Frederick County was not on anyone's biotech map a decade ago. Today, lab space there leases before it is finished, and the talent pipeline from nearby federal research institutions keeps the hiring math working.

The draw is practical: lower costs than the I-270 corridor's southern end, room to build, and a workforce that already understands regulated science. Multi-billion dollar commitments followed the infrastructure, not the other way around.

For Maryland's broader economy, the lesson is that clusters form where the inputs are cheapest to assemble. Frederick assembled them deliberately.