DawsonMD
180 people live in this town, settled in 1891.
Is Dawson a good place to live?
100% of households are owner-occupiers in Dawson, where Maryland’s towns sit at 74% and U.S. towns at 73%. Dawson’s concentration of trails is 1.4 miles per square mile, above both the Maryland town median (0.6) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Dawson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
180 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Dawson: who provides what
Dawson is unincorporated, so Allegany County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dawson.
Dawson: four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 87° and January nights of 23°, with about 34 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards: low risk in Dawson, mostly inland flooding
Among 262 Maryland towns, just 10 have a higher natural-hazard score from FEMA than Dawson. 83% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in nearly two thirds of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of Maryland and the rest of the country, more of Dawson’s adults get no exercise outside work
Dawson: 21% of adults smoke cigarettes. Of 32 CDC measures, Dawson beats the Maryland average on 1 and trails it on 17. Among 262 Maryland towns, just one has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Dawson.
| Dawson | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 23% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Dawson | MD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.4% | 76.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.8% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Dawson keeps 4% of its land conserved
Walkers can cover 1.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Dawson: 2, covering 14 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dans Mountain Wildlife Management Area | 0.1 mi | 11 |
| 2. Gary A Yoder Fish Management Area | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Flight 93 National Memorial and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dawson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi National MemorialFlight 93 National Memorial286K visitors a year
25 mi MountainMount Davis
13 mi National Historical ParkChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park4.6M visitors a year
36 mi State parkOhiopyle State Park
39 mi WaterfallBlackwater Falls23 mi Ski areaWisp Resort36 runs · 638 ft verticalPhoto credits
Flight 93 National Memorial: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Davis: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: Bonnachoven, CC0 · Ohiopyle State Park: Hubert Stoffels from Pittsburgh, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Blackwater Falls: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant), CC BY-SA 2.5
Everything we know about Dawson
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Dawson
About 0 of every 100 Dawson residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
About Dawson
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Dawson is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Allegany County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 103. Dawson is on U.S. Route 220, 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Keyser, West Virginia, and 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Cumberland. It is situated along the northwest bank of the North Branch Potomac River, which forms the Maryland–West Virginia border.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 765 ft
Questions about Dawson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dawson, MD a good place to live?
Dawson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.