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17-745: The West Subdivision of the WM was abandoned in 1975 and its rails removed between Big Pool and Tonoloway in December 1988. The portion in C&;O Canal National Park reverted to the National Park Service (NPS) in 1980. In August 1990, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources purchased the right-of-way between a point 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) west of Fort Frederick State Park and Little Orleans from CSX Transportation ,

34-662: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hagerstown Metropolitan Area The Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area , officially designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as Hagerstown–Martinsburg, Maryland–West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) , constitutes the primary cities of Hagerstown, Maryland ; Martinsburg, West Virginia ; and surrounding areas in three counties: Washington County, Maryland ; Berkeley County, West Virginia ; and Morgan County, West Virginia . The metro area lies mainly within

51-489: Is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in western Washington County , Maryland , United States. Its population was 82 as of the 2010 census . It is between Clear Spring, Maryland and Hancock, Maryland along Interstate 70 and is officially a part of the Hagerstown Metropolitan Area . To the south of Big Pool lies Fort Frederick State Park , a restored fort used during

68-757: Is the largest hibernaculum of five species of bats , including the Eastern Small-footed bat and the Indiana bat (both currently listed as endangered) as well as numerous other bats. In 2010, following a survey done in March of that year, Maryland state officials and the NPS agreed that the trail would bypass the Indigo Tunnel via the C&;O Canal towpath to protect the tunnel's bat population. In 2012,

85-682: The French and Indian War . Also nearby is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park , which lies near Ft. Frederick alongside the Potomac River . Big Pool is also the name of a large body of water which is part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal . This pool occurs roughly at the 113 mile mark, and it is on what the canallers called the 14 mile level. This article about a location in Washington County , Maryland

102-554: The 169th largest metropolitan area in the United States. The growth rate from 2000 to 2008 is +18.4%, meaning that the metro area is the 48th fastest growing MSA (out of 363 total MSAs) in the entire country and the most rapidly growing in Maryland and West Virginia from 2000 to 2008. Metropolitan Hagerstown-Martinsburg also registered a higher net numerical population gain from 2006 to 2007 than Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA during

119-445: The NPS completed the environmental assessment for the extension from Pearre Station to Paw Paw. It included several alternatives that would extend the trail between 8.1 and 14.4 miles (13.0 and 23.2 km), including options to either run the trail through Stickpile Tunnel and Kessler Tunnel or build bypasses around them. The NPS chose to do neither and instead proposed extending the trail 7.2 mi (11.6 km) from Pearre Station to

136-603: The Paw Paw Bends of the Potomac River in this section, the WM right of way has six major bridges and three tunnels – Indigo, Stickpile , and Kessler . After a 2008 study found bats living in the tunnels, an environmental assessment was undertaken to determine the feasibility of routing the trail through the tunnels. It determined that the Indigo tunnel houses the largest known bat refuge in Maryland and

153-489: The eastern portal of Stickpile Tunnel where it would terminate, as well as adding a 0.9 mi (1.4 km) section from the WM bridge over the C&O Canal near Paw Paw to the Fifth Potomac Crossing bridge on the north side of Bevan Bend. While bypassing Stickpile Tunnel was possible, the topography around Kessler Tunnel was found to be too challenging and, as a result, the extension west of Little Orleans

170-726: The following Urbanized Areas and Urban Clusters (that are likewise designated by the OMB) within its boundaries: Hagerstown–Martinsburg, MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) covers an area of 1,019 square miles (2,640 km ). The MSA is roughly bordered to the east by South Mountain , to the west by Sideling Hill , to the north by the Mason–Dixon line , and to the south by Northern Virginia . Elevations run from about 250 feet (76 m) above sea level in low-lying valleys to approximately 1,250 feet (380 m) above sea level at Sideling Hill. The Potomac River runs from west to east through

187-575: The fourth section, a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) extension from Pearre Station to Little Orleans that includes a 2 mi (3.2 km) bypass of the Indigo Tunnel via the C&O Canal, was funded in 2005 and started in 2017 after missing start dates in 2012, 2014, and 2016; it opened in 2019. There have been plans to extend the trail from its current western terminus in Little Orleans to a point in Maryland opposite Paw Paw, WV . To traverse

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204-460: The heart of the metro area with tributaries including Sideling Hill Creek , Conococheague Creek , and Antietam Creek . Terrain in the region is very well-suited and used for dairy farming, cornfields, and fruit orchards. Some undeveloped deciduous forestry also exists, especially in the mountainous portions of the area. However, much of the region's land is becoming increasingly threatened by urban sprawl . Hagerstown and Martinsburg are situated in

221-735: The rich, fertile Cumberland and Shenandoah valleys, and is approximately a 60–90 minute drive from Washington, D.C. ; Baltimore, Maryland ; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ; Hagerstown is approximately 75 miles (121 km) driving distance from all three cities. The population of the metropolitan area as of 2008 is 263,753. Washington County (2008 population estimate 145,384) City: Towns: Census Designated Places (CDPs): Other unincorporated communities: Berkeley County (2008 population estimate 102,044) City: Town: Unincorporated communities: Morgan County (2008 population estimate 16,325) Towns: Unincorporated communities: The metropolitan area contains parts of or all of

238-477: The same time period. Much of the growth is due to the influx of people from Washington, D.C. and, to a lesser extent, Baltimore. Hagerstown Regional Airport ( IATA : HGR , ICAO : KHGR ), also known as Richard A. Henson Field provides passenger service for the Hagerstown Metro Area residents The Martinsburg Regional Airport ( IATA : MRB , ICAO : KMRB ), just south of Martinsburg

255-509: The successor of the WM. Construction began on the first 10 mi (16 km) section between Fort Frederick and Hancock in 1997 and was completed in 1998. Construction on the next section, a 10.3 mi (16.6 km) extension from Hancock to Pollypon (a small body of water where canal boats would winter), began in 2001; it opened on June 10, 2002. Construction on the third section, a 2.1-mile (3.4 km) extension from Pollypon to Pearre Station, began in 2003; it opened in 2005. Construction on

272-435: The transition between the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa) and the humid continental climate zone (Köppen Dfa), with hot, humid summers and cool to moderately cold winters where average annual snowfall is around 20 inches and temperatures below 15 °F (−9 °C) are annual occurrences. The metropolitan area's population in 2000 was 222,771. The 2008 estimate is 263,753, making Greater Hagerstown-Martinsburg

289-476: Was placed on indefinite hold in 2014. By 2016, West Virginia had dropped out of the plan, so the proposed Little Orleans–Stickpile Tunnel and Paw Paw–Fifth Potomac Crossing bridge sections were scuttled. The new section was completed, opened, and dedicated in May, 2019. 39°39′47″N 78°13′54″W  /  39.6631°N 78.2318°W  / 39.6631; -78.2318 Big Pool, Maryland Big Pool

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