upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland Panhandle, is the portion of the U.S. state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

that typically consists of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Allegany, and Garrett counties. The region is bounded by Preston County, West Virginia, to the west, the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...

(

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

) to the north, and the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

to the south. At one point, at the town of Hancock, the northern and southern boundaries are separated by just 1.8 miles, the narrowest stretch in the state. Western Maryland is more rural than the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, where most of the state's population lives, and is noted for its mountainous terrain. The area is in the central

Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

. Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties are part of the Appalachian Regional Commission. The most populous community in Western Maryland is Hagerstown, located in Washington County, the most populous county in the region. Major highways in Western Maryland include

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

s I-70, I-81 and I-68; U.S. Highways U.S. 11,

U.S. 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes ...

, U.S. 40 ALT, U.S. 219 and U.S. 50; as well as various state highways.

Climate

The climate of Western Maryland is more akin to the mountains of northern West Virginia than to any other part of Maryland. Summers tend to be much cooler than in the rest of the state, and winters harsher. Temperatures in winter drop to below on around eight nights per winter, and snowfall averages from farther east to over in the higher elevations. In comparison,

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ...

, in the eastern part of the Washington, D.C., area, averages only of snow and wintertime maxima exceed on a third of all days. Below is climate data for Hagerstown, the largest city in Western Maryland, located in Washington County, the easternmost and lowest elevation county in Western Maryland. Below is climate data for

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...

, located in Garrett County, the westernmost and highest elevation county in Western Maryland.

History

In 1748, the Western Maryland population was finally large enough to create a new county called Frederick County; at the time, the county stretched further west than it does today. In the earliest part of the colonial days, German immigrants that came from

had the most influence on the development of the plains and valleys of Western Maryland. Named for

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, Washington County was founded in 1776, by division of Frederick County. The largest city in this county is Hagerstown. It was named after Jonathan Hager, a German settler. In 1785, the city of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...

, which is in Allegany County, was established. The County was the home for many pioneers, when they would travel through the Cumberland Narrows, a 1,000 foot high gap. This gap forms the main pass through the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

to the west. In the mid-18th century, English settlers came to the county and began to mine and create towns and farms. This county was important for transportation for many travelers heading west. They would pass through by many forms of transportation, including canal, train, and horse and buggy. The westernmost county in the state,

Garrett County Garrett County () is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,806, making it the third-least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Oakland. The county was named for John W ...

, was the last part of Maryland to be settled in 1764. The county was founded in 1872 by John Work Garrett, the

B&O Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

president.

Appalachian development

The Appalachian Regional Development Act was created and passed in 1965 in an effort to correct the poverty issue, and the growing economic problems in the Appalachian region (13 States). According to the State of Maryland Appalachian Development Plan, the Act was passed because: (1) One in every three Appalachians lived in poverty; (2) Per capita income was 23% less than the US average; and (3) High unemployment and harsh living conditions had, in the 1950s, forced more than 2 million Appalachian people to leave their homes and seek work in other regions. For the state of Maryland, this act was intended to bring awareness to the poverty levels of the Western Maryland counties. The program that was developed for this act was called the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The main goal of the ARC was to improve the development of the economy, and bring this region into socioeconomic parity with the rest of the nation.

County population

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the three westernmost counties of Maryland have a population of 252,614, accounting for 4.4% of the population of Maryland. The most populated county is Washington County, which is home to approximately 147,430 people. Allegany County is the next most populated county with 75,087 people, while Garrett County is the least populated with 30,097 people.

Major communities

The following are some of the major cities in Western Maryland by county, in descending order of population, along with the city population of the 2020 census. Washington County: * Hagerstown (43,527) * Boonsboro (3,336) * Smithsburg (2,975) * Williamsport (2,137) * Hancock (1,546) Allegany County: *

(20,859) *

Frostburg Frostburg is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and is at the head of the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located west of Cumberland, the town is one of the first cities o ...

(9,002) *

Westernport Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is ...

