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Montgomery County, Maryland
 
 
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Montgomery County of the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 is situated just north of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 and southwest of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the nation, and has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years old who hold a post-graduate degree. The county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 and largest municipality is Rockville
Rockville, Maryland

Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2007 census update, the city had a total population of 58,706, making it the third largest city in Maryland....
. Most of the county's residents live in unincorporated locales, the most populous of which are Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland

Silver Spring is an urbanized, unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. After Baltimore, Maryland and Columbia, Maryland, the Silver Spring Census-designated place is the third most populous place in Maryland....
 and Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland

Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda....
.






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Montgomery County of the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 is situated just north of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 and southwest of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the nation, and has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years old who hold a post-graduate degree. The county seat
County seat

A county seat or parish seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there....
 and largest municipality is Rockville
Rockville, Maryland

Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2007 census update, the city had a total population of 58,706, making it the third largest city in Maryland....
. Most of the county's residents live in unincorporated locales, the most populous of which are Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland

Silver Spring is an urbanized, unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. After Baltimore, Maryland and Columbia, Maryland, the Silver Spring Census-designated place is the third most populous place in Maryland....
 and Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland

Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda....
. It is a part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area
Washington Metropolitan Area

The Washington Metropolitan Area, formally known as the Washington?Arlington?Alexandria, DC?VA?MD?WV MSA, is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget ....
 and the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area
Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area

The Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area is a consolidated metropolitan area consisting of the overlapping labor market region of the cities of Washington, D.C....
.

Economy

Montgomery County is an important business and research center. It is the epicenter for biotechnology
Biotechnology

Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as:...
 in the Mid-Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States

The Mid-Atlantic States form one of the nine geographic divisions within the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
 region. Montgomery County is the third largest biotechnology cluster in the nation, holding the principal cluster and companies of large corporate size in the state. Biomedical research
Biomedical research

Biomedical research , in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research, applied research, or translational research conducted to aid the body of knowledge in the field of medicine....
 is done in the county through institutions like Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University

The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Hopkins or JHU, is a private university research university located in Baltimore, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
's Montgomery County Campus (JHU MCC), Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medicine research institute based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American aviation magnate Howard Hughes in 1953....
 and the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university located in the city of College Park, Maryland in Prince George's County, Maryland outside Washington, D.C....
. Federal government agencies engaged in related work include the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is an Government agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating and supervising the safety of foods, dietary supplements, Medications, vaccines, Biopharmaceutical, blood transfusion, medical devices, Electromagnetic radiation-emitting devices, veteri...
 (FDA), the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research....
, and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

This article is about the U.S. Army medical research institute . Otherwise, see Walter Reed .The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the United States Department of Defense....
.

Many large firms are based in the county. Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications, Inc. is an United States global media and entertainment company that was launched in 1985 and began as a single channel, Discovery Channel....
, Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a large Multinational corporation aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the Horizontal integration of Lockheed with Martin Marietta....
, Marriott International
Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a range of value and luxury hotels and related lodging facilities. Marriott currently has 2,300 accommodation properties in North America alone....
, Host Marriott, Robert Louis Johnson Companies (RLJ Cos), Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International is a hospitality holding company which owns several hotel brands and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland....
, MedImmune
MedImmune

MedImmune, LLC, headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, became a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca in 2007. Since being acquired, MedImmune has remained a Maryland-based biotechnology development enterprise....
, Chevy Chase Bank
Chevy Chase Bank

Chevy Chase Bank, federal savings association is the largest locally-based banking company in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Despite its name, it is a federally chartered thrift regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision, rather than a bank....
, TV One
TV One

TV One can refer to:* TV ONE, a television network in New Zealand operated by Television New Zealand* TV One , a television network in the United States operated by Radio One ...
, BAE Systems Inc, Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC , is a provider of broadband satellite network products for businesses and consumers. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite Internet access services and Internet Protocol-based networks with its original DirecPC service but which it now markets globally under the HughesNet brand....
, and GEICO
GEICO

The Government Employees Insurance Company, usually known by the acronym GEICO, is an American auto insurance company. GEICO is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and, as of 2007, provided coverage for more than 10 million motor cars, trucks and other motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million insurance contract holders....
 are just a few of the large firms headquartered in Montgomery County.

Other U.S. federal government agencies based in the county include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the Earth's atmosphere....
 (NOAA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Nuclear Regulatory Commission is a United States government agency that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 in 1974, and was first opened January 19, 1975....
 (NRC), U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology

The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce....
 (NIST).

Downtown Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland

Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda....
 and Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland

Silver Spring is an urbanized, unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. After Baltimore, Maryland and Columbia, Maryland, the Silver Spring Census-designated place is the third most populous place in Maryland....
 are the largest urban business hubs in the county; combined, they rival many major city cores.

History

Madison House Brookeville
The area now known as Montgomery County was originally a part of the territory north of Charles County
Charles County, Maryland

Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2000, the population was 120,546. Its county seat is La Plata, Maryland....
. In 1696 parts of Charles County
Charles County, Maryland

Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2000, the population was 120,546. Its county seat is La Plata, Maryland....
 and Calvert County
Calvert County, Maryland

Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is on a peninsula, bordered on the east by the Chesapeake Bay, and on the west by the Patuxent River....
, Maryland were split off and with a large portion of frontier territory formed the new Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it had a population of 828,770 and is the wealthiest county in the nation with an African-American majority....
. In turn, in 1748, a portion of Prince George's County produced Frederick County
Frederick County, Maryland

Frederick County is located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia....
. Montgomery County was formed in 1776 by the splitting of Frederick County. The former Frederick County was subdivided into three; the central portion remained Frederick County, while the western was named Washington County
Washington County, Maryland

Washington County is a county located in the Western Maryland of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering Southern Pennsylvania to the north, Northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west....
 in honor of General (later President) George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
, and the eastern part was named Montgomery County in honor of another Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
 general, Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery

Richard Montgomery was an Ireland-born soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and he is most famous for leading the 1775 invasion of Canada ....
.

