Martinsburg (West Virginia)

Martinsburg is a city of 17,000 people (as of 2019) in West Virginia. Founded in 1778, it was named in honor of Colonel Thomas Bryan Martin, a nephew of Lord Fairfax from Kent, who had moved to the general area around 1735.

Get in
Martinsburg is on I-81 between Hagerstown, Maryland to the north and Winchester, Virginia to the south.

By train



 * Train operators
 * Routes stopping at Martinsburg:
 * Capitol Limited operates daily between Chicago and Washington, D.C. including stops in South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Alliance, Pittsburgh, Connellsville, Cumberland, Martinsburg, Harpers Ferry, and Rockville.
 * Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC), +1 304-263-3376, . Open M-F 5AM to 9AM and 6PM to 8:30PM. Martinsburg is on the Brunswick line, which ferries passengers to Washington, D.C..

Get around

 * Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority, aka PanTran, 446 Novak Drive, +1 304-263-0876. Buses run from 6AM to 9PM on weekdays, and 8AM to 5:30PM on weekends (precise times vary by route). Serving north and south Martinsburg, Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Bolivar and Harpers Ferry. Fares $1-3.

Events

 * Downtown Martinsburg Chili Cook-off, downtown Martinsburg, +1 304-262-4200. Held in mid-July. Professional and amateur chili chefs compete to create the best chili in town; spectators can purchase ballot cards to taste and vote on the chilis. Admission $5.

Learn

 * The local newspaper is the Journal News, 207 W King Street, +1 304-263-8931 or +1-800-448-1895.

Go next

 * Charles Town is about 30 minutes southeast on WV-9.
 * Hagerstown, Maryland is about 30 minutes north on I-81.
 * Winchester, Virginia is about 30 minutes south on I-81.
 * Harpers Ferry is about 40 minutes southeast on WV-9.
 * Berkeley Springs is about 30 minutes northwest on WV-9.
 * Frederick, Maryland is about 50 minutes east on I-81, then south on I-70.
 * Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is about 1½ hours northeast on I-81.
 * Washington, D.C. is about 2 hours east on I-81, then south on I-70, I-270.