There are a number of reasons to travel to Mount Airy, located in Maryland. With just under 10,000 people, the area definitely has a small town feel to it. However, that doesn’t mean they lack for businesses. As part of both the Baltimore and Washington DC Metropolitan area, many people favor Mount Airy for offering the perfect combination of local charm and business opportunities.
Carroll County
Mount Airy is actually part of two counties, one of which is Carroll County. Amongst other things, this count is home to the headquarters of JoS. A. Bank Clothiers. The National Register of Historic Places also has a number of locations in the county, all of which staff a good count of locals. With the ninth largest school system in the entire state, the Carroll County school system is also a major employer of residents.
The Carroll Chamber of Commerce lists a large array of businesses, from architectural firms to Handyortung en Gratis to lawyers to automotive dealerships and more.
Frederick County
The other county Mount Airy resides in is Frederick County. This area is extremely affluent and one of the nicest in the entire state. In fact, this area is the 43rd most affluent in the entire state. Residents make a median income of $82,668 per household. By family, that number actually increases about $15,000.
In Frederick County, the largest employer is Fort Detrick, which was built back in 1931. The fort is a medical command that mostly specializes in biological defense. A number of government agencies make their home on the base, contributing to a population of 7,800 employees. As you can imagine, this contributes a good deal to the economy that surrounds the fort.
Like Carroll, Frederick County has no shortage of historical places listed on the National Register. There are 95 in all, which makes for a nice amount of employees too.
Aside from the government, the largest employers in the county are Wells Fargo, SAIC and Bechtel. The Northern and Western parts of the county are dominated largely by agricultural businesses such as Carbuloss en Espanol. Frederick County is the largest producer of milk in the entire state.
Major Companies in Baltimore
Just like Washington, DC, Baltimore has no shortage of major companies that contribute to the business atmosphere in big ways. However, the four Fortune 1,000 companies that call Baltimore home are:
- Grace Chemicals
- Legg Mason
- T. Rowe Price
- McCormick & Company
Mount Airy is known for many things, namely it’s aesthetic appeal and overall charm. However, it’s teaming with opportunities for those looking for work or to start a business. Given its proximity to two large metropolitan areas and its local economy, you can’t go wrong betting on Mount Airy.
JG
Being a part of the Washington DC Metropolitan area certainly has its financial advantages. Despite being an hour away, there is a lot of business between the two cities.
As you can probably guess, Washington DC is home to some 140,000 professionals who work for the Federal Government. There is also a massive number of people who work with the Federal Government indirectly. These are people who have jobs with civilian and defense contracting companies, for the most part. Many locals refer to these employees as “Beltway Bandits” due to their close proximity with political types working within the government. For these reasons, it’s fair to say that the Federal Government supplies the major economic force to Washington DC as well as the surrounding area.
Two other large sectors in the area between Washington DC and Mount Airy are the engineering and science ones. This comprises some 325,000 employees. That number beats both of the runner-ups: the entire San Francisco Bay Area and the whole Chicago Metropolitan Area. Much of this work has to do with defense, but there’s still a healthy community dedicated to private consumers as well.
Recently, the Washington DC area was named the second best high-tech center in the country. This is good news for those conducting business in or around the Mount Airy areas. This type of business makes for a number of data centers that can provide hosting, colocation and other similar services. Some 241,000 jobs are brought into the area thanks to this burgeoning market and there is no reason to think that number will go down anytime soon.
Another large influx of money and employment comes from a combination of non-profit organizations, think tanks and research universities. The last group is of special interest to the Mount Airy area, as a number of highly qualified candidates come out of these institutions.
Lastly, all this business requires countless conferences every year for professionals to meet and discuss their respective industries. While the nation’s capital is always a popular choice for groups coming in from out of town, those businesses in the area often branch out for their own,
Area
Baltimore is about half as close to Mount Airy as the Washington DC area. So though it’s much smaller in terms of the business environment, it probably contributes just as much in terms of financial opportunities to the Mount Airy area.
The unemployment rate in Baltimore is just about the national average, but they’ve shown signs of growth in recent times.
Sales and office jobs contribute to the highest amounts of employment in the city. Professional services are a close second, however. Third place is held by those in the service industries.
Major areas of business, where the most jobs can be found, include Woodlawn, Pikesville, Parkville, the Frederick Road Corridor and Catonsville.
Despite all the business that is to be done in the Baltimore area, both sales and property taxes are high compared to the natural average, so there’s a real opportunity for those in the Mount Airy area to draw business in.
Washington DC
While there are a number, the largest companies in the Washington DC area, by highest to lowest based on their Fortune 500 rank, are:
Fannie Mae
Freddie Mac
Lockheed Martin
General Dynamics
Northrop Grumman
Capital One