Frostburg, Maryland

Frostburg had its beginnings back in 1811 when surveying began for the National Pike, a road used to transport crops and raw materials to East Coast markets. This small town is home to Frostburg State University, a four-year university occupying a 260-acre campus, with an undergraduate enrollment of 5,200. The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad runs a loop that begins/ends in Cumberland, MD. The line stops in Frostburg at the Frostburg Depot for ninety minutes so passengers may shop or eat lunch. Surrounding the Depot are Linns Bar and Grill, The Trail Inn and Cafe, the Thrasher Carriage Museum, and the Great Allegheny Passage Hiking/Biking Trail. This 132-mile long rail trail has a smooth bed of crushed limestone. The pedestrian corridor also connects with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath trail, which runs for an additional 185 miles (298 km) between Cumberland, Maryland and Washington, DC - creating a continuous non-motorized corridor, 318 miles (512 km) long, from McKeesport, near Pittsburgh, to Washington, DC. The Appalachian Festival occurs every year on the third weekend in September on Frostburg State University's upper quad. Frostburg is located in the Allegheny Mountains and has an average elevation of 2,000 feet (610 m) above sea level. Because of the elevation and location near the Allegheny Front, Frostburg has a colder, wetter climate than the rest of Allegany County. Average summer temperatures peak at only 79 °F (26 °C) in July.