Nikep, MD

Tucked away in western Maryland's Georges Creek Valley, Nikep is a tiny, quiet community of fewer than a hundred residents. The hamlet was originally known as Pekin, but when postal authorities needed to prevent mail mix-ups with other towns, they simply spelled Pekin backwards to create the name Nikep. Today, it remains a peaceful, close-knit spot along Old Route 36, offering rustic mountain scenery and a very relaxed pace of life just minutes from neighboring towns like Lonaconing.