Westernport

History

Westernport's first settlement is identified on a French military map dating from 1758. The map is currently on display at École Militaire in Paris. The settlement at that time had no name. By 1774, it was known as Hardscrabble because the rocky soil made planting difficult. Some time in the mid-1790s, the name was changed to Westernport, with the town being the westernmost navigable port on the Potomac River. In the late 18th century and early to mid part of the 19th century, coal and timber was loaded onto flatboats where George's Creek empties into the Potomac, then floated down to near Great Falls, Virginia, where the goods were unloaded, the boats broken up to sell as lumber, with the operators walking back to Westernport. The town was incorporated in 1859. In 1886–87 the Piedmont and Cumberland Railway was built through Westernport, connecting the town to Cumberland.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. * Barton, Maryland * Cumberland, Maryland * Elk Garden, West Virginia * Keyser, West Virginia * Kitzmiller, Maryland * Lonaconing, Maryland * Luke, Maryland * Midland, Maryland * Piedmont, West Virginia The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Westernport has a marine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  4,206
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  4,171
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,513
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,371
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  3,315
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,101
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,076
• Red-eyed Vireo

  Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,945

Largest nearby schools

• George's Creek Elementary
  Elementary · Lonaconing · 268 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Westernport Elementary
  Elementary · Westernport · 261 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Westmar Middle
  Middle · Lonaconing · 232 students · 9.3:1 ratio