Due to the limited size of watersheds, wide-stream beds and general topography, flood elevations are relatively modest in Caroline County. When flooding does occur, it is typically low in velocity and destructive potential. Much of this land is also wetland and otherwise unsuitable for development. In the unincorporated portions of Caroline County, there is relatively little existing development in the flood plain. Little future development in these areas is anticipated due to the general unsuitability of most of this land for development, as well as the County land-use restrictions now in effect. The only portion of the County with a substantial flooding problem is the Town of Federalsburg. About one-third of the community lies within the flood plain of the Marshy hope Creek, including almost the entire downtown business district. In addition, a limited residential area in Greensboro is also located in the flood plain of the Choptank River.

Over half (57.4%) of Dorchester County lies within the 1%-chance floodplain. The vast majority of the floodplain area in the County is tidal floodplain areas susceptible to flooding by high tides, hurricane storms, and on-shore winds. As of 2016, 28.6% of the county’s residential properties intersected the 1%-chance floodplain area. The county has taken several important steps to increase its resilience to floods, particularly the adoption of a floodplain management ordinance that requires new construction to be built at least 2 feet above the predicted 1%-chance flood height.

Floodplains in Talbot County are located primarily in the western portion of the county along the various necks and Chesapeake Bay shoreline. Small areas of floodplains are located further inland in association with perennial streams, and near southeast portion of the Choptank and Tuckahoe Rivers. Virtually all land west of Route 50 is in the 1%-chance floodplain. Construction is discouraged but permitted in Flood Zone A as long as code requirements are met.

The region has a variety and abundance of groundwater resources. The Mid-Shore Region experienced one of the wettest summers in recorded history in 2003. However, the Mid- Shore Region is situated on vast aquifers. The entire Shore has the availability of 1 million gallons of water a day, and Dorchester County has the availability of 5 million gallons of water a day.

Historically, one of the most significant natural resources in the region was its forest lands. This remains true today; however, the industry that provides markets for products harvested from forests has declined in recent decades and impacts the ability of landowners to invest in this natural asset. The woodlands are of high quality for forestry and ecological purposes, providing significant value for habitat, water quality and wood production potential. Lacking is a diversity of markets to support the cost of managing these forests to their full potential. In 2010 new land use categories were added to the data collection process by the Maryland Department of Planning as it relates to forested lands, and 2002 and 2010 data were updated. Caroline County went from 60,162 acres in 2002 to 59,122 acres in 2010, which is a loss of 1.7%. Dorchester County went from 127,209 acres to 126,705 acres, which is a loss of 0.4% from 2002 to 2010. Talbot County had 41,270 acres in 2002 and 40,513 acres in 2010, which is a loss of 1.8%.

In the Mid-Shore Region there are 336,840 acres of land in farms which includes both cropland and forest lands (Census of Agriculture 2022). Farm lands play an important role in the natural environment by providing critical wildlife habitat. Their presence in the region adds to the area of open spaces and plays an important role in the region’s economy. According to the most recent Agricultural Census, the amount of land in farms in Caroline County decreased by 13% between 2017 and 2022, and the number of Caroline County farms decreased in 2022 to 525 from 588 in 2017. The amount of land in farms in Dorchester County decreased by 2% from 2017 to 2022, and the number of farms decreased from 371 farms in 2017 to 366 farms in 2022. The amount of land in farms in Talbot County increased by 2.7% and the number of farms increased by 11.2% from 317 farms in 2017 to 357 farms in 2022.

The natural environment has been one of the region’s greatest assets in terms of quality of life and potential for developing natural resource-based industry clusters. Ironically, this factor also limits the development of the area. The region’s unspoiled nature has attracted a large number of visitors and new residents. Conservation efforts to retain open space for all its attendant values are aggressively pursued in the Mid-Shore. Both forested and agricultural land is often 'targeted' for protection, which, depending on the particular easement, can actually result in removing portions of productive forest and farm lands from operation. The farming community is concerned that these conservation measures may retire prime farmland. The challenge will be to preserve the unique characteristics of the Mid-Shore region while still providing services to an ever-growing population.

In Caroline County, the largest proportion of land has traditionally been agricultural and only a small percentage of farmland is included in agricultural preservation lands. Land for single-family residential development has been and will continue to be taken from the available agricultural lands. Little changes in commercial or industrial land use areas are expected. Current zoning for rural areas allows one dwelling per 20 acres, As a result of Smart Growth policies, and a stronger focus on land preservation, it is anticipated that low density growth can be slowed, but not stopped. The planning department has noted that as more growth continues in the state and region, more land will be lost to development of the expensive resource lands.

In Dorchester County, 90 percent of the land is zoned agricultural and resource conservation area with the remaining 10 percent residential and commercial. The County continues to experience scattered development. The County’s comprehensive plan states that new growth is targeted to designated growth areas, particularly the Route 50 and Route 16 corridor. Significant opportunities exist for expansion of existing industrial parks.

Most of the growth in Talbot County is in and around the towns. The population of Easton represents one-third of the County’s population and the population in incorporated towns represents approximately 50 percent of the County’s population. Thirty-percent of its land mass is in the Critical area, which is one of the highest proportions of any county in the State. In the Critical Area, only one housing unit per 20 acres may be constructed. Fifty percent of the land in the County is agricultural. Therefore, 80 to 85 percent of the County is in low density development. The balance of the County consists of rural communities and one small cluster development. The County is beginning to see evidence of a minimal amount of sprawl with increasing development around towns.

Caroline County

According to the Maryland Statistical Analysis Center (MSAC), total crime in Caroline County was down by 47.4 percent in 2017 from its level in 1999. According to the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention in 2017, the last 3 years saw a reduction of violent crime in Caroline County by 46.7%.

Source: Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, 2019

In Caroline County, municipal police departments exist in Denton, Federalsburg, Preston, Ridgely and Greensboro. The County Sheriff’s Department is involved in a number of creative community policing initiatives. There are at present 17 Neighborhood Watches with an additional Neighborhood Watch being set up. In addition, a Citizens’ Police Academy is in operation in the County, and is targeted primarily to senior citizens, although not limited to seniors. The purpose of the Citizens’ Police Academy is to teach citizens safe habits and how to cooperate with the police in ensuring that their lives are unaffected by crime. In addition, the Sheriff’s Department operates a program called Reality, which is similar to the D.A.R.E. program in teaching drug and alcohol resistance. Teen Court and TRIAD have also been implemented by the Caroline County Sheriff’s Department. Dorchester Violent crime was down overall by 6.5 percent for Dorchester County in 2017 as compared to 1999. In the 3 years preceding 2017, Dorchester County saw an increase in total crime of 16.2 percent and a rise in property crime of 12.1 percent. Additionally from 2008-2017, breaking and entering decreased by 31.5 percent and larceny/thefts increased by 15.1 percent.