about 29 miles (47 km) east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.
At one point, Annapolis was known as Anne Arundel’s Towne (named after the wife of Lord Baltimore). In 1694 it became the capital of the Maryland colony and was renamed to Annapolis after Princess Anne, soon to be Queen Anne. It officially became a city in 1708. Annapolis was the temporary capitol of the United States in 1783–1784 after the Treaty of Paris was signed. The Maryland State house where Congress met was built in 1772 and is still in use today!
