Parr's Ridge is a ridge which forms the summit of the Piedmont Plateau region in the U.S. state of Maryland.
A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from narrow top on either side.The line along the crest formed by the highest points, with the terrain dropping down on either side, is called the ridgeline. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size.
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States. It sits between the Atlantic coastal plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont Province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division which consists of the Gettysburg-Newark Lowlands, the Piedmont Upland and the Piedmont Lowlands sections.
Maryland is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. The state's largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State. It is named after the English queen Henrietta Maria, known in England as Queen Mary.
The ridge, a gentle summit by contrast to Maryland's Appalachian ridges to the west, extends from southwest to northeast through Montgomery, Howard and Carroll counties. The highest point in Maryland east of the Appalachian Mountains, Dug Hill in northern Carroll County, at an elevation of just over 1100 feet (335 m), is a mile or two to the west of the ridge. The Patuxent and Patapsco rivers both have headwaters on the ridge. The South branch of the Patapsco's headwaters point is dubbed Parr's Spring, and is the meeting point of four of Maryland's counties: Howard, Carroll, Montgomery, and Frederick. The Spring is submerged beneath a pond on the grounds of the eponymous "Four County Farm."
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They once reached elevations similar to those of the Alps and the Rocky Mountains before experiencing natural erosion. The Appalachian chain is a barrier to east–west travel, as it forms a series of alternating ridgelines and valleys oriented in opposition to most highways and railroads running east–west.
Montgomery County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland, located adjacent to Washington, D.C. As of the 2010 census, the county's population was 971,777, increasing by 8.3% to an estimated 1,052,567 in 2018. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-designated place of Germantown is the most populous place. Montgomery County is included in the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn forms part of the Baltimore–Washington Combined Statistical Area. Most of the county's residents live in unincorporated locales, of which the most built up are Silver Spring and Bethesda, although the incorporated cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg are also large population centers, as are many smaller but significant places.
Howard County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 287,085. Its county seat is Ellicott City.
The area was surveyed by John Parr in 1744, patenting the land as "Parr's Range". David McMurtrie Gregg marched his troops through the area during the civil war on the way to Gettysburg. [1]
David McMurtrie Gregg was a farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War.
Maryland State Route 27 follows the course of Parr's Ridge.
Communities along Parr's Ridge include, from south to north, Damascus, Mount Airy (where Interstate 70 crosses the ridge), Westminster, Cranberry, Manchester, and Lineboro.
Damascus is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. In the early 20th century, there existed an incorporated municipality lasting a quarter century.
Mount Airy is a town in Carroll and Frederick counties in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and Baltimore Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census the population was 9,288.
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 near Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky Mountains. West of the Rockies, the route of I-70 was derived from multiple sources. The Interstate runs through or near many major cities, including Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore.
