Cumberland Valley

The Cumberland Valley is a northern constituent valley of the Great Appalachian Valley, within the Atlantic Seaboard watershed in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Appalachian Trail crosses through the valley.

Not to be confused with Cumberland Mountains, Cumberland Gap, or Cumberland Narrows.
For the similarly-named valley in Tennessee, see Cumberland River.
Cumberland Valley
The Great Appalachian Valley includes the Cumberland Valley (7) depicted southeast of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians and between the Lebanon (6) and Shenandoah (8) valleys.
Cumberland Valley
Floor elevation600 ft (180 m)
Length73 miles (117 km) northeast-southwest
Width12 miles (19 km)
Geography
LocationCumberland County, Pennsylvania
Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Washington County, Maryland
Population centersIn Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, Shippensburg, Chambersburg, Greencastle, Waynesboro
In Maryland: Hagerstown
Borders onRidge-and-Valley Appalachians (west/north)
South Mountain (east/south)
Susquehanna River (east)
Potomac River (south)
Coordinates39°56′N 77°43′W 

Geography

The valley is bound to the west and north by the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians (Bear Pond Mountains/Blue Mountain), to the east and south by South Mountain, to the northeast by the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, and to the south by the Potomac River. The portion of the valley residing in Maryland is sometimes referred to as the Hagerstown Valley.

The Cumberland Valley Railroad, the Cumberland Valley AVA wine region, and the Cumberland Valley School District are named for the region.[1]

Settlements

Cities in the Cumberland Valley include Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,[2] and Hagerstown, Maryland. Pennsylvania boroughs include Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Carlisle, Shippensburg, Chambersburg, Waynesboro, and Greencastle.

See also
Aerial view of a portion of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians forming the northern edge of the Cumberland Valley. Named features in image include Flat Rock, Mount Dempsey, Bloserville, and Bowers Mountain.

References
  1. Cvschools.org: Cumberland Valley School District
  2. Cumberland Valley Railroad, March 2002 – Harrisburg Pennsylvania to Winchester Virginia Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  • Stewart, Harriet Wylie (1918). "History of the Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania".


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