In 1791, portions of Montgomery County, including Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Georgetown is a neighborhood located in the Washington DC Address #Quadrants of Washington, D.C., along the Potomac River waterfront. Founded in 1751, the city of Georgetown substantially predated the establishment of the city of Washington and the District of Columbia....
, were ceded to form the new District of Columbia, along with portions of Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it had a population of 828,770 and is the wealthiest county in the nation with an African-American majority....
, as well as parts of Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 that were later returned to Virginia.

In 1828, construction on the C&O Canal commenced and was completed in 1850. Throughout the 19th century, agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 dominated the economy in Montgomery County, with slaves playing a significant role. In the 1850s, crop production shifted away from tobacco
Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines....
 and towards corn
Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
. Montgomery County was important in the abolitionist movement, with slave Josiah Henson
Josiah Henson

Josiah Henson was born into slavery in Charles County, Maryland. He escaped to Ontario, Canada in 1830, and founded a settlement and laborer's school for other fugitive slaves at Dawn, near Dresden, Ontario in Kent County, Ontario....
, who wrote about his experiences in a memoir which became the basis for Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist, whose novel Uncle Tom's Cabin depicted life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the U.S....
's Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and History of slavery in the United States, so much in the latter case that the novel intensified the Origins of the American Civil War lea...
 (1852). Josiah, the inspiration for the character "Uncle Tom", was a slave in the county and a slave cabin where he is believed to have spent time still stands at the end of a driveway off Old Georgetown Road. In the 1860 presidential election, Montgomery County was one of only four Southern counties to vote for Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery....
.

Until 1860, only private schools existed in Montgomery County. Initially, schools for European American
European American

A European American is a person who resides in the United States and is either from Europe or is the descendant of European ethnic groups immigrants or founding colonists....
 students were built, and in 1872 schools for African-Americans were added.

In 1873, the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad opened, with a route between Washington, D.C. and Point of Rocks, Maryland
Point of Rocks, Maryland

Point of Rocks is a community in Frederick County, Maryland. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent Catoctin Mountain, which were formed by the Potomac River cutting through the ridge in a water gap, a typical formation in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians....
. The railroad spurred development at Takoma Park
Takoma Park, Maryland

Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland. The population was 17,299 at the 2000 census....
, Kensington
Kensington, Maryland

Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2000 census....
, Garrett Park
Garrett Park, Maryland

Garrett Park is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was named for a former president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, but whether specifically for John Garrett or Robert W....
, and Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase, Maryland

Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated Census-Designated Place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names....
.

On July 1, 1997, Montgomery County annexed a portion of Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it had a population of 828,770 and is the wealthiest county in the nation with an African-American majority....
, after residents of Takoma Park, which spanned both counties, voted to be entirely within the more affluent Montgomery County.

The county has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places listings in Montgomery County, Maryland

File:Map of Maryland highlighting Montgomery County.svgThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Montgomery County, Maryland....
.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Adjacent jurisdictions

  • Frederick County
    Frederick County, Maryland

    Frederick County is located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia....
     (northwest)
  • Howard County
    Howard County, Maryland

    Howard County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland, between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. It is considered part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area....
     (northeast)
  • Prince George's County
    Prince George's County, Maryland

    Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it had a population of 828,770 and is the wealthiest county in the nation with an African-American majority....
     (southeast)
  • Washington, D.C.
    Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
     (south)
  • Loudoun County, Virginia
    Loudoun County, Virginia

    Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of July 2006, the county is estimated to be home to 268,817 people, a 58 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599....
     (west)
  • Fairfax County, Virginia
    Fairfax County, Virginia

    Fairfax County is a County in Northern Virginia Virginia, in the United States. , the estimated population of the county is 1,077,000, making it by far the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
     (southwest)


National protected area
Protected area

Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental, cultural or similar value. The term protected area includes marine protected area, which refers to protected areas whose boundaries include some area of ocean....
s

  • Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
    Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

    The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the District of Columbia and the states of Maryland and West Virginia....
     (part)
  • Clara Barton National Historic Site
    Clara Barton National Historic Site

    The Clara Barton National Historic Site, which includes the Clara Barton House, was established in 1974 to interpret the life of Clara Barton , an American pioneer teacher, nurse, and humanitarian who was the founder of the American Red Cross....
  • George Washington Memorial Parkway
    George Washington Memorial Parkway

    The George Washington Memorial Parkway, known to local motorists simply as the "G.W. Parkway", is a parkway maintained by the U.S. National Park Service....
     (part)


Climate

The southern reaches of Montgomery County, near Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
, lie within the Humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. This climate type covers a broad category of climates, and the term "subtropical" may be a misnomer for the winter climate....
 zone, with hot, humid summers and mild to chilly winters with plentiful precipitation year-round. The central and northern portions of the county lie further from any significant body of water, and lie in the transition zone between Humid subtropical and Humid continental climate
Humid continental climate

The humid continental climate is a climate found over large areas of land masses in the temperate climates of the mid-latitudes where there is a zone of conflict between North Pole and Tropics air masses....
 zones. The average yearly precipitation is . The average yearly snowfall for the county as a whole is . Areas in the north and west receive more snow, with Boyds at the extreme north in the county receiving a median annual snowfall of compared to for Rockville.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census
2000 Census

A census of the general population was conducted in several countries in the year 2000. The 2000 Census may refer to:* United States Census, 2000, the 22nd decennial federal census...
, there were 873,341 people, 324,565 households, and 224,274 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans....
 was . There were 334,632 housing units at an average density of .

