GARRETT

county, extreme western Maryland, U.S., lying between West Virginia to the west and south and Pennsylvania to the north. Parklands and lakes occupy one-fifth of the county area. Waterways such as the Casselman, Savage, and Youghiogheny rivers as well as Deep Creek Lake, the state's largest freshwater lake, line the valleys of the Allegheny Mountains. Backbone Mountain in the south rises to 3,360 feet (1,024 metres), Maryland's highest point. Savage River State Forest is the largest of its kind in Maryland. The county was formed in 1872 and named for railway executive John W. Garrett. The county seat is Oakland. The economy is based on bituminous coal mining and light manufacturing. Area 648 square miles (1,679 square km). Pop. (1990) 28,138; (1996 est.) 29,445.