Eastern Panhandle, NE W.Va., (c.3,500 sq mi/9,065 sq km), E arm of state, extends NE bet. Md. (N) and Va. (S and E); Potomac R. and its N Branch form N border. Includes Pendleton, Grant, Mineral, Hardy, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson cos., also parts of Tucker and Randolph cos.; Martinsburg is largest city. Near its W base are highest summits of the Allegheny Mts. (including Spruce Knob); to E, beyond Allegheny Front and Allegheny Mt., are ridges of the Appalachian Mts.; in extreme E is part of Great Appalachian Valley. Drained by Shenandoah, Cacapon, Moorefield, and S Branch Potomac rivers. In W is part of Monongahela Natl. Forest, including scenic Smoke Hole Caverns, Seneca Caverns, Seneca Rocks, and Blackwater Falls State Park.
