About the Area

The area of Allegany County, Maryland is a wonderful area to move to—whether you are opening a new business or purchasing a private residence. The area is located near or on Interstate 68 and is approximately two hours from Pittsburgh, PA, Baltimore, MD, and Washington, D.C. The locale of the county has various landscapes to explore for property. Eastern Allegany County is a beautiful vista full of farms, forests, and wildlife. Towards the center of the county is more densely populated with the city of Cumberland, the county seat, and the suburbs of the city: Cresaptown, Bel Air, and Lavale. To the west of the county is the city of Frostburg, which is the home of Frostburg State University, along with many small communities to the north and the south with such colorful names as Ocean, Lonaconing, Mount Savage and Moscow to name a few.

Allegany County was established in 1789 when it broke away from Washington County and established the county with Cumberland being its county seat. It developed from a trading post at the fork of the Potomac River and Wills Creek and soon grew into an outpost fort for the French and Indian War (1755). George Washington's first command as an officer of the Colonial Army for the Virginia Militia was at Fort Cumberland. The town basically rose from the frontier life to a transportation hub for such firsts as the National Road. This road was the first federally funded road in the nation and it started in 1811 in Cumberland and went west to Wheeling, WV. Other great transportation systems soon made their way into Allegany County, such as the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (1842), and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (1850). With these transportation systems running in and out of Allegany County the area grew into a nice community with an industry based on transportation and manufacturing.

As for Mineral County, West Virginia, it is just across the Potomac River from Allegany County and has wonderful real estate ventures. Many buyers choose Mineral County for its peace and quiet. This county offers quiet communities that also arose from outposts of the French and Indian War such as Fort Ashby. The area offers farm areas, hunting retreats, homes and business property. The county itself was named for the minerals that were and are found in the soil, such as shale and coal. All the communities of this county are superbly laid out and are just minutes from Cumberland and Interstate 68.

Today, the area’s biggest employers are Western Maryland Health Systems, NewPage (Mead/Westvaco), ATK Tactical Systems, CSX, Frostburg State University, Hunter Douglas, and the Federal and State Correctional Facilities.