Alleghenies
| Allegheny Mountains | |
|---|---|
View from atop Spruce Knob,
highest point in the Alleghenies. |
|
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Spruce Knob of Spruce Mountain (Pendleton County, WV) |
| Elevation | 4,863 ft (1,482 m) |
| Coordinates | 38°41′59″N 79°31′58″W / 38.69972°N 79.53278°WCoordinates: 38°41′59″N 79°31′58″W / 38.69972°N 79.53278°W |
| Geography | |
Map showing the Allegheny Mountains in purple
|
|
| 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 Allegheny Mountain Range /ælᵻˈɡeɪni/, informally the Alleghenies and also spelled Allegheny and Allegany, 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 technologically-advanced eras. The barrier range has a northeast–southwest orientation and runs for about 400 miles (640 km) from north-central Pennsylvania, through western Maryland and eastern West Virginia, to southwestern Virginia.
The Alleghenies comprise the rugged western-central portion of the Appalachians. They rise to approximately 4,862 feet (1,483 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.
The name is derived from the Allegheny River, which drains only a small portion of the Alleghenies in west-central Pennsylvania. The meaning of the word, which comes from the Lenape (Delaware) Indians, is not definitively known but is usually translated as "fine river". A Lenape legend tells of an ancient tribe called the "Allegewi" who lived on the river and were defeated by the Lenape.Allegheny is the early French spelling (as in Allegheny River, which was once part of New France), and Allegany is closer to the early English spelling (as in Allegany County, Maryland or Alleghany County, Virginia).
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Wikipedia