I have been constantly looking and reading articles especially Wikipedia on the history of Maryland specifically Westminster and Taneytown on when people settled, land distribution and stuff like that but I was wondering if there were more specific articles mentioning where the more populated and active areas back then were?
Have you checked out the local historical societies? They often have quite a lot of information on settlement patterns, names of families, etc. They often are run by volunteers, and the hours can be limited, but you'll typically get a friendly reception and will talk to someone who's already asked some of the same questions and knows some of the answers. For Westminster and Taneytown you'd want the Carroll County Historical Society
The Maryland Historical Society is another good place to check. They are not too far away from Westminster, in Baltimore, have some online resources, and though there's often not a problem parking in the vicinity they actually have a little parking for researchers.
Well this is Westminster in 1887. They don't have Taneytown, but they have many other Maryland cities here.
These maps mostly just show the urban areas. If you can find old plat maps then you can see land ownership throughout an entire county. These maps have significantly less detail, but can help get you in the general area if you are looking for a specific person.