The racial makeup of the county was:
  • 64.78% White
  • 15.14% African American
  • 0.29% Native American
  • 11.3% Asian
  • 0.05% Pacific Islander
  • 5.0% from other races
    Race (United States Census)

    Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
  • 3.45% from two or more races.


In addition, 11.52% of the population was Hispanic or Latino, of any race. (Montgomery County has the largest South American community in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.)

Significant national ethnic groups included people of Irish
Irish people

The Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha D? Danann and the Milesians ?the last group supposedly representing the "pure" Gaelic a...
 (8.5%), German (8.1%), English
English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England who speak English language in England. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
 (6.8%) and American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 (5.0%) ancestry according to Census 2000. The county also has a sizable Jewish population.

There were 324,565 households out of which 35% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.19.

25.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

Montgomery County has the eighth highest household median income in the United States, and the second highest in the state after Howard County
Howard County, Maryland

Howard County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland, between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. It is considered part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area....
 according to the 2007 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The median income for a household in the county for 2007 was $89,284 and the median income for a family was $106,093. Males had a median income of $66,415 versus $52,134 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
 for the county was $43,073. About 3.3% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Since the 1970s, the county has had in place a Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) zoning
Zoning in the United States

Zoning in the United States comprise land use state laws falling under the police power rights state governments may exercise over private real property....
 plan that requires developers to include affordable housing
Affordable housing

Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total house costs are deemed "wikt:affordable" to a group of people within a specified income range....
 in any new residential developments that they construct in the county. The goal is to create socioeconomically mixed neighborhoods and schools so the rich and poor are not isolated in separate parts of the county. Developers who provide for more than the minimum amount of MPDUs are rewarded with permission to increase the density of their developments, which allows them to build more housing and generate more revenue
Revenue

In business, revenue or revenues is income that a corporation receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of product to customers....
. Montgomery County was one of the first counties in the U.S. to adopt such a plan, but many other areas have since followed suit.

Law and government

 Presidential elections results
Year Republican
Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
 Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party . It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world....
2008
United States presidential election, 2008

The United States presidential election of 2008 was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. It was the 56th consecutive wikt:quadrennial United States United States presidential election....
27.1% 118,60871.5% 314,444
2004
United States presidential election, 2004

The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004, to elect the President of the United States. It was the 55th consecutive quadrennial election for President and Vice President of the United States....
32.8% 136,33465.9% 273,936
2000
United States presidential election, 2000

The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between United States Democratic Party candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President of the United States, and United States Republican Party candidate George W....
33.5% 124,58062.5% 232,453
1996
United States presidential election, 1996

The United States presidential election of 1996 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of President of the United States Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Vice President of the United States Al Gore of Tennessee and the Republican national ticket of former United States Senate Bob Dole of Kansas for President and former Cabinet Secre...
35.2% 117,73059.4% 198,807
1992
United States presidential election, 1992

The United States presidential elections of 1992 featured a battle between incumbent President of the United States United States Republican Party George H....
33.0% 62,955 55.1% 168,691
1988
United States presidential election, 1988

The United States presidential election of 1988 featured an open primary for both major parties. Ronald Reagan, the incumbent President of the United States, was vacating the position after serving the maximum two terms allowed by Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution....
48.1% 154,19151.5% 165,187
1984
United States presidential election, 1984

The United States presidential election of 1984 was a contest between the incumbent President of the United States Reagan, the Republican candidate, and former Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale, the Democratic candidate....
50.1% 146,924 49.7% 146,036
1980
United States presidential election, 1980

The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent United States Democratic Party Jimmy Carter and his United States Republican Party opponent, Ronald Reagan, along with Third party candidates, the Independent John B....
47.2% 125,51539.8% 105,822
Montgomery Md County Courthouse
Montgomery County was granted a charter form of government in 1948.

The present County Executive
County executive

A county executive is the head of the executive of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position....
/County Council
County council

A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries....
 form of government of Montgomery County dates to November 1968 when the voters changed the form of government from a County Commission
County commission

A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some U.S. state of the United States....
/County Manager
County Manager

Every County council and City council in Ireland has a Chief Executive who is employed to manage their local authority. Some counties in Ireland share a County Manager....
 system, as provided in the original 1948 home rule Charter.

The county began with a county commissioner system that kept most of the power in Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It has a population of 36,408 , and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River , south of Baltimore and about east of Washington D.C....
. In 1948 voters approved a "Council-Manager" form of government, making Montgomery County the first home-rule county in Maryland. The first six-member council was elected in 1949. Then in 1968, the voters approved a "County Executive-Council" form of government. That change formed an executive branch under the County Executive, and a legislative branch under a seven-member County Council. Instead of a County Manager, there was now a Chief Administrative Officer appointed by the County Executive. That went into effect in 1970, when the first seven-member County Council was elected. Originally all of the council members were elected at large (that is, by all of the voters). Five members were required to reside in their council district. In November 1986, the voters amended the Charter to increase the number of Council seats in the 1990 election from seven to nine. Now five members are elected by the voters of their council district and four are elected at-large. Each voter may vote for five council members; four at-large and one from the district in which they reside.

