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70-621: Cumberland is a city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland , United States. At the 2020 census , the city had a population of 19,075. Located on the Potomac River , Cumberland is a regional business and commercial center for Western Maryland and the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia . It is the primary city of the Cumberland metropolitan area , which had 95,044 residents in 2020. Historically, Cumberland

140-531: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

210-576: A Native American Romeo and Juliet legend. The tale tells how a jilted lover met his end by jumping off this ledge. Today, the rocks high above the water provide extensive views of the Allegheny Mountains . Lover's Leap has been frequently romanticized by postcard pictures of this valley, including those taken by George Steward in 1950 and published in the 1953 book U.S. 40 . Lover's Leap is 1,652 feet (504 m) above sea level and made up of oddly squared projections of rock, from its top, all

280-519: A colored YMCA on Independence Street, and was named the Mary Hoye school. In 1923 a new school for blacks was built on Frederick Street. In 1941 an election was held of students and faculty, and the school was renamed George Washington Carver School . In addition to serving the local population, many black people from surrounding areas in West Virginia sent their children to Carver because of

350-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

420-667: A county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of the later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been a major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of

490-609: A junction with Interstate 79 . US 40 heads northwestward into southern Pennsylvania . U.S. Route 220 also passes through Cumberland, mostly concurrent with I-68 and US 40. However, near the city limits on either end of its route through the city, US 220 diverges north and south from I-68 and US 40. To the north, US 220 heads for Bedford , Pennsylvania, while southwards, it reaches Keyser . Other significant roads serving Cumberland include U.S. Route 40 Alternate , Maryland Route 51 , Maryland Route 61 , Maryland Route 639 and Maryland Route 807 . The primary public transportation in

560-511: A male householder with no wife present, and 46.0% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

630-664: A separate trail/path extension, called the Great Allegheny Passage , has been developed that leads to Pittsburgh as its western terminus. Cumberland is the only city of at least 20,000 residents, outside of the Pittsburgh and DC metro areas, that lies on this combined 300+ mile stretch. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 10.15 square miles (26.29 km), of which 10.08 square miles (26.11 km)

700-581: A total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With the increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan, the number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized

770-548: A turning point, as it was the last major manufacturing plant in the city limits to close its doors. The population of the city has continued to decline since 1990, with the 2010 census population of 20,859 the lowest since the 1900 census. As of the census of 2010, there were 20,859 people, 9,223 households, and 4,982 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,069.3 inhabitants per square mile (799.0/km). There were 10,914 housing units at an average density of 1,082.7 per square mile (418.0/km). The racial makeup of

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840-423: Is Ray Morriss, who was elected in 2018 after defeating two-term incumbent Brian Grim. The current city council members are Eugene T. Frazier, Richard J. "Rock" Cioni, Laurie P. Marchini, and James Furstenberg. The city council holds public meetings twice per month. In fiscal year 2021, the city government recognized $ 46.4   million in revenue, and it incurred $ 42.2   million of expenses. During that period,

910-613: Is WFWM, at Frostburg, Maryland. Allegany Magazine is a recent media addition. The Cumberland Times-News is the area's daily newspaper. Water and sewer service is supplied by the City of Cumberland. The municipal watershed is located to the north within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Water is drawn from two lakes on city land, Gordon and Koon. Electricity service is supplied by the Potomac Edison Company , which

980-430: Is a compact notched valley that Wills Creek has carved into Wills Mountain . Inventor Frederick John Bahr bought Wills Mountain and built his log cabin on top. The National Road ( U.S. Route 40 ) and a number of railroad lines pass through this steep, narrow, and rocky river valley on the edge of Cumberland. On the northeast side of Wills Mountain, sits a rocky outcropping known as Lover's Leap . The name comes from

