Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Fort Ritchie

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Maryland›Washington County

Fort RitchieMD

A town.

Is Fort Ritchie a good place to live?

Among 262 Maryland towns, just 1 have a lower July high than Fort Ritchie. 90% of the land in Fort Ritchie is conserved, against 9.5% in Maryland’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. We don’t grade Fort Ritchie yet; the figures below are still real.

Nearby attractions

Raven Rock Mountain Complex and 28 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fort Ritchie. Close and well known come first.

All 151 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Raven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Catoctin Mountain Park: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Antietam National Battlefield: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain

Getting set up

Moving to Fort Ritchie: who provides what

Fort Ritchie is unincorporated, so Washington County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPotomac Edison15.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHighfield water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWashington CountyWashington County provides services here
SchoolsWashington County Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Maryland you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereWashington County Board of ElectionsWashington County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code2171921719 100%Census 2020

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 Fort Ritchie.

Outdoors

Conserved land covers nearly a third of Fort Ritchie

0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.

89.6%conserved
89.6%
conserved · 574 of 641 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. South Mountain State Park—5

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Natural hazards

Fort Ritchie faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 99% of U.S. communities.

1risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
1Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Fort Ritchie

Fort Ritchie has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Among 262 Maryland towns, just 1 have a lower January low than Fort Ritchie.

33″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter23–39°
Spring40–60°
Summer61–80°
Fall44–63°
Oct 30
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Fort Ritchie is

Fort Ritchie beats the Maryland average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 15% of adults smoke cigarettes in Fort Ritchie, where Maryland’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 14%. 23% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Fort Ritchie.

Fort RitchieMaryland townsU.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)15%11%14%
Depression (CDC PLACES)23%20%23%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)27%23%25%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)15%14%16%
32 measures vs. Maryland
4 better19 too close to call9 worse
What stands outFort RitchieMD
Fewer adults facing food insecurity11.9%15.4%
Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off6.5%8.4%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth13.3%9.9%
Wellspan Waynesboro Hospital
4.7 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Fort Ritchie

13pages on Fort Ritchie
After high school

Colleges nearby

3 within 15 miles of the center of Fort Ritchie

Fort Ritchie’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Fort Ritchie.

Explore the map →
Highfield-CascadeHighfield-CascadeFort Ritchie
How the neighbors grade
TownMD rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Fort Ritchie——————
Highfield-Cascade——B−—BB−

Highfield-Cascade has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Highfield-Cascade reports no FBI crime data of its own. Fort Ritchie isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Fort Ritchie with a neighbor →

Questions about Fort Ritchie

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Fort Ritchie, MD a good place to live?

We don’t grade Fort Ritchie yet; the figures below are still real. A town.