County Executives

NamePartyTerm
James P. Gleason
James P. Gleason

James P. Gleason was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1921 and received a law degree from Georgetown University in 1950. He served as a legislative assistant to Senator Richard Nixon, administrative assistant to Senator Knowland, consultant to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the U.S....
Republican1970–1978
Charles W. Gilchrist
Charles W. Gilchrist

Charles W. Gilchrist received degrees from Williams College magna cum laude in 1958 and Harvard Law School in 1961 and was admitted into the Maryland Bar in 1962....
Democrat1978–1986
Sidney Kramer
Sidney Kramer

Born on July 8 1925, in Washington, D.C., Sidney Kramer graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School in 1944 and entered George Washington University where he obtained baccalaureate degrees in physics and chemistry....
Democrat1986–1990
Neal Potter
Neal Potter

Neal Potter was an American Democratic politician from Maryland, who served as County Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland from 1990-1994....
Democrat1990–1994
Douglas M. Duncan
Doug Duncan

Douglas M. Duncan is a Democratic Party politician from Maryland who served as County Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland from 1994 to 2006....
Democrat1994–2006
Isiah "Ike" Leggett
Isiah Leggett

Isiah "Ike" Leggett is a Democratic Party politician from Maryland, USA. Born in Deweyville, Texas, Leggett attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and, after serving in Vietnam War with the U.S....
Democrat2006—


Ike Leggett was sworn in on December 4, 2006.

Legislative body


The current members of the County Council for the 2006-2010 term are:

NamePartyDistrictFirst Elected
Marc ElrichDemocratAt-Large 2006
Nancy FloreenDemocratAt-Large2002
George LeventhalDemocratAt-Large2002
Duchy TrachtenbergDemocratAt-Large2006
Roger BerlinerDemocratDistrict 1 (Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Garrett Park)2006
Mike KnappDemocratDistrict 2 (Upcounty)2002
Phil AndrewsDemocratDistrict 3 (Rockville, Gaithersburg)1998
Donald Praisner*DemocratDistrict 4 (East County)2008
Valerie ErvinDemocratDistrict 5 (Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Wheaton)2006
* deceased. The County Code requires a special election to fill the vacant seat.

Bi-county agencies

Montgomery and Prince George's
Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it had a population of 828,770 and is the wealthiest county in the nation with an African-American majority....
 Counties share a bi-county planning and parks agency in the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is bi-county agency that administers parks and urban planning in Montgomery County, Maryland and Prince George's County, Maryland Counties in Maryland....
 (often referred to as Park and Planning or its initials M-NCP&PC by county residents) and a public bi-county water and sewer utility in the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission provides safe drinking water and sewage treatment for Montgomery County, Maryland and Prince George's County, Maryland Counties in Maryland....
 (WSSC).

Cities and towns

This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:

  • 3 Cities
    City

    A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
    :
    1. Gaithersburg
      Gaithersburg, Maryland

      Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland. , the city had an estimated total population of 57,698, making it the fourth largest in the state behind Baltimore, Maryland, Frederick, Maryland, and Rockville, Maryland....
       (incorporated 1878)
    2. Rockville
      Rockville, Maryland

      Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2007 census update, the city had a total population of 58,706, making it the third largest city in Maryland....
       (incorporated 1860)
    3. Takoma Park
      Takoma Park, Maryland

      Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland. The population was 17,299 at the 2000 census....
       (incorporated 1890)
  • 12 Town
    Town

    A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
    s:
    1. Barnesville
      Barnesville, Maryland

      Barnesville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It was incorporated in 1888. The population was 161 at the 2000 census....
       (incorporated 1888)
    2. Brookeville
      Brookeville, Maryland

      Brookeville is a town located twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. and two miles north of Olney, Maryland in northeastern Montgomery County, Maryland....
       (incorporated 1808)
    3. Chevy Chase
      Chevy Chase (town), Maryland

      Chevy Chase is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,726 at the 2000 census....
       (Town of) (incorporated 1918)
    4. Chevy Chase View
      Chevy Chase View, Maryland

      Chevy Chase View is a town located in Montgomery County, Maryland. Established as a Special Tax District in 1924, the town was formally incorporated in 1993....
       (incorporated 1993)
    5. Chevy Chase Village
      Chevy Chase Village, Maryland

      Chevy Chase Village is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,043 at the 2000 census....
       (incorporated 1910; note that, despite its name, it is a town and not a village.)
    6. Garrett Park
      Garrett Park, Maryland

      Garrett Park is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was named for a former president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, but whether specifically for John Garrett or Robert W....
       (incorporated 1898)
    7. Glen Echo
      Glen Echo, Maryland

      Glen Echo is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States, that was chartered in 1904. The population was 242 at the 2000 census....
       (incorporated 1904)
    8. Kensington
      Kensington, Maryland

      Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2000 census....
       (incorporated 1894)
    9. Laytonsville
      Laytonsville, Maryland

      Laytonsville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The population was 277 at the 2000 census. Laytonsville was originally known as Cracklintown....
       (incorporated 1892)
    10. Poolesville
      Poolesville, Maryland

