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is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland. It is 23 miles SSE of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area was 22,311 at the 2000 census. Waldorf was settled before 1900 as a rural crossroads with a train station and was called "Beantown" after a local family. Waldorf is now largely subsumed by the large planned community of St. Charles.
Waldorf is either named after the town of Walldorf, Germany, or has a similar derivation: that is, either a German word meaning "forest village," or named after the Waldenses, a 12th Century religious sect. Once a tobacco market village, it came to prominence in the 1950s as a gambling destination after slot machines were legalized in Charles County in 1949. The boom lasted until 1968 when gambling was once again outlawed. Its subsequent substantial growth as a residential community began with a 1970 loan package from the Department of Housing and Urban Development which fueled the giant planned community of St. Charles, south of Waldorf.
Waldorf is predominantly a bedroom community for many residents who commute to work at other points in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, especially personnel at Andrews Air Force Base. Waldorf's local jobs are primarily in the service and sales industry. Nearby St. Charles Towne Center, a shopping mall, opened in 1988 and was remodeled in 2007. St. Charles Towne Center draws shoppers and diners from Maryland, parts of Washington, D.C., and Virginia, causing Charles County to be promoted as the "shopping capital of Southern Maryland." U.S. Route 301, the main highway through the town, boasts the "Waldorf Motor Mile," with car dealerships located primarily along the northbound side. In 2005, Waldorf opened its third public high school (North Point High School), which has advanced science/technology programs; the Capital Clubhouse 24-hour indoor sports complex and ice rink also opened that year. In 2006, plans were announced to build two more shopping centers, including one with high-end stores and an attractive "lifestyle" town center design layout. Ground was also broken to build an office park with mid-rise office buildings near Western Parkway and Route 228 (Berry Road).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.8 square miles (33.1 km²), all of it land.
Most of Waldorf is flat, particularly the eastern part of the city. There are small hills to the west, and much of the southern and eastern parts of the city are wetlands, featuring very diverse wildlife in ponds and streams. Waldorf is forested, mostly with oak and pine trees.