Hagerstown is located at the center of the Great Valley of Appalachia. Early settlers in the region migrated from Pennsylvania and formed settlements around springs on the fertile land of the valley. One of the earliest to arrive was Jonathan Hager, a German immigrant from Philadelphia, who settled in the valley in 1739. Hager founded Elizabeth Town in 1762 near the intersection of two colonial roads. Elizabeth Town became the county seat of the newly formed Washington County in 1776. In 1813, it was officially renamed Hagerstown.

Hagerstown developed as a milling, trading, and government center and as a transportation hub for the stagecoach routes that traversed the community. Ease of access to Hagerstown steadily improved during the first half of the 19th century as the National Pike was constructed, the Cumberland Valley Railroad was extended to Hagerstown, and the C&O Canal reached to the vicinity of the town.

With its location on the region’s transportation corridors, Hagerstown was repeatedly stricken by the ebb and flow of the Civil War, being occupied alternately by Federal and Confederate armies as they moved between Virginia and Pennsylvania. But after the war, progress resumed. Three more railroads developed lines into Hagerstown, and the synergy between the growing industrial base and the railroads created an economic boom in Hagerstown that lasted until World War II.

Following World War II, the town continued to capitalize on its transportation assets. Specialized industries dependent on proximate railroad and interstate highway systems developed throughout the remainder of the 20th century.

Residents and visitors to Hagerstown can explore the region’s rich Civil War history, attend a minor-league baseball game, stroll through historic districts and the city park, partake of the unique cultural and dining offerings in the downtown arts and entertainment district, and shop at several regional centers. The city continues to develop as a tourist destination and as a fertile home for business and industry.