      Poolesville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States with a population of approximately 5000 people. The name of the town comes from the brothers John Poole, Sr....
       (incorporated 1867)
    11. Somerset
      Somerset, Maryland

      Somerset is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, near the District of Columbia border. The population was 1,124 at the 2000 census....
       (incorporated 1906)
    12. Washington Grove
      Washington Grove, Maryland

      Washington Grove is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The population was 515 at the 2000 census....
       (incorporated 1937)
  • 4 Village
    Village

    A village is a clustered human settlement or Residential community, larger than a hamlet , but smaller than a town or city. Though generally located in rural areas, the term urban village may be applied to certain urban area neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New York City and the Saifi Village in Beirut, Lebanon....
    s:
    1. Chevy Chase, Village of, Section 3
      Chevy Chase Section Three, Maryland

      Chevy Chase Section Three is a village in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It was originally organized as a Special Tax District in 1916 and later incorporated as a village in 1982....
       (incorporated 1982)
    2. Chevy Chase, Village of, Section 5
      Chevy Chase Section Five, Maryland

      Chevy Chase Section Five is a village in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It was founded as a Special Tax District in 1922 and was incorporated as a village in 1982....
       (incorporated 1982)
    3. Martin's Additions
      Martin's Additions, Maryland

      Martin's Additions is a village in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It was established as a Special Tax District in 1916 and incorporated as a village in 1985....
       (incorporated 1985)
    4. North Chevy Chase
      North Chevy Chase, Maryland

      North Chevy Chase is a village in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It was established as a Special Tax District in 1924 and incorporated as a village in 1996....
       (incorporated 1996)
Though the three incorporated cities of Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Takoma Park lie within its boundaries, the most urbanized areas in the county include such unincorporated areas as Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland

Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda....
 and Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland

Silver Spring is an urbanized, unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. After Baltimore, Maryland and Columbia, Maryland, the Silver Spring Census-designated place is the third most populous place in Maryland....
.

Occupying a middle ground between incorporated and unincorporated areas are Special Tax Districts, quasi-municipal unincorporated areas created by legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly
Maryland General Assembly

The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper house, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower house, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives....
. They lack home rule authority and must petition the General Assembly for changes affecting the authority of the district. The four incorporated villages of Montgomery County and the town of Chevy Chase View were originally established as Special Tax Districts. Four Special Tax Districts remain in the county:
  1. Drummond
    Drummond, Maryland

    Drummond, Maryland is a Village #Maryland and special-purpose district in Montgomery County, Maryland. Chartered in 1916, it is in the Chevy Chase, Maryland postal area....
    , Village of (1916)
  2. Friendship Heights
    Friendship Village, Maryland

    Friendship Village is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. Inclusive within the Friendship Village CDP is the #The Village of Friendship Heights....
     and "The Hills" (1914)
  3. Oakmont
    Oakmont, Maryland

    Oakmont, Maryland is a Village #Maryland and special-purpose district in Montgomery County, Maryland. Chartered in 1918, the village includes both sides of Oak Place and the south side of Oakmont Avenue, across Maryland Route 187 from the National Institutes of Health, in the Bethesda, Maryland postal area....
     (1918)
  4. Battery Park (1923)


Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people and listed in many collections of towns, but they lack local government. Various organizations, such as the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
, the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an Independent agencies of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States....
, and local chambers of commerce, define the communities they wish to recognize differently, and since they are not incorporated, their boundaries have no official status outside the organizations in question. The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated place
Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a type of Place identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as city, towns and villages....
s in the county:

  1. Ashton-Sandy Spring
    Ashton-Sandy Spring, Maryland

    Ashton-Sandy Spring is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The CDP is designated to include the two unincorporated communities of Ashton, Maryland and Sandy Spring, Maryland....
     (a combination of the communities of Ashton
    Ashton, Maryland

    Ashton is a community in Montgomery County, Maryland. The commercial center of Ashton lies at the junction of Maryland Route 108 and New Hampshire Avenue ....
     and Sandy Spring
    Sandy Spring, Maryland

    Sandy Spring, Maryland is an unincorporated area community in Montgomery County, Maryland.The community was founded by Quakers who arrived in the early 1700s searching for land where they could grow tobacco and maize....
     recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
  2. Aspen Hill
    Aspen Hill, Maryland

    Aspen Hill is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. It got its name from aspen trees that once were found near the first post office in the area....
  3. Bethesda
    Bethesda, Maryland

    Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda....
  4. Brookmont
    Brookmont, Maryland

    Brookmont is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
  5. Burtonsville
    Burtonsville, Maryland

    Burtonsville is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It takes its name from Isaac Burton, the first Post Master of the newly established post office in the vicinity, which operated out of Burton's store, beginning in the 1850s....
  6. Cabin John
    Cabin John, Maryland

    Cabin John is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The community name is a corruption of its original name of "Captain John's Mills."...
  7. Calverton
    Calverton, Maryland

    Calverton is an unincorporated area located on the boundary between Montgomery County, Maryland and Prince George's County, Maryland, Maryland....
     (This CDP is shared between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.)
  8. Chevy Chase
    Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland

    Chevy Chase is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,381 at the 2000 census....
     (Note that this is also the name of an incorporated town)
  9. Clarksburg
    Clarksburg, Maryland

    Clarksburg is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
  10. Cloverly
    Cloverly, Maryland

    Cloverly is a census-designated place and an unincorporated town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
  11. Colesville
    Colesville, Maryland

