The Potomac Highlands of West Virginia (or just the Potomac Highlands) centers on five West Virginian counties (Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton) in the upper Potomac River watershed in the western portion of the state's Eastern Panhandle, bordering Maryland and Virginia. Because of geographical proximity, similar topography and landscapes, and shared culture and history, the Potomac Highlands region also includes Pocahontas, Randolph, and Tucker counties, even though they are in the Monongahela River or New River watersheds and not that of the Potomac River.[1]
The Potomac Highlands broadly overlaps, but is not identical with, the four-state Allegheny Highlands or High Alleghenies region which includes the relatively high and rugged mountains along and near the Allegheny Front from extreme southern Pennsylvania southward across Maryland and West Virginia into adjacent Virginia.
The region's geologic setting and landscape history make the Potomac Highlands one of the most scenic areas within the central Appalachian Mountains. The eastern part of the region is within the Ridge and Valley physiographic province, where long, steep-sided mountain ridges alternate with parallel broad, flat valleys. Water gaps, where rivers or streams have cut through the ridges, are important not only for their dramatic scenery, but also for their utility as easy crossings of these otherwise formidable mountains for roads, railroads, and telephone and telegraph lines. The western portion of the Potomac Highlands is within the Allegheny Plateau, with the Allegheny Front's prominent escarpment providing the boundary between these two areas.
While much of the land in the Potomac Highlands is privately owned, large portions of the area are within the Monongahela National Forest, the George Washington National Forest, or various other kinds of parks, preserves, or other managed wild areas. A group of sites within the Allegheny Highlands has been proposed for inclusion as a new unit within the U.S. National Park System.[2]
The Fairfax Stone, marking the source of the Potomac River, is along the north edge of the Potomac Highlands, just south of the southern tip of western Maryland.
Among notable scenic features or wild areas within the Ridge and Valley portion of the Potomac Highlands are:
The George Washington National Forest includes six Recreation Areas within the Potomac Highlands' Ridge and Valley region: Brandywine RA, Camp Run RA, Rock Cliff RA, Shenandoah Mountain RA, Trout Pond RA, and Wolf Gap RA.
The Allegheny Front provides the setting for various high, openly vegetated areas atop massive outcrops of the Pottsville sandstone, including:
Within the region's three western counties, landscapes of the Appalachian Plateau include such features as:
The Monongahela National Forest includes a number of Recreation Areas on the Appalachian Plateau, including: Bear Heaven RA, Bickle Knob RA, Big Bend RA, Bird Run RA, Bishop Knob RA, Cranberry RA, Gaudineer Knob RA, Horseshoe RA, Lake Buffalo RA, Laurel Fork RA, Old House Run RA, Pocahontas RA, Red Creek RA, Red Lick RA, Spruce Knob Lake RA, Stuart RA, and Tea Creek RA.
The following nine West Virginia counties are included within the Potomac Highlands:
| County | Named For | Founded | Seat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant | Ulysses S. Grant | February 14, 1866 | Petersburg | |
| Hampshire | Hampshire County, England | December 13, 1753 | Romney | |
| Hardy | Samuel Hardy | December 10, 1785 | Moorefield | |
| Mineral | Minerals located in the county | February 1, 1866 | Keyser | |
| Pendleton | Edmund Pendleton | December 4, 1787 | Franklin | |
| Pocahontas | Pocahontas of the Powhatan Native American people | 1821 | Marlinton | |
| Randolph | Edmund Jennings Randolph | 1787 | Elkins | |
| Tucker | Henry St. George Tucker, Sr. | 1856 | Parsons |
| City | 2005 (estimate) | 2000 | County | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elkins | 7,109 | 7,032 | Randolph | |
| Keyser | 5,410 | 5,303 | Mineral | |
| Petersburg | 2,634 | 2,423 | Grant | |
| Moorefield | 2,408 | 2,375 | Hardy | |
| Romney | 1,975 | 1,940 | Hampshire | |
| Parsons | 1,400 | 1,463 | Tucker | |
| Marlinton | 1,247 | 1,204 | Pocahontas |
Smith, J. Lawrence, The Potomac Naturalist: The Natural History of the Headwaters of the Historic Potomac (1968), Parsons, West Virginia, McClain Printing Company; ;