Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range (/ˌælɪˈɡeɪni/ AL-ig-AY-nee; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less developed eras. The Allegheny Mountains have a northeast–southwest orientation, running for about 300 miles (480 km) from north-central Pennsylvania, southward through western Maryland and eastern West Virginia.
| Allegheny Mountains | |
|---|---|
View from atop Spruce Mountain in eastern West Virginia, the highest point in the Alleghenies | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Spruce Knob of Spruce Mountain, Pendleton County, West Virginia |
| Elevation | 4,863 ft (1,482 m) |
| Coordinates | 38°41′59″N 79°31′58″W |
| Geography | |
Map showing the Allegheny Mountains (in purple) as part of the larger Appalachian Plateau province of the Appalachian Highlands physiographic division. (USGS)
| |
| Country | United States |
| States | Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia |
| Parent range | Ridge-and-valley Appalachians |
| Borders on | Cumberland Mountains |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Alleghenian orogeny |
| Type of rock | Sandstone and Quartzite |
The Alleghenies comprise the rugged western-central portion of the Appalachians. They rise to approximately 4,862 feet (1,482 m) in northeastern West Virginia. In the east, they are dominated by a high, steep escarpment known as the Allegheny Front. In the west, they slope down into the closely associated Allegheny Plateau, which extends into Ohio and Kentucky. The principal settlements of the Alleghenies are Altoona, State College, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and Cumberland, Maryland.
Using the USGS classification of physical geography (physiography), the Allegheny Mountain range is part of the Appalachian Plateau province of the Appalachian Highlands physiographic division.