Cumberland, city, seat of Allegany County, northwestern Maryland, at the confluence of the North Branch of the Potomac River and Wills Creek; incorporated as a city 1856. It is a manufacturing, transportation, and coal-mining center; products include chemicals, textiles, and rubber, paper, and glass items. A junior college is here. Settled in 1750, it grew in the 19th century as the eastern terminus of the National, or Cumberland, Road, the western terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (completed 1850), and as a rail junction. The city is named for a local fort. Population 25,933 (1980); 23,706 (1990); 21,518 (2000).
