TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
MDMaryland rankings

Towns with the most conserved land in Maryland

Ranked by the share of the town's area that is permanently protected: town forests, state and federal land, land-trust preserves and conservation easements (USGS PAD-US). 20 towns with 2,500+ residents.

U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year

Map of South Laurel 1 South Laurel 29.5% Conserved acres 1,522 Baltimore Highlands 2 Baltimore Highlands 24% Conserved acres 278 Poolesville 3 Poolesville 18.2% Conserved acres 440
#TownConserved landConserved acresTrails
1 Map of South Laurel South Laurel29,272 people 29.5% 1,522 6.6 mi
2 Baltimore Highlands Baltimore Highlands8,206 people 24% 278 4.2 mi
3 Poolesville Poolesville5,764 people 18.2% 440 2.1 mi
4 Walkersville Walkersville6,414 people 13% 394 3.8 mi
5 Map of Walker Mill Walker Mill10,931 people 12.9% 247 2.7 mi
6 Westphalia13,228 people 12% 756 3.3 mi
7 Jarrettsville Jarrettsville2,560 people 11.7% 645 0.1 mi
8 Hyattsville Hyattsville20,966 people 10.9% 190 1.2 mi
9 Brunswick Brunswick8,450 people 10.9% 256 6.8 mi
10 Map of East Riverdale East Riverdale18,336 people 10.5% 108 0.2 mi
11 Milford Mill Milford Mill30,829 people 10.1% 449 0.4 mi
12 Gaithersburg Gaithersburg69,825 people 9.3% 619 10.7 mi
13 Map of Marlow Heights Marlow Heights5,456 people 9.1% 118 0.1 mi
14 Randallstown Randallstown35,957 people 6.3% 408 2.0 mi
15 Map of Friendship Heights Village Friendship Heights Village4,002 people 4.9% 2 0.1 mi
16 Jefferson Jefferson3,314 people 4.9% 86 0.1 mi
17 Chesapeake Beach Chesapeake Beach6,456 people 3.8% 68 1.8 mi
18 Map of Fruitland Fruitland5,801 people 1.5% 35 1.4 mi
19 Boonsboro Boonsboro3,809 people 1.3% 26 1.1 mi
20 Map of Golden Beach Golden Beach3,830 people 0.8% 22 0.0 mi

How this ranking works

We rank every town by the share of the town's area that is permanently protected: town forests, state and federal land, land-trust preserves and conservation easements (USGS PAD-US). Easements protect land from development but are often private, so not all of it is open to visitors. The town with the highest figure ranks #1.

Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Trails, streets and parks: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Conserved land: USGS PAD-US. Measured within each town's Census boundary. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.

Same ranking in other states

CA FL GA IL IN MD MI MN MT NJ NY NC OH PA TX VA WA WI All of the U.S.