What is MARYLAND known for? Characteristics of Marylanders? (Baltimore, California: law school, taxes)

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by vwclassic

Hmm. Okay I'll take the blame for indulging this. I never even mentioned Allegany County, or Garrett for that matter. I did use the term western MD. You are in western MD, so am I. My views are as relevant as yours. If you want to be referred to as western western MD, that's fine. Are we arguing about who's perspective is better? I'm sorry, but that is even to silly for me. And I'm a silly ba-stard.

Ask the Gov is on right now. Call up and ask O'Malley your questions. Based on numbers though the odds of you being heard are against you. The odd are against me too for that matter. Try though, I want to see western western MD issues addressed. I really do.

Do you not get tax based state subsidies? I don't know western western MD politics as well as I know western MD politics, but I would guess that Allegany and Garrett get state money. Another question is: if so, are the people in Baltimore and PG County complaining about it?

I personally do not have a problem helping out PG County or western western MD if it is needed. We are all Marylanders, even you all in western at western MD.

The question of what constitutes "Western Maryland" is open to debate for many. I grew up always "knowing" that the term referred to Allegany and Garrett County, that is the way we use the term up here, everything else is downstate.

It was a huge shock for me when I went away to college and learned that the term was also used to describe Washington and Frederick County. I have spent many hours of my life explaining to friends, foes, strangers both in person and over the internet about what makes the two Western Counties different.

The persecution complex that is easily recognizable when I talk about my home is largely due to this confusion. I have told people "I am from Western Maryland." Their well meaning responses is normally "Oh, yeah Frederick is great, I know someone from Hagerstown too." Next comes the well-worn discussion from me about geography and that Hagerstown is still 65 miles from Cumberland, yada, yada, yada.

So, I apologize for teasing you in the other post, but this kind of confusion is a major cause of our problems out here, people in our own state don't know we exist. Alot of downstaters, think the state ends at Frederick or Hagerstown. It doesn't. You have another 100 miles of rugged terrain that is radically different from everywhere else in the state. Come out and see what I mean sometime, you will be both impressed with the physical beauty and probably shocked to see Appalachian poverty persist in such a rich state.

I am glad to hear that you don't mind helping out our area. We do get more tax dollars in from Annapolis than we send out. There are clearly benefits from our association with Annapolis, but in reality our county is poorer and being depopulated faster than our neighboring counties in WV and PA because our state's tax rates and business regulations put our little piece of the world at a serious disadvantage when compared to WV and PA. Money doesn't fix the root cause of the problem, it just a band-aid to a wound that isn't being treated. I doubt Cumberland will ever be the 2nd largest city in the state again, but our natural resources + a cooperative state government would go light years in reversing 60 years of decline.

Just to make sure we stay on topic about the characteristics of "Marylanders", I personally, and many other residents where I live don't consider ourselves "Marylanders." The bay is a distant and strange place we know mostly because we are taxed and regulated to "preserve" it. The Ravens and Skins take a back seat to the Steelers, the Pirates have more fans than the O's or Nats, and our residents are just as likely to travel to Altoona or Morgantown rather than Hagerstown for better doctors and shopping. Out here we are "Western Marylanders." and that is why the term carries more weight to us than it logically would to an outsider to my area.

[vwclassic]

I didn't know you felt that way. Mostly because I personally have never seen western MD that way. I've always liked that part of the state. When I was a kid my Dad worked in both Cumberland and Deep Creek. We didn't live in either town, but I got to know both pretty well. I've never seen either of those two counties as "not Maryland". I almost moved to Frostburg not too long ago and was excited at the thought. Frostburg is a nice quaint little town, good place to raise kids.

When was Cumberland the second largest city in the state? Rail related? Do you pay attention to the Port of Baltimore renovation debate? It's possible that the Cumberland area will get an economic boost from increased rail. O'Malley is really trying to sell the port renovation and it's looks like a beneficial project for several parts of the state. If he can organize it he way he wants.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by vwclassic

I didn't know you felt that way. Mostly because I personally have never seen western MD that way. I've always liked that part of the state. When I was a kid my Dad worked in both Cumberland and Deep Creek. We didn't live in either town, but I got to know both pretty well. I've never seen either of those two counties as "not Maryland". I almost moved to Frostburg not too long ago and was excited at the thought. Frostburg is a nice quaint little town, good place to raise kids.

