When I first saw this story I knew it was Cumberland. I went to school out there for a bit, it’s actually not that bad because it’s a college town and there’s a cool old town area.
I’ve brought it up before, but what would help Cumberland is if Maryland invested in a state wide high speed rail system. If you could cut the commute to the far west or far east of the state to 30 mins then you’d get a shytload of people moving from the I-95 corridors to these new locations. You’d have real estate opportunities, job opportunities from the expansion of existing and creation of new communities. It would definitely be controversial due to the potential environmental impact but this is what would bring a population boom. You could actually make Cumberland lit there’s beautiful views and it looks amazing in the fall. Make it like an Appalachian Denver. Delmarva region could be developed into a mega city on straddling the Chesapeake and the Atlantic Coast. Southern Maryland’s continued growth would also get a boost by making places like St. Mary’s County more viable for DMV residents looking for cheaper home options.
Real talk, if Wes Moore did this he’d go down as a Maryland legend. But Purple Line has taken this long with massive overspending then not sure how they’d fare against a state wide high speed rail system. It would definitely solve Cumberland’s problems tho.
www.ci.cumberland.md.us
www.nytimes.com
