Western Maryland

For the railroad, see Western Maryland Railway. For the school formerly known as Western Maryland College, see McDaniel College.
Western Maryland
Map
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
Largest cityHagerstown
Counties
List
Elevation
3,360 ft (1,020 m)
Population
 (2020 Census)
 • Total252,614
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Sideling Hill Road Cut, a man-made mountain pass on Interstate 68/U.S. Route 40 near Hancock, Maryland
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 that typically consists of Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties.[1][2] The region is bounded by Preston County, West Virginia, to the west, the Mason–Dixon line (Pennsylvania) to the north, and the Potomac River and West Virginia 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 Washington-Baltimore area, where most of the state's population lives, and is noted for its mountainous terrain. The area is in the central Appalachians.[3][4] 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 Highways I-70, I-81 and I-68; U.S. Highways U.S. 11, U.S. 40, U.S. 40 ALT, U.S. 219 and U.S. 50; and several state highways.

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