Myersville/Middletown - some nice hills up that way? (Frederick: subdivisions, living in)

[Tiger Beer]

I was looking at google maps between Frederick and Hagerstown. Basically right where things get a bit hilly between the two.

Looks like Myersville and Middletown...both have a little small town flavor there...with some nice hills all the way around - a bit of views. Not exceptionally so, but nicely so.

Has that area hit anyone's radar screen with noticing that? Or is it just typical western Maryland?

[drs72]

Small towns with some suburban development. Some rolling hills and lots of farmland in their vicinity. Pretty typical of central Maryland.

[westsideboy]

Both towns are located in the Middletown Valley. The area is hilly, but not mountainous like the Catoctin Highlands north of the valley. The area is mostly subdevelopments, farms, and some woodland. It is pretty, but is definitely Central Maryland, more like the other exuban/rural farm areas of that part of the state. Western Maryland is much more mountainous, heavily forested (Allegany County is over 70% forest, limited agriculture in a narrow valleys, and the population living in mostly in "towns" of sizes ranging from that of a small city in Cumberland to places like Luke, an incorporated town of less than 100 people, or in the very sparsely settled areas like Eastern Allegany and most of Garrett County.

[westsideboy]

Both towns are located in the Middletown valley. The area is hilly, but not mountainous like the Catoctin highlands to the north. Land use is mostly subdivisions and farms. The area is scenic, and upscale, and certainly part of Central Maryland, more like the exurban/farm areas in Carroll, Washington and the rest of Frederick County.

Western Maryland is much more mountainous, heavily forested, and agricultural limited by the amount of suitable land. The population is settled either in towns of different sizes, or in very rural rugged areas.

[westsideboy]

Whoops, sorry about the double post.

[Tiger Beer]

On that same note...is it geographically similar to Loudoun County, Faquier County, and Culpeper County just south in Northern Virginia?

[westsideboy]

I wouldn't say that necessarily. The Middletown valley geographically is pretty unique since it is flanked on the east and west by prominant ridges, and bound by the Catoctin Highlands to the north and the Potomac to the South. The northern part of Loudoun Co. around Lovettsville is sort of similar.

The Blue Ridge Mountains rise dramatically once you are south of the Potomac, and both Faquier County and Culpepper County have distinctly piedmont geography with the exception of their western borders that are the summit of the massive Blue Ridge. A better geographic comparison would be Eastern Frederick County before you reach the first ridge of the Appalachians.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

I wouldn't say that necessarily. The Middletown valley geographically is pretty unique since it is flanked on the east and west by prominant ridges, and bound by the Catoctin Highlands to the north and the Potomac to the South. The northern part of Loudoun Co. around Lovettsville is sort of similar.

The Blue Ridge Mountains rise dramatically once you are south of the Potomac, and both Faquier County and Culpepper County have distinctly piedmont geography with the exception of their western borders that are the summit of the massive Blue Ridge. A better geographic comparison would be Eastern Frederick County before you reach the first ridge of the Appalachians.

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
Okay, I'm catching it now...yeah, I can see where two ridges might have some interesting effects on the geography.

This is kind of interesting. It does seem like Frederick County has bigger mountains closer to DC than parts of NOVA. At least elevation-wise on the above map, kind of more difficult to tell from the below map though.


Analyzing your words...okay, I can see why northern Loudoun County would be sort of similar...still sort of between those two ridges, but not as much so.


County map for anyone else following along with this.

[westsideboy]

I love the second map. It is a great visual way to show the geographic difference between Allegany and Garrett County, vs. Washington and Frederick Counties. All four counties contain mountainous sections, but Frederick and Washington are clearly dominated by large valleys (Monacy, Middletown, "The Great Valley" and the Potomac Valley), while Allegany and Garrett County are much more rugged.

I also think the Blue Ridge Mountians in Maryland are pretty facinating. You can see the massive nature of Blue Ridge in VA. It is actually split in two by the Potomac, and creates a very narrow valley between itself and South Mountain before petering out. South Mountain is also split by the Potomac, but with the small part in VA, and the bulk in Maryland. Braddock Mountain tries so hard to get started in VA, but is really just a series of higher broken hills. It starts to assume a more ridge like shape once it is in Maryland, but is still a low ridge until it merges with South Mountain to form the Catoctin Highlands.

And we can't forget about Sugar Loaf Mountain, which is the little dot in extreme SW Frederick County. It is a mondanock, or isolated relic mountain that somehow resisted erosion and elevates an extra 500 feet or so above the rest of the Piedmont.