The actual regions of Maryland? (Baltimore, Ellicott City: transplants, real estate market, public schools)

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

I knew somebody from Eldersburg who said he lived in Western Maryland.

Yeah, I met a guy once who said he was from Western Maryland. I asked "where," he said Poolesville! I said Cumberland and the conversation ended there. The look on my face probably said it all.

MidVal - LOL, no not choking today when I read it, it was also in college or closely after that I came to the awareness that some folks thought Frederick was Western Maryland.

[dkf747]

Why was McDaniel College once called Western Maryland College? Seems like there is a lot of confusion about what is Western MD.

[Turnerbro]

Originally Posted by dkf747

Why was McDaniel College once called Western Maryland College? Seems like there is a lot of confusion about what is Western MD.

I assume the name was changed in part for that reason. I'm sorry but I just can't bring myself to consider Carroll or Frederick county western Maryland. However I don't see what else Washington county could be classified as.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by dkf747

Why was McDaniel College once called Western Maryland College? Seems like there is a lot of confusion about what is Western MD.

Western Maryland Railroad. Dumped a load of money into it and the first Chairman of the Board back in the 1860s or so when it was founded was also President of the railroad.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Western Maryland Railroad. Dumped a load of money into it and the first Chairman of the Board back in the 1860s or so when it was founded was also President of the railroad.

This is correct. I attended WMC when the name change was announced. The reasons were:

1. The school isn't really in Western Maryland
2. It is harder for the school to recruit because people think we are in Western Maryland
3. 'W' puts you in the back of college catalogs. McDaniel puts right near the center staple!

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

I assume the name was changed in part for that reason. I'm sorry but I just can't bring myself to consider Carroll or Frederick county western Maryland. However I don't see what else Washington county could be classified as.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3344.../data=!3m1!1e3

This map is illustrative. The land use pattern in WaCo is nearly identical to the other Mason-Dixon counties to the east. Head west, and the geography changes, the land use changes, the farms and sub-divisions are replaced by forests and mountains.

The counties most like Washington are to the north and south, staying in that Great Valley region. If you want to include it with other Maryland counties, looking east makes more sense than looking west.

[bus man]

With the caveat that I don't split counties between regions, here's my stab at it:

Western Maryland: Garrett, Allegany

Northern Maryland: Washington, Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore (County)

Northeastern Maryland: Harford, Cecil

Central Maryland: Montgomery, Howard, Baltimore City, Prince George's, Anne Arundel

Southern Maryland (or South-Central Maryland): Charles, Calvert, St. Mary's

Upper Eastern Shore: Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Caroline

Lower Eastern Shore: Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, Worcester


Note that I didn't put Washington County in with Western Maryland, though I do think that a case could be made for putting it there. If we didn't want to have a separate "Northeastern Maryland" category, then I would put both of those counties in with Northern Maryland. My sense of Cecil is that it is oriented more towards what is currently known as Central Maryland (thanks in large part to the highway connections via I-95 and U.S. 40) than it is with the Eastern Shore.

And finally, I do recognize the oddity of putting Baltimore City and County in separate regions. A case could be made for putting Balt. City in Northern Maryland, but a stronger case could be made for putting Balt. County in Central Maryland. But doing this would leave the oddity of a "central" county being just as far to the north as a "northern" county. So that's why I split them up.

[Borntoolate85]

Originally Posted by bus man

With the caveat that I don't split counties between regions, here's my stab at


Note that I didn't put Washington County in with Western Maryland, though I do think that a case could be made for putting it there. If we didn't want to have a separate "Northeastern Maryland" category, then I would put both of those counties in with Northern Maryland. My sense of Cecil is that it is oriented more towards what is currently known as Central Maryland (thanks in large part to the highway connections via I-95 and U.S. 40) than it is with the Eastern Shore.

And finally, I do recognize the oddity of putting Baltimore City and County in separate regions. A case could be made for putting Balt. City in Northern Maryland, but a stronger case could be made for putting Balt. County in Central Maryland. But doing this would leave the oddity of a "central" county being just as far to the north as a "northern" county. So that's why I split them up.

I'd say the western half of Washington is western as opposed to northern, as the terrain begins to get noticeably more rugged west of there, even if not as rugged as it gets west of Sideling Hill. If you look at a terrain map on Google Maps, you'll see that Clear Spring is the dividing line that dominates the wide valley that dominates the eastern half of the county and the western half. I still think that some people (including FOX 5) mentioning Frederick as the region's gateway due to the Catoctins that back it as being a bit too far east.

Meanwhile, I don't see much of a distinctness between Northeastern Maryland and Northern Maryland, as even in perhaps extreme eastern Cecil county along the Delaware line, there isn't too much spillover from the Delaware Valley metro. Hartford is Northern MD, and Cecil is split between Northern (north of US 40) and Upper Eastern Shore (south of US40). Basically, Northern MD seems to have more in common with the adjacent counties in southern PA than the rest of MD in terms of people, landscape, and feel. Bel Air isn't much different than Westminster with a small downtown, rolling piedmont topography, a highway bypass, and a main strip (140 and 24) of businesses.

Also, the entirety of Baltimore County that is located south of Baltimore City's northern boundary is solidly central MD, along with the portion just north of the city and inside the beltway, including Towson. I'd even argue that as far north as Owings Mills and Hunt Valley is more central MD culturally, though by the time you hit up there, you're definitely in northern MD geographically. The National Weather Service though classifies both Baltimore city & county as northern MD though.

[marlinfshr]

The eastern shore, not including Cecil!
The rest of MD

Or


The eastern shore, not including Cecil!
Southern MD, incl AA county from 50 south
Western MD, those two counties with the big ol mountains

The rest of MD

[Digger 68]

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

I assume the name was changed in part for that reason. I'm sorry but I just can't bring myself to consider Carroll or Frederick county western Maryland. However I don't see what else Washington county could be classified as.

If you live there probably not. West of Carroll County is western Maryland to most people outside the region.