(1,888) Garrett County: * Mountain Lake Park (2,092) *

(1,925)

Economy

Western Maryland has a heavily agricultural economy. Its best-known crops are the

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

s grown in the Cumberland Valley, but

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Uni ...

es,

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

s, and varieties of green-leaf vegetables are grown as well. Mixed crop and livestock farms are common, and the region has a large number of dairy cattle farms.

Tourism

Tourism is very important to Western Maryland. There is a thriving tourist industry, and has been noted as having "potential for significant growth." Western Maryland has a number of sites with significance for military history, particularly the Civil War. In 1862, Washington County was home to one of the Civil War's bloodiest single-day battles at Antietam National Battlefield. Western Maryland, particularly Cumberland, is also home to transportation themed tourism. The Downtown Cumberland Historic District is a National Register Historic District, and Cumberland's Western Maryland Railway Station is a popular site. Garrett County is also well known for its numerous state parks and outdoor activities. Places such as

Deep Creek Lake Deep Creek Lake is the largest inland body of water in the U.S. state of Maryland. It covers approximately and has of shoreline. Like all lakes in Maryland, it is man-made. The lake is home to a wide variety of aquatic life, such as freshwate ...

in Garrett County are frequented by many visitors every year. The largest lake in Western Maryland is

in Garrett County. The 4,000 acre body of water is owned by the State of Maryland and is man made. Construction began in 1920 and the lake was filled by 1929. It was originally made to power a small scale hydroelectric plant, but was eventually turned into a tourist destination. The lake is currently managed for boating and fishing, although it still provides some water to generate electricity. The Deep Creek Lake State Park offers fishing piers, beach and swim area, covered pavilions, and opportunities for camping. Maryland's only ski resort,

Wisp Ski Resort Wisp Resort is the only four-season downhill ski resort in Maryland. It is located near Deep Creek Lake in the town of McHenry in Garrett County, Maryland, near the border of West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania/Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. I ...

, is located in Garrett County near

. Wisp Ski Resort is a huge tourism spot in Western Maryland as it is the only 4 season ski, golf, and recreational destination resort. This resort is approximately 172 acres which includes a mountain coaster, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, and more.

Sports

Sports teams in Western Maryland include the following: Garrett County along the Savage River has played host to two

ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships The ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships are an international event in canoeing organized by the International Canoe Federation. The World Championships have taken place every year in non-Summer Olympic years since 2002. From 1949 to 1999, they h ...

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

Education

Colleges in Western Maryland include: *

Allegany College of Maryland Allegany College of Maryland (or ACM) is a public community college in Cumberland, Maryland. It was previously known as Allegany Community College. The college was founded in 1961 and is accredited by the Middle State Commission on Higher Educatio ...

– Community College * Frostburg State University *

Garrett College Garrett College is a public community college in McHenry, Maryland. The college has three outreach centers: Accident, Grantsville, and Oakland. History Garrett College was established in 1966, as Garrett Community College, and took its presen ...

- Community College *

Hagerstown Community College Hagerstown Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Hagerstown, Maryland. It was founded in 1946 as Maryland’s first community college. The campus encompassed eighteen buildings on .. The college hosts a business incubator, o ...

- Community College

Potential state

In 2014, it was reported that some residents want the region to form a new state, which would include Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick, and Carroll counties. Local supporters of partitioning western Maryland (dubbed "the Western Maryland Initiative") cited a perception of political domination by the more populous eastern portion of the state, particularly with reference to such issues as

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with onl ...

taxation A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, o ...

, and

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

."Western Maryland secessionists seek to sever ties with the liberal Free State"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', by Michael S. Rosenwald (September 8th, 2013; retrieved on November 12th, 2014).

References

External links

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad
Official Website for the Scenic Railroad and Canal Place.
Walkersville Southern Railroad website
see also Walkersville Southern RR wiki article
Western Maryland Tourism Website
MDMountainside.com
Rocky Gap Resort
Western Maryland Park with Lake & Golf Course
Heritage Days FestivalCanal PlaceQueen City Striders Running ClubWestern Maryland Mountain Bike Association

Western Maryland Water Color Society
{{Coord, 39, 41, 40.23, N, 77, 52, 15.94, W, region:US-MD, display=title Regions of Maryland Geography of Appalachia