|
|
 |
Photo by Justin Casteel |
COMMUNITY INFO
The name Allegany comes from the Native American word oolikhanna meaning "beautiful streams." Pioneers in covered wagons followed an ancient Native American trail through the Cumberland Narrows, a 1,000-foot-high gap that forms the main pass through the Allegheny Mountains to the west. English settlers came in the mid-18th century and began mining and establishing towns and farms.
|
|
The city of Cumberland was established in 1785 and became the county seat when the county was chartered in 1789. George Washington spent part of his early career at Fort Cumberland and at a log cabin he used as his headquarters during the French and Indian War. The headquarters is now located at Riverside Park in Cumberland.
Allegany County was an important center of transportation for travelers heading west. People traveled by canal, train, horse and buggy. The National Road, the first federally funded highway, began in Cumberland. Visitors can see how people traveled by visiting the C&O Canal National Historical Park and Paw Paw Tunnel and the C&O Canal Boat Replica. The Transportation and Industrial Museum has many pictures of the canal, railroad and industries in Allegany County. Take a ride aboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad to Frostburg. After lunch at The Depot, the restaurant at the station in Frostburg, visit the Thrasher Carriage Museum and learn the history of the town at the Frostburg Museum.
Other important places to visit are Mt. Savage Museum, where Irish laborers were brought to operate the iron furnaces; Michael Cresap Museum, named after a Revolutionary War hero and the oldest historic home in the county; and LaVale Toll Gate House, the state's only remaining toll house on the National Road.
COMMUNITY DATA
Total labor force in 2004: 32,520
Average household size:
Allegany County: 2.4 people
Maryland: 2.6 people
Median household income in 2005: $33,317
2005 median house value: $83,600
Median contract rent in 2005: $347
Median monthly housing costs in 2005: $464
Estimated median household income in 2005: $35,907
This county: $35,907
Maryland: $61,592
Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $139,025
Allegany County: $139,025
Maryland: $280,200
Crime in 2004:
Murders: 0
Rapes: 0
Robberies: 0
Assaults: 19
Burglaries: 38
Thefts: 79
Auto thefts: 0
LIVING AND WORKING IN ALLEGANY COUNTY
• Chamber of Commerce
• County Economic Development
• City of Cumberland
HOSPITALITY AND ATTRACTIONS
• Rocky Gap Resort
• Western Maryland Scenic Railroad
• Canal Place
• Arts and Entertainment
• Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail
• Allegany County Tourism |
|
|
|
|
©Copyright 2007 • National Road Autosport, LLC