    Colesville is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland in the United States....
  12. Damascus
    Damascus, Maryland

    Damascus is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States.In the early part of the 20th century, there was an incorporated municipality here for about a quarter century, but it no longer exists....
  13. Darnestown
    Darnestown, Maryland

    Darnestown is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
  14. Fairland
    Fairland, Maryland

    Fairland is a census-designated place and an incorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
  15. Forest Glen
    Forest Glen, Maryland

    Forest Glen is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The community hosts a 113-acre U.S. Army installation, the Forest Glen Annex....
  16. Friendship Village
    Friendship Village, Maryland

    Friendship Village is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. Inclusive within the Friendship Village CDP is the #The Village of Friendship Heights....
     (This CDP includes the Village of Friendship Heights.)
  17. Germantown
    Germantown, Montgomery County, Maryland

    Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland in the United States. It is the sixth most populous CDP in Maryland with an estimated population of 85,000 as of 2005....
  18. Glenmont
    Glenmont, Maryland

    Glenmont is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. The U.S. Census Bureau combines Glenmont with nearby Wheaton, Maryland to create the Census Designated Place of Wheaton-Glenmont, Maryland....
  19. Hillandale
    Hillandale, Maryland

    Hillandale is an unincorporated area located on the boundary between Montgomery County, Maryland and Prince George's County, Maryland, Maryland....
     (This CDP is shared between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.)
  20. Kemp Mill
    Kemp Mill, Maryland

    Kemp Mill is a census-designated place and an unincorporated census area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,956 at the 2000 census....
  21. Montgomery Village
    Montgomery Village, Maryland

    Montgomery Village is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It is a large, planned suburban community, developed in the 1960s and 1970s....
  22. North Bethesda
    North Bethesda, Maryland

    North Bethesda is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It borders the city of Rockville, Maryland, and is closely associated with the city....
  23. North Kensington
    North Kensington, Maryland

    North Kensington is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
  24. North Potomac
    North Potomac, Maryland

    North Potomac is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The boundaries can be viewed at the ....
  25. Olney
    Olney, Maryland

    Olney, a census-designated place and an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, located in the north central part of the state, twenty miles north of Washington, D.C....
  26. Potomac
    Potomac, Maryland

    Potomac is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States, named for the nearby Potomac River. The population was 44,822 at the 2000 United States Census....
  27. Redland
    Redland, Maryland

    Redland is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
  28. Rossmoor
    Rossmoor, Maryland

    Rossmoor is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It is an area primarily inhabited by retirees, and comprises almost entirely the large retirement community of ....
  29. Silver Spring
    Silver Spring, Maryland

    Silver Spring is an urbanized, unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. After Baltimore, Maryland and Columbia, Maryland, the Silver Spring Census-designated place is the third most populous place in Maryland....
  30. South Kensington
    South Kensington, Maryland

    South Kensington is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
  31. Travilah
    Travilah, Maryland

    Travilah is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States and near the very wealthy suburban community of Potomac, MD....
  32. Wheaton-Glenmont
    Wheaton-Glenmont, Maryland

    Wheaton-Glenmont is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. The CDP is designated to include the two unincorporated communities of Wheaton, Maryland and Glenmont, Maryland....
     (a combination of the communities of Wheaton
    Wheaton, Maryland

    Wheaton is an unincorporated, urbanized area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, north of Washington, D.C., northwest of Silver Spring, Maryland....
     and Glenmont
    Glenmont, Maryland

    Glenmont is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. The U.S. Census Bureau combines Glenmont with nearby Wheaton, Maryland to create the Census Designated Place of Wheaton-Glenmont, Maryland....
     recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
  33. White Oak
    White Oak, Maryland

    White Oak is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....


Other unincorporated places:

  1. Beallsville
    Beallsville, Maryland

    Beallsville is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States.References...
  2. Boyds
    Boyds, Maryland

    Boyds, Maryland is an Unincorporated area community in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, located north of Washington, DC. Its ZIP Code is 20841....
  3. Derwood
    Derwood, Maryland

    Derwood is a community of about 15,600 people in Montgomery County, Maryland, just north of Rockville, Maryland, east of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and west of Olney, Maryland....
  4. Dickerson
    Dickerson, Maryland

    Dickerson is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located near the base of Sugarloaf Mountain ....
  5. Hyattstown
    Hyattstown, Maryland

    Hyattstown is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. Established in 1798 and named after its founder, John Hyatt, this crossroad's town is located on Maryland Route 355 in upper Montgomery County....


Transportation


Roads

Montgomery County is approximately bisected north-south by Interstate 270
Interstate 270 (Maryland)

Interstate 270 is a spur route Interstate Highway that travels between Interstate 70 in Frederick, Maryland and Interstate 495 just north of Bethesda, Maryland....
, a connector linking Interstate 70
Interstate 70

Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 in Utah near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride in Baltimore, Maryland....
 with Washington. I-270 divides in North Bethesda
North Bethesda, Maryland

North Bethesda is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It borders the city of Rockville, Maryland, and is closely associated with the city....
 with its primary roadway connecting to the eastbound Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)

Interstate 495 is an Interstate Highway that circles Washington, D.C. and its inner suburbs in Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C....
 (Interstate 495), and a spur connecting to southbound I-495 as it approaches Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia consistsof several County and independent cities in the U.S. state of Virginia in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C....
. Another spur highway, Interstate 370
Interstate 370

Interstate 370 is a Interstate Highway spur route off Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Maryland to a park and ride lot at the Shady Grove station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro....
, connects Interstate 270 with the Shady Grove
Shady Grove (Washington Metro)

Shady Grove is a Washington Metro metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line , located in Derwood, Maryland. It is the northwestern train station#terminus stations of the Red Line....
 Metro station.