1050-598: Is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

1120-697: Is a unit of FirstEnergy , while natural gas service is supplied by Columbia Gas of Maryland . There was once a working oil well that pumped crude oil from a location near the Fruit Bowl in the Cumberland Narrows. Hospitals include UPMC Western Maryland and Thomas B. Finan Center . The Greater Cumberland Regional Airport (Airport-ID: CBE) provides local air transportation to the Cumberland area, located in Wiley Ford , West Virginia , to

1190-683: Is in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians at the junction of the North Branch Potomac River and Wills Creek . The majority of the land within the city lies in a valley created by the junction of these two streams. Interstate 68 runs through the city in an east–west direction, as does Alternate U.S. 40 , the Old National Road . U.S. Highway 220 runs north–south. Parts of Wills Mountain , Haystack Mountain , and Shriver Ridge are also within

1260-882: Is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km) is water. Cumberland lies at the beginning of the transition from a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfa ) to a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), although bearing far more characteristics of the former, with a range of temperatures significantly lower than those in the central and eastern part of Maryland, mostly in the form of depressed nighttime lows. The region has four distinct seasons, with hot, humid summers, and moderate winters (compared to surrounding communities, Cumberland receives milder winters and less snow). Monthly daily mean temperatures range from 31.9 °F (−0.1 °C) in January to 76.8 °F (24.9 °C) in July, with temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) on 34.5 days of

1330-461: Is located at Canal Place , the western terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal , and intersection of the railroad, canal, and Allegheny Highlands Trail of Maryland . Allegany Museum exhibits include local prehistoric life, the Cumberland glassware industry, Kelly Springfield Tire Company, MeadWestvaco, the Cumberland brewing industry, and folk art on the building's second floor. The Narrows

1400-564: Is located downtown at Queen City Drive and East Harrison Street. The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad operates steam and diesel excursion trains from Cumberland to Frostburg and back. CSX had a large hump yard for full service to Pittsburgh over Sand patch grade to the west, the Grafton, West Virginia , line to the south, & the Baltimore, Maryland , line to the east. The webcomic The Adventures of Dr. McNinja by Christopher Hastings

1470-726: Is located on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Province extends from southeastern New York in the north through northwestern New Jersey , westward into Pennsylvania through the Lehigh Valley , and southward into Maryland , West Virginia , Virginia , Kentucky , Tennessee , Georgia , and Alabama . They form a broad arc between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province, which includes

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1540-1070: Is one of the oldest surviving synagogue buildings in the United States. Also of note are the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Terminus at Canal Place, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, the Allegheny Highlands Trail of Maryland, the Cumberland Masonic Temple, the Allegany Arts Council, Rocky Gap State Park, Cumberland Narrows along Wills Creek, on Alternate U.S. 40. Cumberland's has Council–manager government composed of an elected mayor, four elected city council members, and an appointed city administrator. Cumberland's current mayor

1610-606: Is represented in the House of Representatives by Democrat David Trone , and is represented by Maryland's two Senators , Democrats Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen , the former of which operates a field office in Downtown Cumberland. In 1864 the state legislature provided funds, and a structure for obtaining local funds from taxes and private donations for the purpose of funding schools for Negroes. The first public school for African-Americans in Cumberland operated in

1680-459: Is set in part in a fictionalized version of Cumberland. County seat In Canada , the provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below the provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia the term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are

1750-919: Is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore , and is partially run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame . Lighthouse Christian Academy is a K-12 Christian school, co-located with the Central Assembly of God church on Bedford Street on the north edge of the city's limits. Approximately 39,000 people hold library cards in Allegany County, with libraries such as Washington Street Library and Lavale Public Library and several others. Cumberland has several media outlets; most carry some form of satellite programming. WCBC-AM and WFRB-FM have some local news content, but do not have reporters collecting it. The closest public radio station

1820-604: The Allegheny and Cumberland plateaus. They are characterized by long, even ridges , with long, continuous valleys in between. The Valley and Ridge Province was formed during the Alleghanian orogeny , a mountain-building event that occurred between 325 and 260 million years ago. The rocks in the region were subjected to immense pressure and heat, causing them to deform and fold. The softer parts of these rock units (chiefly shale and limestone) were eroded to form