When was Cumberland the second largest city in the state? Rail related? Do you pay attention to the Port of Baltimore renovation debate? It's possible that the Cumberland area will get an economic boost from increased rail. O'Malley is really trying to sell the port renovation and it's looks like a beneficial project for several parts of the state. If he can organize it he way he wants.

I will quote Cumberland Times-News columnist and call our area "Almost Maryland" and yes that is how many of us feel. We aren't WV or PA, but we aren't really MD either.

Cumberland and Hagerstown traded the title of 2nd largest city in the state back and forth between about 1910 - 1950. Cumberland's population at its peak was 39,000, today it is 20,000. Hagerstown had a similar downturn in population, but has recovered due to economic opportunity presented by proximity to the rest of the state. We don't have that advantage and are still "post industrial."

Increased rail traffic would be benefitial to Cumberland, as it is the only real "industry" left.

[vwclassic]

Do I sense an air of rebellion? If you secede would you call the new 51st state West Western Maryland? It is east of West Virginia and just west of western Maryland and is know for applesauce.

Oh and I forgot to mention: The Pirates.......ha.

[westsideboy]

I would do a three way trade.

Maryland gets the VA Delmarva Counties
West Virginia gets Allegany and Garrett Counties
Virginia gets Berkeley and Jefferson County WV

The map would look much normal and the natural geographic features of the area would better reflect the political boundaries. We would have to say good-bye to the extra tax money, but would have laws and regulations that would allow more private industry to move in. The only caveat would be that WV would have to better regulate surface mining. For all of my complaints, MD has excellent policies on surface mining that require the companies to bond money for reclaimation up front, and restore the land to its "original use" when the operation is done. I suspect many people don't realize how much of the land has already been surface mined, then restored to pasture or forest. Mining is still tough on the environment, but the state does make sure our land isn't irreperably (I butchered that spelling) altered like it is in WV. This is one reason why the Coal Tax credit is so important to us, it helps offset the extra regulatory costs the mining companies must pay to do business here. O'Malley has targeted the credit for elimination in the last two legislative sessions, but our delegation has fought hard and kept it around.

Oh, and in my previous post, I meant to give credit to columnist Mike Sawyers for coining the term "Almost Maryland."

[CelticViking]

I would like to see the Eastern Shore of MD/VA/DEL a state of its own. It is very much different then its neighboring shore in md. However there are some similarities in ruralness/politics in the Western portion of the state.

[westsideboy]

Hmmm..... You could break off Delmarva into its own state, move Allegany, Garrett into WV. Let the rural parts of Washington County and the other Mason-Dixon Counties become part of PA (basically if you know what a fascnaut is, you should become part of PA , then let the rest of Maryland absorb DC and NOVA complete the transformation into an ubber rich, liberal, dense state. Wouldn't everyone be happier?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Hmmm..... You could break off Delmarva into its own state, move Allegany, Garrett into WV. Let the rural parts of Washington County and the other Mason-Dixon Counties become part of PA (basically if you know what a fascnaut is, you should become part of PA , then let the rest of Maryland absorb DC and NOVA and become a ubber rich, liberal, dense state. Wouldn't everyone be happier?

No.

[westsideboy]

Oh shoot, I forgot about Southern Maryland......let me think........maybe Southern Maryland could join the remaining parts of VA? I have never been the Northern Neck, but I hear it is similar to Southern Maryland. You would have build ALOT of big bridges though....

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Oh shoot, I forgot about Southern Maryland......let me think........maybe Southern Maryland could join the remaining parts of VA? I have never been the Northern Neck, but I hear it is similar to Southern Maryland. You would have build ALOT of big bridges though....

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Southern Maryland, always a bridesmaid never a bride. Heck, we could be our own state, we got farms, we got an edge city that's larger than some cities in Montana and Idaho, we got a nuclear power plant, we got tourism and we got a Naval base or two.