A fiercely- and long-contested east-west toll freeway
Freeway

A freeway is a type of road designed for Road safety#Motorway high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections....
, the Intercounty Connector
Intercounty Connector

Maryland Route 200, also known as the Intercounty Connector or ICC, is a controversial Toll road freeway under construction in Maryland....
 (Maryland Route 200), also known as the ICC, is under construction as of late 2007. The ICC will link Interstate 370
Interstate 370

Interstate 370 is a Interstate Highway spur route off Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Maryland to a park and ride lot at the Shady Grove station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro....
 and I-270
Interstate 270 (Maryland)

Interstate 270 is a spur route Interstate Highway that travels between Interstate 70 in Frederick, Maryland and Interstate 495 just north of Bethesda, Maryland....
 with U.S. 29
U.S. Route 29 in Maryland

U.S. Route 29 in Maryland is a major highway that emerges from Washington D.C. and runs north into eastern Montgomery County, Maryland. It serves the communities of Columbia, Maryland and Ellicott City, Maryland and provides the westernmost north-south route between Washington D.C....
; and Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Maryland

Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia....
 and U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maryland

U.S. Route 1 in Maryland is an segment of the U.S. highway that runs through central Maryland....
 in Laurel
Laurel, Maryland

Laurel is a Maryland, United States city located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, in northern Prince George's County, Maryland....
, Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland immediately north, east, and south of Washington, D.C. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it had a population of 828,770 and is the wealthiest county in the nation with an African-American majority....
.

Roughly paralleling 270 is Maryland Route 355
Maryland Route 355

Maryland Route 355 is a north-south road in western central Maryland. MD 355 is the original route of U.S. Route 240. This route served as the primary connector linking Frederick and points west to Washington, D.C., prior to construction of current Interstate 270 ....
, a surface street known for much of its length as Rockville Pike. In its southern reaches it is known as Wisconsin Avenue, while in the north it is known as Frederick Road, or Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg; in the northern half of Rockville (from Town Center north), it is named Hungerford Drive.

Other major routes include Maryland Route 190
Maryland Route 190

Maryland Route 190, or River Road, is a major state highway through southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States....
 (River Road); Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97

Maryland Route 97 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, and includes the majority of the portion of Georgia Avenue in that state....
 (Georgia Avenue); Maryland Route 650
Maryland Route 650

Maryland Route 650, also known as New Hampshire Avenue for most of its length, begins at the Washington, D.C. Line and straddles the Montgomery County, Maryland-Prince George's County, Maryland county line , entering Montgomery County for a mile, before completely going into Prince George's County as it enters Langley Park, Maryland...
 (New Hampshire Avenue), Maryland Route 185
Maryland Route 185

Maryland Route 185 is a state highway in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is the segment of Connecticut Avenue from the District of Columbia border at Chevy Chase Circle to Georgia Avenue near Aspen Hill, Maryland....
 (Connecticut Avenue), Randolph Road/Montrose Road, and Maryland Route 28
Maryland Route 28

Maryland Route 28 is a state highway in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area of the U.S. state of Maryland. The road's western terminus is at U.S....
 (Darnestown Road, Montgomery Avenue and Norbeck Road). U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 29

U.S. Route 29 is a north-south United States highway that runs for 1,036 miles from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida....
 parallels the eastern border of the county; first as Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, then Colesville Road, and thence as Columbia Pike through Burtonsville and into Howard County.

The Montgomery County government has strongly supported the use of automated traffic enforcement on county roads. In 2007 this county became the first jurisdiction in Maryland to introduce automated speed cameras on roads with speed limits up to 35mph, issuing fines of $40 by mail. Red light cameras with fines of $75 are also in use.

Bus

Montgomery County operates its own bus
Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus can generally seat a maximum of anywhere from 8 to 200 passengers; many more passengers than a minivan....
 public transit system, known as Ride On
Ride On (bus)

Ride On is the primary public transportation system in Montgomery County, Maryland. Ride On serves Montgomery County as well as the Urbana Park and Ride lot in Urbana, Maryland , and the community of Langley Park, Maryland in Prince George's County, Maryland....
. Major routes are also covered by WMATA
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is a tri-jurisdictional government agency authorized by United States Congress, that operates transit service in the Washington, D.C....
's Metrobus service.

Rail

Montgomery County is served by three passenger rail systems.

Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
, the U.S. national passenger rail system, operates its Capitol Limited
Capitol Limited (Amtrak)

Amtrak's Capitol Limited is one of the railroad's two routes connecting Washington, D.C. to Chicago, running via Cleveland, Ohio . The train was begun in 1981, and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Capitol Limited which ended in 1971 upon the formation of Amtrak....
 to Rockville, between Washington Union Station and Chicago Union Station
Union Station (Chicago)

Union Station is a Chicago train station that opened in 1925, replacing an earlier 1881 station, and is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago....
.

The Brunswick line of the MARC
MARC Train

MARC , and known prior to 1984 as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area....
 commuter rail
Regional rail

Commuter rail or suburban rail is a passenger rail transport service between a city center, and outer suburbs and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuting?people who travel on a daily basis....
 system makes stops at Silver Spring, Kensington, Garrett Park, Rockville, Washington Grove, Gaithersburg, Metropolitan Grove, Germantown, Boyds, Barnesville, and Dickerson, where the line splits into its Frederick and Martinsburg branches.

