Set on the Patuxent River, halfway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Laurel is a city with early roots in the iron and cotton industries. You can travel back to those times at an historic mill worker’s house, now Laurel Museum, and the opulent Montpelier Mansion where several generations of the powerful Snowden family resided. Nowadays, …
The seat of Carroll County in northern Maryland sits in rolling green countryside, woven with orchards, vineyards and sunflower farms. Westminster is an essential part of Maryland’s wine industry. As well as having a few wineries within easy reach, the city has hosted the state’s annual wine festival for close to 40 years. There are …
Resting in an Appalachian mountainscape, the city of Cumberland developed as an industrial center in the mid-19th century at a nexus point in the region’s road, railroad and canal networks. Now a destination for tourists, Cumberland is still a crossroads, and you can ride the awe-inspiring Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, or travel the 185-mile towpath …
South of the University of Maryland at College Park, Hyattsville is a diverse, politically-liberal suburban city in the Gateway Arts District. Formed along the Rhode Island Avenue corridor, the Gateway Arts District is a long-term revitalization plan, in which public-private partnerships offer low rents and studio space for artists. The upshot for Hyattsville is a …
Just across the border from D.C., Takoma Park is a Washington suburb on hilly ground and known for its progressiveness, diversity and artists. This is epitomized by Old Town Takoma Park, with a pioneering farmers’ market, a co-operative supermarket and inclusive events like Pride and a colorful street festival in October with 150+ craft vendors. …
A classy getaway on the west side of the Delmarva Peninsula, Easton is set inland, but linked to the Chesapeake Bay by a tangle of rivers and creeks. The town was officially founded in 1710, but goes back further, as you’ll see at the Third Haven Friends Meeting House, standing since the 1680s and still …
Impossible not to love, Frederick is a burgeoning city of 80,000, with a blossoming downtown area full of antique stores, boutiques and restaurants for a wild diversity of cuisines. A catalyst for Frederick’s modern success was a flood control project in the 90s on Carroll Creek, creating a long canal through the city, crossed by …
About 20 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., Gaithersburg is a diverse and fast-growing suburb that has almost doubled in population since 1990. Now home to more than 70,000, this is one of the largest communities in Montgomery County, staging big events like the largest county fair in the state. The city is made up of …
Praised for its high quality of life, Rockville is a city of around 67,000 people, about 15 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.. Like its neighbor Bethesda, Rockville is the base for several biotech and software companies, and has the main campus for Montgomery College (MC). The cityscape in downtown Rockville was reimagined by a comprehensive …
Born in the 1870s around a railroad junction, Bowie is roughly halfway between Washington, D.C. and Chesapeake Bay, and has a reputation for diversity and a high quality of life. The city developed at speed in the 1970s and 1990s, so much of the townscape is modern, but there are compelling historical fragments, like the …