Enjoy the beauty of the seasons in the mountains of Western Maryland. Oakland is the place to visit . . . the memories last a lifetime. 

Our Maryland Tax Credits
The train station donations return most
of what your business donates to
preserve our B&O Station.

Oakland in a bottle!

Who we are
We like it here and we know you will too. There are only 1,800 of us but we think we're proof that good things come in small packages. You can visit some of those good things and see some of our friendly people by taking a few minutes to tour this website. See the beauty of the fall foliage all around us. Check out our unique, Queen Anne-style train station. Visit with the Mayor, who's working hard to save this classic station. Check out our businesses. And yes…there are even some glimpses of the fishing, hiking, boating and skiing that are all around us. We're the seat of government for our state's largest county…664 square miles of natural beauty known as Garrett County. Come to Oakland and within a few minutes' drive of our town you can...

Fish in pristine streams that gurgle through our mountains.
Hike in forests growing atop some of the world's oldest mountains.
Ski in an Alpine resort or on some of the best cross-country trails on the East Coast.
Boat on our mountain-fed lakes.
Do all of that. But first check out our town.

We're working so hard to protect our uniqueness that the State of Maryland has designated us a Main Street Community. Stroll down our streets and hike our mountains. Look us over. We're Oakland, Maryland, having just celebrated our 150th birthday and working hard on our future. We're about all the good things that are small town America, and we're surrounded by the grandeur of the natural world.

Need more information?

Drop us a line: 

Oakland Information

Town Hall

15 S. 3rd Street

Oakland, MD  21550

Or just call :  301-334-2691 and tell us you saw us on the web.

The Newspaper for Oakland & Garrett County, Maryland

In fact, come on up and I'll take the time to show you around.

I originally lived in a big city. But after vacationing in a lakeside cabin in Garrett County when I was eight-years-old, I decided that someday I would live here. You'll feel the same thing I did when I was a child and that I still very much enjoy as an adult. There's an essence about Garrett County that you can feel when you begin to approach the county line. Something happens to relax your body and mind. I'm not sure exactly what it is. Maybe it's the combination of clean, mountain air and the lack of crime and traffic. You feel safe and comfortable and glad to be heading home.

I realized my childhood dream of living here in 1967 when I was employed by the Garrett County Board of Education after completing college at California State College in California, PA. After receiving my Master's degree at nearby Frostburg State University, I moved into administration. When I retired many years later, I was principal at our Dennett Road Elementary school.

I so value living in Garrett County that I wanted to find a way to give something back to the area. In 1988 when Mayor Swartzentruber indicated that he was not running again for office, I thought that may be an opportunity to fulfill my goal. I am currently serving my sixth, two-year term as Mayor of Oakland.

With a lot of teamwork and community support, I have been able to promote an agenda of revitalization. Most recently, my dream of restoring the 1884 train station became a reality when it was purchased by the Town of Oakland. You can see and read all about this beautiful building elsewhere on this website. The type of teamwork that our rural Garrett County is known for, is more important than ever to complete this project. With everyone's help, we can restore that facility to its original splendor. Helping us out now is the State of Maryland which recently approved grants for repairing the slate roof and restoring the Queen Anne structure to its original splendor.

Come on up to our mountain community and see the train station. Breathe the mountain air and feel the peacefulness . I'll take the time to show you around.

Sincerely,

Asa M. McCain, Jr.
Mayor of Oakland