Both suburban arms of the Red Line
Red Line (Washington Metro)

The Red Line of the Washington Metro is a rail rapid transit service operating between 27 metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland and the District of Columbia....
 of the Washington Metro
Washington Metro

The Washington Metro is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C. and its surrounding suburbs. The system is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ....
 serve Montgomery County. It follows the CSX
CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. It is one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway....
 right of way to the west, roughly paralleling Route 355 from Friendship Heights
Friendship Heights (Washington Metro)

Friendship Heights is a Washington Metro metro station on the western half of the Red Line . It straddles the border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland at the 5400 block of Wisconsin Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C.; two of the five exits sit on the Maryland side of Western Avenue whereas the other three exit int...
 to Shady Grove
Shady Grove (Washington Metro)

Shady Grove is a Washington Metro metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line , located in Derwood, Maryland. It is the northwestern train station#terminus stations of the Red Line....
. The eastern side runs between the two tracks of the CSX right of way from Washington Union Station to Silver Spring
Silver Spring (Washington Metro)

Silver Spring is a Washington Metro metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland on the Red Line . It is the first station in Maryland on the eastern end of the line and is the most-used station in Maryland....
, and roughly parallels Georgia Avenue, from Silver Spring to Glenmont
Glenmont (Washington Metro)

Glenmont is a Washington Metro metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland on the Red Line . This is the northeastern train station#terminus stations of the Red Line....
.

There has been much debate on the construction of two new transitways, both of which are still in the early stages of design. The Purple Line would run "cross-town" connecting nodes in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties near the Beltway; and the Corridor Cities Transitway
Corridor Cities Transitway

The Corridor Cities Transitway is a proposed light rail or bus rapid transit line in Maryland, USA, that would run from the Shady Grove in Gaithersburg, Maryland northwest to Clarksburg, Maryland....
 would provide an extension of the Red Line
Red Line (Washington Metro)

The Red Line of the Washington Metro is a rail rapid transit service operating between 27 metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland and the District of Columbia....
 corridor from Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg, Maryland

Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland. , the city had an estimated total population of 57,698, making it the fourth largest in the state behind Baltimore, Maryland, Frederick, Maryland, and Rockville, Maryland....
 to Germantown and beyond.

Air

The Montgomery County Airpark
Montgomery County Airpark

Montgomery County Airpark is a public airport located three miles northeast of the city of Gaithersburg, Maryland, in Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States....
 (FAA
Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S....
 GAI, ICAO
ICAO airport code

The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators....
 KGAI), a general aviation facility in Gaithersburg, is the only airport
Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as Fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and Non-rigid airship take off and land. Aircraft may also be stored or maintained at an airport....
 in the county. Commercial air service is provided at the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia, United States....
, Washington Dulles International
Washington Dulles International Airport

Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport located 25 miles west of the central business district of Washington, D.C., in Dulles, Virginia ....
, and BWI
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport serves the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area . It is commonly called BWI or BWI Airport, its IATA Airport Code, an initialism for "Baltimore/Washington International," or as BWI-Marshall....
 Airports.

Education

Elementary and secondary public schools are operated by the Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools

Montgomery County Public Schools is a school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland, United States. It is currently the largest school district in Maryland serving over 139,000 students....
.

Sports

Montgomery County is home of the Montgomery County Swim League, a youth (ages 4-18) competitive swimming league composed of ninety teams based at community pools throughout the county.

The Maryland Nighthawks
Maryland Nighthawks

The Maryland Nighthawks are a team of the Premier Basketball League based in North Bethesda, Maryland. They were formerly part of the American Basketball Association ....
, a member of the Premier Basketball League
Premier Basketball League

The Premier Basketball League is a professional men's basketball sports league that began play in January 2008. The league had ten teams for the 2008 season....
, play their games in the Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence located on the campus of Georgetown Preparatory School
Georgetown Preparatory School

Georgetown Preparatory School is an United States Jesuit college preparatory school for grades 9 through 12, and is the oldest all boys school in America and the only Jesuit boarding school in the country....
.

The Bethesda Big Train
Bethesda Big Train

The Bethesda Big Train is an amateur, wooden-bat baseball team based in Bethesda, Maryland. Most of its players are drawn from the college ranks....
, Rockville Express
Rockville Express

The Rockville Express is an amateur, wooden-bat baseball team based in Rockville, Maryland. Most of its players are drawn from the college ranks. The team is a member of the Cal Ripken, Sr....
, and Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts
Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts

The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts is an amateur, wooden-bat baseball team based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Most of its players are drawn from the college ranks....
 all play college level wooden bat baseball in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League is an amateur summer baseball league, with eight teams located in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area....
.

There are future possibilities of a minor league baseball team forming to play for the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, Independent league baseball baseball organization located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of Baltimore, Maryland, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C....
 to represent Montgomery County.

Liquor control

Montgomery County maintains a monopoly on the sale of "hard liquor" alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage

An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol . Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and distilled beverage....
s, while beer and wine may be sold at independently owned stores. This is similar to several U.S. states. The county is thus referred to as an alcoholic beverage control
Alcoholic beverage control state

Alcoholic beverage control states, generally called control states, are those in the United States that have state monopoly over the wholesaling and/or retailing of some or all categories of alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits....
 county.

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