1890-457: The New River , and the Potomac River , are older than the present mountains, having cut water gaps that are perpendicular to hard strata ridges. The evidence points to a wearing down of the entire region to a low level with little relief, so that major rivers were flowing in unconsolidated sediments unaffected by the underlying rock structure. The region was then uplifted slowly enough so that

1960-545: The Ohio Country and the lands in that latitude of the Louisiana Purchase . It also became an industrial center, served by major roads, railroads, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal , which connected Cumberland to Washington, D.C. and is now a national historical park . Today, Interstate 68 bisects the town. Industry declined after World War II , leading urban, business, and technological development in

2030-746: The Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians , are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands division. The physiographic province is divided into three sections: the Hudson Valley, the Central, and the Tennessee. The river valleys were areas of indigenous settlements for thousands of years. In the historic period, the Cherokee people had towns along many of

2100-542: The Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of the imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of

2170-522: The United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in

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2240-883: The Arteco Gallery and Institute for Creative Enterprise, Windsor Hall, the Gilchrist Museum of the Arts, the Gordon-Roberts House, the Graphicus Atelier print-making studio, and a variety of retail and specialty stores. Seasonal events include the Cumberland Comes Alive music series, Saturday Arts Walks, and the annual Mountain Maryland Artists' Studio Tour. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

2310-489: The City of Cumberland is bus service provided by Allegany County Transit . This service consists of five scheduled routes that reach most areas of the city and provide access to most public facilities. Amtrak , the national passenger rail system, provides intercity service to Cumberland via the Capitol Limited , which runs between Washington Union Station , and Union Station Chicago . The Cumberland Amtrak Station

2380-659: The Cumberland Metro as having the 6th-lowest cost of living in the US, based on an index of cost of housing, utilities, transportation and other expenditures. In 2007, The Baltimore Sun newspaper, citing the National Association of Realtors figures on home prices, stated that while most areas were stagnant, Cumberland home prices were rising by more than 17%, the highest in the country. In July 2007, The Washington Post writer Stephanie Cavanaugh wrote that

2450-601: The French and Indian War, and his first military headquarters was built here. Washington returned as President of the United States in 1794 to Cumberland to review troops assembled to thwart the Whiskey Rebellion . During the 19th century, Cumberland was a key road, railroad and canal junction. It became the second-largest city in Maryland after the port city of Baltimore. It was nicknamed "The Queen City". Cumberland

2520-768: The French stronghold of Fort Duquesne (present-day Pittsburgh) during the French and Indian War , the North American front of the Seven Years' War between the French and the British. (See Braddock expedition .) This area had been settled for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. The fort was developed along the Great Indian Warpath which tribes used to travel the backcountry. Cumberland also served as an outpost of Colonel George Washington during

2590-798: The administrative centers of the counties in the People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized the counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under the Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when

2660-500: The canal, as trains were faster and could carry more freight. The city developed as a major manufacturing center, with industries in glass, breweries, fabrics, tires, and tinplate. With the restructuring of heavy industry in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states following World War II, the city lost many jobs. As a result, its population has declined by nearly half, from 39,483 in the 1940 census to fewer than 20,000 today. Cumberland

2730-599: The city government employed 234 people. In the Maryland Senate , Cumberland is represented by Republican Mike McKay of District 1. In the Maryland House of Delegates , the entirety of the city of Cumberland, plus much of northwestern Allegany County, is represented by Republican and House Minority Leader Jason Buckel of District 1B. Cumberland is located in Maryland's 6th congressional district , and

2800-464: The city limits. Opposite Cumberland along the Potomac River is Ridgeley, West Virginia . The abandoned Chesapeake and Ohio Canal is now part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park . The canal 's towpath is maintained, allowing travel by foot, horse or bicycle between Cumberland and Washington, D.C. , a distance of approximately 185 miles (298 km). In recent years,

