Welcome to Hagerstown! Learn what everyone is discovering: Hagerstown is a Great Place to Live, Work and Visit.
Hagerstown is strategically located in the heart of the rich Cumberland Valley at the intersection of I-81 and I-70. Located approximately 25 miles west of Frederick and 70 miles northwest of Baltimore and Washington, DC, we are easily accessible by air and interstate to urban centers around the region. Our historic downtown and neighborhoods are testimony of Hagerstown's proud heritage and role as the economic hub of our region. The surrounding rural countryside in Washington County is home to active farmland and numerous public parks. Housing choices abound from the historic to the more modern and new and from affordable to the executive style. In June 2004, Money magazine identified Hagerstown as an "up and coming city" experiencing factors that in ten years will attract the "creative class" - which they identified as an indicator of a thriving urban area.

If you live in Hagerstown or visit our community, there are a wide variety of cultural events and recreation facilities to enjoy.
Running through our county are three national and/or regional recreation trails: the C&O Canal Towpath, the Appalachian Trail, and the Western Maryland Rail Trail. History abounds - nowhere more impressively than on the hallowed grounds of the Antietam National Battlefield. In nearby Pennsylvania is the White Tail Ski and Biking Resort. If you enjoy good music, join us for the Western Maryland Blues Fest in Downtown Hagerstown. If you enjoy something a bit more classical, Hagerstown is home to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. Our German heritage and Sister City relationship with Wesel, Germany, is celebrated at Augustoberfest in Downtown Hagerstown. For the auto-racing enthusiasts, we have the Hagerstown Speedway and the Mason Dixon Dragway. For baseball fans, Hagerstown is home to the Hagerstown Suns, a Class A minor league team affiliated with the New York Mets.

If you work, conduct business, or shop in Hagerstown, you know that the Hagerstown economic engine is strong.
We have a diversified economic base and rank seventh in the nation in per capita retail space. The strength of this retail market share is demonstrated by the fact that the Hagerstown Super Wal*Mart is one of the strongest in the nation and the Hagerstown Prime Outlets Center draws over 4 million patrons per year. The I-81 corridor in Washington County is thriving with industry and contains additional industrial park land available for new development. The tourism industry is flourishing with 2,300 hotel rooms, a 64% occupancy rate in 2005 (some months at 80%!), and five new hotels under construction or planned. Downtown Hagerstown is undergoing a renaissance with new investment generating building turnover and rehabilitation, new retail and service enterprises, and rising property values. A new University System of Maryland Education Center opened in the heart of our downtown in January 2005.

More people are discovering the quality of life and lower cost of living as evidenced by our current growth spurt.
Between 2000 and 2004, the population of the City of Hagerstown and our surrounding suburbs grew by approximately 6%. The 2004 population estimate for the City of Hagerstown is 37,536 with our suburban fringe containing approximately another 58,805. With 3,070 housing units in various stages of development in the City of Hagerstown, the population of our City is anticipated to increase by another 16% within the next 5-7 years. In 2004, Hagerstown ranked as having the 15th lowest crime rate in the nation of metropolitan areas our size (55,000-200,000). No other Maryland metro area within that size range had a lower crime rate.

If you would like more information about incentive programs and investment opportunities in Hagerstown, contact the Office of Economic Development.
Our mission is to expand economic opportunities for our citizens by expanding the City's tax base and retaining and creating jobs. From the downtown to our business parks, you will find that there is something for everyone in Hagerstown!

Office of Economic Development
Deborah A. Everhart, Economic Development Director
Danielle Frye, Administrative Assistant

Mail Address:
City Hall One East Franklin Street Hagerstown, Maryland 21740

Phone:
(301) 739-8577, ext. 112 between 8am & 4:30pm M-F (eastern standard time)

Fax:
(301) 790-3424

E-mail:
economicdevelopment@hagerstownmd.org