Western Maryland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See Western Maryland Railway for the railroad.
Western Maryland is the portion of U.S. state of Maryland that consists of Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties. The region is bounded by the Mason-Dixon line to the north, Preston County, West Virginia to the west, and the Potomac River to the south. There is dispute over the eastern boundary of Western Maryland however. For most residents of the Baltimore-Washington area, everything west of Frederick city is considered Western Maryland. However, the people of the more mountainous and isolated Allegany County and Garrett County consider Sideling Hill the boundary between Western Maryland and what they refer to as "down-state." According to the 2000 census, Western Maryland has a population of 431,976, accounting for 8.1% of the population of Maryland.
Western Maryland is far more rural than the rest of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, where most of the state's population lives; even Frederick and Washington counties, which are part of the Metro Area, are less urbanized than places closer to DC or Baltimore. Many people still perform a variety of subsistence agriculture for their food needs, and there are few towns larger than 10,000 people, the most notable exceptions being Cumberland, Frederick and Hagerstown. Western Maryland is noted for its idyllic rural landscapes in its eastern portion and the mountainous terrain in Allegany and Garrett Counties.
The climate is more akin to West Virginia than to any other part of Maryland. Summers tend to be mildly warm, and winters can be brutally harsh. Temperatures in winter often drop to near or below zero degrees Fahrenheit, and snowfall averages from 80 inches farther east to over 100 inches in the mountains. Comparably, Prince George's County, in the Washington, DC area, averages only 25 inches of snow and wintertime temperatures many times exceed 50 degrees while Baltimore, which is near sea level on the Chesapeake Bay, sees little snow in winter and is a place where several species of palms thrive.
Western Maryland has a heavily agricultural economy. Its best-known crops are the apples grown in the Allegany valley, but corn, potatoes, beans, 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. There is however, a thriving tourist industry, and places such as Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County are frequented by many visitors every year. Garrett County is also well-known for its numerous state parks and outdoor activities; the natural snow that falls along with man-made snow allows for Maryland's only ski resort, Wisp Ski Resort.
[edit] Notable cities
[edit] External links
- Western Maryland Scenic Railroad Official Website for the Scenic Railroad and Canal Place.
- Western Maryland Tourism Website MDMountainside.com
- Rocky Gap Resort Western Maryland Park with Lake & Golf Course
- Hertiage Days Festival
- Canal Place
- Western Maryland Running Club
- Western Maryland Soccer Association
- Western Maryland Mountain Bike Association
- Western Maryland Water Color Society
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State of Maryland Annapolis (capital) |
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| Topics |
Cities | Government | History | U.S. Senators and Representatives |
| Regions |
Baltimore‑Washington Metro Area | Chesapeake | Delaware Valley | Eastern Shore | Southern Maryland | Western Maryland | Western Shore |
| Cities |
Baltimore | Bethesda | Bowie | College Park | Columbia | Cumberland | Frederick | Gaithersburg | Germantown | Greenbelt | Hagerstown | Laurel | Rockville | Salisbury | Silver Spring | Takoma Park | Towson | Waldorf |
| Counties |
Allegany | Anne Arundel | Baltimore City | Baltimore County | Calvert | Caroline | Carroll | Cecil | Charles | Dorchester | Frederick | Garrett | Harford | Howard | Kent | Montgomery | Prince George's | Queen Anne's | St. Mary's | Somerset | Talbot | Washington | Wicomico | Worcester |