2870-475: The city of Cumberland include John Humbird Elementary, South Penn Elementary, and West Side Elementary. Some students residing in the North End of Cumberland may attend Northeast Elementary School, which sits just outside city limits in the neighborhood of Bowmans Addition . Cumberland is home to two parochial schools . Bishop Walsh School is a K-12 Catholic school, located atop Haystack Mountain. The school

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2940-896: The city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female. The top employers in Cumberland are as follows. Located at the Western Maryland Railway Station is the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad . Located in Cumberland's arts and entertainment district is Saville Gallery, the Allegany Museum, the Cumberland Theatre, the Arts at Canal Place Cooperative Gallery, the New Embassy Theatre, the Cumberland Music Academy, MettleArts Studio and Foundry,

3010-452: The city was 89.4% White , 6.4% African American , 0.2% Native American , 0.9% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.3% from other races , and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 9,223 households, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had

3080-479: The colonial era, including Cumberland Gap , Braddock's Road , and Forbes Road . These were later improved as America's first National Roads, including Wilderness Road , Cumberland Road , Lincoln Highway , designated as U.S. Route 40 and U.S. Route 30 in later years. Early settlers of Ohio Country tended to enter it via the Ohio River ; river systems were the most important transportation corridors. It

3150-432: The county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in the United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated,

3220-491: The county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of the county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where

3290-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

3360-464: The eastern end of the Washington Street Historic District, is one of Maryland's most outstanding examples of early Gothic Revival architecture . The Allegany County Courthouse dominates the city's skyline. It was designed in 1893 by local architect Wright Butler . The Queen City Hotel was built by the B&O during the 1870s. The battle to preserve it was lost when the building was demolished in 1972. Temple B'er Chayim's 1865 Gothic Revival building

3430-516: The eastern part of the city. These schools are fed into by two middle schools, serving grades 6-8, also located in the city. Due to zoning, students attending Braddock Middle School, located on Holland Street on the city's North End, will generally attend Allegany, while students attending Washington Middle School, located on Massachusetts Avenue in the southeastern corner of the city, will generally attend Fort Hill. Public elementary schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade located in

3500-402: The final five mile trip to freedom in Pennsylvania. The surrounding hillsides were mined for coal and iron ore, and harvested for timber that helped supply the Industrial Revolution . The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal had its western terminus here; it was built to improve the movement of goods between the Midwest and Washington, DC, the eastern terminus. Construction of railroads superseded use of

3570-416: The great quality of living in Cumberland had attracted many urbanites to the area. Population trends Population decline from 1950 to 1990 was due to a string of industrial plant closures. Plants such as Pittsburgh Plate Glass , Allegany Munitions and Celanese closed down and relocated as part of widespread industrial restructuring after WWII. The 1987 closure of the Kelly Springfield Tire Plant marked

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3640-511: The inadequate local facilities. The schools were integrated in 1955, when 54 African American children attended the white schools. In 1956, 3 black students became the first to graduate from Allegany County's newly integrated schools. The offices of Allegany County Public Schools are located in Cumberland. Two public high schools serving grades 9-12 are located in the city: Allegany High School , located on Seton Drive atop Haystack Mountain, and Fort Hill High School , located on Greenway Avenue in

3710-463: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

3780-454: The median family income was $ 34,500. Males had a median income of $ 29,484 versus $ 20,004 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,813. About 15.3% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over. The Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area ranked 305th out of 318 metropolitan areas in per capita income. In 2007, Forbes ranked

3850-417: The region's leading citizens including the president of the C&O Canal. Significant public buildings include the Allegany County Courthouse, Allegany County Library, and Emmanuel Episcopal Church, located on the site of Fort Cumberland. It features Gothic Revival architecture with three large Tiffany windows, fort tunnels, and ammunition magazine cellars. The 1850 Emmanuel Episcopal Church , standing at

