Has this ever happened to you? When you’re elsewhere and someone asks you where you’re from, you say St. Mary’s County or Southern Maryland. The next response is almost predictable… Where’s that? Or more specifically, isn’t that on the Eastern Shore?

You say no, and proceed to describe our location relative to a more recognized landmark like Washington DC, Baltimore, Annapolis, Richmond, the lower western “shore,” etc. You may even use hand gestures or grab a piece of paper to sketch out the geography of Maryland. Eventually the person asking says okay, I see, you’re south of the DC beltway on a peninsula surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Heads nod and you realize how difficult it is to explain. This happens quite often.

When one says the Eastern Shore or Western Maryland or the Northern Neck of the Delmarva Peninsula, these labels are generally understood both geographically and even descriptively in terms of key characteristics. For example, Western Maryland conjures up a mental picture of the mountains. Southern Maryland shares many physical attributes with the Eastern Shore, especially access to the water so it’s not as easy for others to differentiate.

Working with our counterparts in Calvert and Charles Counties, we’ve begun a process to locationally brand Southern Maryland. As the fastest growing region in the state the time has come to better identify where we are. In the process we’ll better define who we are to others. Of course we already know this because we live here, but as we go forward into the future, this could definitely help those unfamiliar with us, particularly those within the state or mid-Atlantic region. Our goal for locationally branding is to get to the point where “Southern Maryland” becomes self-explanatory.

This will take some time, and it is not a new initiative. But with a growing regional population now exceeding 1/3 million, along with comparable growth rates in business population to employ and support the region the time has come to give ourselves more identity.

We welcome any suggestions on this. I’m interested in any tips or ways to answer the questions, “Where is Southern Maryland (or St. Mary’s County)?

Have another great week.