Fresh air, rolling hills dotted with quilts of agricultural patchwork, beautiful old Victorian homes, a historic downtown business district, and friendly townsfolk are some of the attributes that lure visitors to this quiet little country town.

On the crest of Parr ’s Ridge, at a peak height of approximately 830 feet, Mt. Airy rests on the highest point between Baltimore and Braddock Heights. The town is unique in that it is made up of the corner portions of four counties—Frederick, Carroll, Howard, and Montgomery. Most of the town’s area lies in Frederick and Carroll Counties.

Development of Mt. Airy began in the early 1830s when Henry Bussard built the first house on what is now the town’s municipal parking lot. Growth was sparked by the coming of the B&O Railroad in 1831. In order for the trains to overcome the steep slope of Parr ’s Ridge (an impossible task for the locomotives of the time), a series of four inclined planes (ramps) were constructed, which the locomotives and cars negotiated with the assistance of horses. The passengers disembarked and enjoyed the scenery while this took place. The Plane #4 system, as it was called, remained in use until 1839 when more powerful locomotives became available.

Another factor in the growth of Mt. Airy was its proximity to the National Pike, the early road from Baltimore to the west. Its route—and the route of the old Indian trails it tended to follow—was dictated by the availability of fresh drinking water, which the Mt. Airy/Ridgeville watershed had in abundance from Parr ’s Spring, the headwaters of the Patapsco River.

The town grew up around the railroad and the wagon road, despite setbacks dealt by three great fires that wiped out portions of the town in 1903, 1914, and 1925. The town rebuilt each time, providing a home for the milling, canning, and sewing industries that in former times supported Mt. Airy’s economy.

Mt. Airy is host to four annual events—the Spring Fling in May, Flag Day in June, Festival on the Ridge in October, and Christmas in Olde Town in December. The events are presented under the auspices of the town with an all-volunteer staff of townspeople, indicative of the overall civic pride that binds the residents, organizations, and government of Mt. Airy.