3920-405: The rivers in western South Carolina and North Carolina, as well as on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains in present-day Tennessee. Similarly, the Catawba people occupied areas along the upper Catawba River in Western North Carolina , to the east of Cherokee County . The ridge and valley system presents an important obstacle to east–west land travel even with today's technology. It

3990-475: The south of the Potomac River. Mexico Farms Airport (Airport-ID: 1W3) is also in Cumberland. Several primary highways serve Cumberland. The most prominent of these is Interstate 68 , which runs concurrent with U.S. Route 40 through the city. I-68 and US 40 head eastward to Hancock , where they junction with Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 522 . To the west, I-68 and US 40 separate in Keysers Ridge , with I-68 continuing west to Morgantown , West Virginia and

4060-472: The state to be concentrated in eastern coastal cities. Today, the Cumberland metropolitan area is one of the poorest in the United States, ranking 305th out of 318 metropolitan areas in per capita income. Cumberland was named by English colonists after the son of King George II , Prince William, the Duke of Cumberland . It is built on the site of the mid-18th century Fort Cumberland , the starting point for British General Edward Braddock 's ill-fated attack on

4130-657: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

4200-470: The term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after the Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of

4270-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

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4340-484: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

4410-407: The valleys and the harder parts of the folds (quartzites) formed the mountain tops and ridges. The ridges represent the edges of the erosion-resistant strata, and the valleys portray the absence of the more erodible strata. Smaller streams have developed their valleys following the lines of the more easily eroded strata. A few major rivers, including the Delaware River , the Susquehanna River ,

4480-399: The way down to the National Highway (U.S. Rte. 40) below. The City of Cumberland and the neighboring states of Pennsylvania and West Virginia may be seen from this point. Some of Cumberland's most architecturally significant homes are located in the Washington Street Historic District . Considered the elite residential area when the city was at its economic peak, Washington Street was home to

4550-432: The year and dipping to 10 °F (−12 °C) or below on 7 nights per winter. Average seasonal snowfall totals 30.3 inches (77 cm). The record high is 109 °F (43 °C) set in July 1936 and August 1918, both of which are state record highs, while the record low is −14 °F (−26 °C) set at the current site on January 18–19 1994 and January 20–21, 1985 . The median household income $ 25,142, and

4620-425: Was a nearly insurmountable barrier to European-American migrants who walked or rode horses traveling west to settle the Ohio Country , and later the Northwest Territory and Oregon Country . In the era when animal power dominated transportation, there was no safe way to cross east–west in the middle of the range; crossing was only possible nearer its extremes except for a few rough passages opened mid-range during

4690-409: Was an independent city from 1968 to 2013, while also being the county seat of Bedford County . Bedford reverted to an incorporated town, and remains the county seat, though is now part of the county. The state with the most counties is Texas, with 254, and the state with the fewest counties is Delaware, with 3. Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , also called

4760-427: Was difficult in the late 19th and 20th centuries to construct railroads and modern highways through this area. The eastern head of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by the Great Appalachian Valley , which lies just west of the Blue Ridge . The western side of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by steep escarpments such as the Allegheny Front , the Cumberland Mountains , and Walden Ridge . The Valley and Ridge

4830-400: Was known as the "Queen City" as it was once the second largest in the state. Because of its strategic location on what became known as the Cumberland Road through the Appalachians , after the American Revolution it served as a historical outfitting and staging point for westward emigrant trail migrations throughout the first half of the 1800s. In this role, it supported the settlement of

4900-509: Was the terminus, and namesake, of the Cumberland Road (begun in 1811) that extended westward to the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia . This was the first portion of what would be constructed as the National Road , which eventually reached Ohio , Indiana , and Illinois . In the 1850s, many black fugitives reached their final stop on the Underground Railroad beneath the floor of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church. A maze of tunnels beneath and an abolitionist pastor above provided refuge before

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