Allegany County is a county in Maryland, United States, in the mountainous panhandle stretch where the state narrows between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It had a population of 68,106 at the 2020 census and covers 424 square miles (1,100 km2) of land, centred near 39°38′N 78°41′W.
Cumberland is the county seat, and its postal code is 21502. The county has two incorporated cities (Cumberland and Frostburg), five incorporated towns (Barton, Lonaconing, Luke, Midland and Westernport), and dozens of unincorporated communities, many of them former coal-mining patch towns in the Georges Creek Valley. Allegany County runs on Eastern time and carries FIPS code 24001.
Towns & Villages in Allegany County
Allegany County has 7 incorporated places and a large number of unincorporated communities and former mining patches, most of them clustered along the Georges Creek and Potomac River valleys. The table below covers the incorporated cities and towns plus the best-documented unincorporated places; “CDP” marks a Census-designated place with its own 2020 count, “Unincorp.” marks a named community with no separate census figure.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | City · seat | 19,616 | 21502 |
| Frostburg | City | 9,573 | 21532 |
| Westernport | Town | 1,867 | 21562 |
| Lonaconing | Town | 1,171 | 21539 |
| Barton | Town | 429 | 21521 |
| Midland | Town | 356 | 21542 |
| Luke | Town | 63 | 21540 |
| La Vale | CDP | — | 21502 |
| Cresaptown | CDP | — | 21502 |
| Bel Air | Unincorp. | — | 21502 |
| Eckhart Mines | Unincorp. | — | 21528 |
| Mount Savage | Unincorp. | — | 21545 |
| Corriganville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flintstone | Unincorp. | — | 21530 |
| Little Orleans | Unincorp. | — | 21740 |
| Oldtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinto | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clarysville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ellerslie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vale Summit | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Carlos | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Franklin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Klondike | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midlothian | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Moscow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shaft | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Zihlman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Detmold | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dickens | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gilmore | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Koontz | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McKenzie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ocean | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barrelville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Borden Shaft | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bowling Green | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bowmans Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Braddock Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Cliff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Evitts Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairplay | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Georges Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grahamtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Green Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Homewood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Locust Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McCoole | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Narrows Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Branch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Piney Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Potomac Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pumpkin Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rawlings | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Slabtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spring Gap | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Town Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Winchester | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodland | Unincorp. | — | — |
La Vale and Cresaptown are unincorporated but densely built suburbs of Cumberland along US 40 and MD 220, respectively, and both share the Cumberland 21502 ZIP. Bel Air is often grouped with Cresaptown on maps but is treated here as its own historic community, matching the older place list. A handful of entries in the old list — Amcelle Acres, Cumberland Fair Grounds and Horseshoe Curve — were dropped as either duplicates or landmark names rather than settlements; see notes.
ZIP Codes
- 21502 — Cumberland (also serves La Vale, Cresaptown, Bel Air)
- 21503 — Cumberland (PO boxes)
- 21532 — Frostburg
- 21539 — Lonaconing
- 21562 — Westernport
- 21521 — Barton
- 21542 — Midland
- 21540 — Luke
- 21528 — Eckhart Mines
- 21545 — Mount Savage
- 21530 — Flintstone
Smaller mining patches such as Barrelville, Detmold and Klondike carry Frostburg or Lonaconing addresses rather than their own ZIP.
Geography
Allegany County sits in the Ridge-and-Valley section of the Appalachian Mountains, its terrain folded into parallel ridges — including Dans Mountain, at 2,898 feet the county’s high point, and Warrior Mountain — separated by narrow valleys. The Potomac River forms the county’s entire southern border with West Virginia, and Georges Creek, the Potomac’s major local tributary, drains the historic coal-mining valley through Frostburg, Lonaconing and Westernport. Cumberland sits at the Potomac’s Narrows, a natural water gap that has carried road, canal and rail traffic west since the 1750s.
The county borders Somerset County, Pennsylvania to the north, Bedford County, Pennsylvania to the northeast, Washington County, Maryland to the east, Hampshire County, West Virginia to the south, Mineral County, West Virginia to the southwest, Grant County, West Virginia to the west, and Garrett County, Maryland to the west.
Demographics
Allegany County had 68,106 residents at the 2020 census, spread across roughly 160 people per square mile. Cumberland (19,616) and Frostburg (9,573) are by far the largest places; every other town in the county has under 2,000 residents. Median household income runs well below the Maryland median of $98,678, reflecting the county’s post-industrial economy and its distance from the Baltimore-Washington job market.
Economy & Local Life
Health care and education anchor the modern economy: UPMC Western Maryland (formerly Western Maryland Regional Medical Center) in Cumberland and Frostburg State University, part of the University System of Maryland, are among the county’s largest employers. Cumberland’s downtown has rebuilt around its brick pedestrian mall and the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, a tourist steam line that runs to Frostburg. The Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath, two long-distance rail-trails, meet in Cumberland and draw cyclists riding the full Pittsburgh-to-Washington route.
History
Allegany County was created December 25, 1789, from the western part of Washington County, and its name comes from a Native American word for the Allegheny/Potomac river system, usually translated as “beautiful stream.” Cumberland grew around Fort Cumberland, a colonial-era outpost George Washington served at during the French and Indian War, and later became a major crossroads as the eastern terminus of the National Road and a hub of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Coal mining dominated the Georges Creek Valley towns — Lonaconing, Barton, Midland, Westernport and the many patch towns listed above — from the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s, and the county’s population and built landscape still reflect that industrial era.
Getting There
Interstate 68 crosses the county east-west, meeting US 220 at Cumberland and continuing toward Hancock and I-70 to the east.
- Frostburg — 11 miles west of Cumberland
- Hancock, Maryland — 30 miles east
- Keyser, West Virginia — 12 miles south
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — 95 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Hagerstown Regional Airport, about 55 miles east; most travelers use Pittsburgh International or Washington Dulles for wider flight options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Allegany County?
It is in the far-western panhandle of Maryland, bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and West Virginia to the south and west.
What is the population of Allegany County?
68,106 at the 2020 census.
How big is Allegany County?
424 square miles (1,100 km2) of land, plus 5.8 square miles (15 km2) of water.
What is the county seat of Allegany County?
Cumberland is the county seat.
How many towns are in Allegany County?
Two incorporated cities (Cumberland, Frostburg), five incorporated towns (Barton, Lonaconing, Luke, Midland, Westernport), and dozens of unincorporated communities and former mining patches.
What ZIP codes are in Allegany County?
Cumberland uses 21502, with Frostburg (21532), Westernport (21562), Lonaconing (21539), Barton (21521) and several smaller towns each carrying their own code.
What was Allegany County’s economy historically built on?
Bituminous coal mining in the Georges Creek Valley, along with the canal and railroad trade that ran through Cumberland.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Maryland.