The International Student Blog

International students in Annapolis, Maryland will find that the state’s capital is a cultural city in the midst of two powerful, buzzing cities.

Situated on the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis is just 26 miles south of Baltimore and 29 miles east of Washington D.C.

With tons to do in Baltimore and D.C. international students studying in Maryland could take day trips with ease to both of the cities. But Annapolis has its own beauty which captivates more than four million visitors a year.

The capital was originally called Providence when it was settled by the Puritans.

From its colonial days, Annapolis earned the nickname “Athens of America” for its cultural activities and arts. It attracted a plethora of fashionable people during the mid 18th century, people like William Paca. Paca was a young lawyer who became one of the four Declaration of Independence signers from Maryland and governor of Maryland. The Paca House is one of the first five-part Georgian homes in Annapolis which has been restored. Students can take a 45 minute tour of the Paca House and experience how Paca and his family lived.

Today Annapolis is still a thriving cultural center as many international students will see. The capital is home to a number of theatres including the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Bay Theatre Company and Annapolis Opera, Inc and a variety of art galleries.

Annapolis is also home to St. John’s College. Founded in 1696, St. John’s College is the oldest school in Maryland, previously named King William School. It is the third oldest college/university in the United States and has one famous alumnus, Francis Scott Key, the author of the Star Spangled Banner.

Annapolis is also famous for being the location of the United States Naval Academy which was founded in 1845 by the Secretary of the Navy, George Bancroft. The Naval Academy schools midshipmen to become well trained officers.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 at 2:04 pm and is filed under International Student. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Written by Jenny Frankel

Jennifer is the Director of Financial Services at Envisage International. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Florida where she holds a Masters in International Business and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. She has lived and worked abroad in Chile, Costa Rica and London, and traveled extensively in South America, Europe and Asia.

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