Wheaton, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, northwest of Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton
Frank Wheaton
Frank Wheaton was a career military officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War and Indian Wars.-Early life and career:...
(1833–1903), a career officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and volunteer from Rhode Island in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
who rose to the rank of major-general while serving before, during, and after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Wheaton's boundaries are not officially defined. 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...
has not chosen to make Wheaton itself into a Census-Designated Place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population 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 cities, towns and villages...
, but instead combines it with Glenmont
Glenmont, Maryland
Glenmont is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. The U.S. Census Bureau combines Glenmont with nearby Wheaton to create the Census Designated Place of Wheaton-Glenmont.- Location :...
into a single Wheaton-Glenmont
Wheaton-Glenmont, Maryland
Wheaton–Glenmont is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The CDP is designated to include the two unincorporated communities of Wheaton and Glenmont.-Geography:...
CDP, centered at 39°3′N 77°3′W, whose 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
population was 57,694. According to Rand McNally
Rand McNally
Rand McNally is an American publisher of maps, atlases, textbooks, and globes for travel, reference, commercial, and educational uses. It also provides online consumer street maps and directions, as well as commercial transportation routing software and mileage data...
, the Greater Wheaton area (which extends beyond Wheaton-Glenmont CDP
Wheaton-Glenmont, Maryland
Wheaton–Glenmont is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The CDP is designated to include the two unincorporated communities of Wheaton and Glenmont.-Geography:...
) had an estimated population of 134,800 in 2005. The United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
, however, does consider Wheaton as a place whose center is at latitude 39°2′23"N 77°3′20"W. The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
has assigned Zip Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
20902 to Wheaton but the Wheaton Post Office is part of the Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
area. Downtown Wheaton can be found at the intersections of Veirs Mill Road
Maryland Route 586
Maryland Route 586 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Veirs Mill Road, the state highway runs from MD 28 in Rockville east to MD 97 in Wheaton.-Route description:...
(Md. Rt. 586), University Boulevard
Maryland Route 193
Maryland Route 193 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as University Boulevard and Greenbelt Road, the state highway runs from MD 185 in Kensington east to MD 202 in Greater Upper Marlboro...
(Md. Rt. 193), and Georgia Avenue
Georgia Avenue
Georgia Avenue is a major north-south artery in Northwest Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland. Within the District of Columbia and a short distance in Silver Spring, Maryland, Georgia Avenue is also U.S. Route 29...
(Md. Rt. 97).
The Three Great Roads
Wheaton developed from Leesborough (named in 1826), a business district which popped near the junction of three major roads: The first is Brookeville Pike (also known as the "Washington-Brookeville Pike" and later as the "Union Turnpike", now MD Route 97, Georgia Ave) a north/south toll thoroughfare running from Washington, DC to Brookeville, MarylandBrookeville, Maryland
Brookeville is a town located twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. and two miles north of Olney in northeastern Montgomery County, Maryland. Brookeville was settled by Quakers late in the 18th century, and was formally incorporated as a town in 1808...
and eventually to Baltimore, Maryland.
The second road, Veirs Mill Road (MD Route 586, named after a grist and sawmill built on Rock Creek
Rock Creek (Potomac River)
Rock Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The creek is long, with a drainage area of about...
by Samuel Clark Veirs in 1838), was one portion of a much longer thoroughfare connecting westwards to Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
and thence towards the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
and subsequently to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
via ferry crossings. This was also known as the "City Road" in Rockville, and around the time of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
it was known also as the "New Cut Road."
The last of these roads was known as Old Bladensburg Road (now MD Route 193, University Boulevard) which, as it does in present day, connected Georgetown, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Bladensburg.
Mitchell's Crossroads
The business district subsequently became known as Mitchell's crossroads in the 1860s referring to Mitchell's Tavern which was located at northeast corner of Union Turnpike (renamed from Brookeville Pike) and Old Bladensburg Road. Mitchell's Tavern was thought to be over 100 years old in 1865 and stood until 1940 when it was destroyed by a fire.In October 1869, the post office was renamed in honor of General Frank Wheaton by the area's first Postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
George F. Plyer who served as a Private under Gen. Wheaton in 1861 during the American Civil War. Gen. Wheaton had become a local folk hero when he successfully defended Washington, DC and nearby Fort Stevens
Fort Stevens (Washington, D.C.)
Fort Stevens was part of the extensive fortifications built around Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War. It was constructed in 1861 as "Fort Massachusetts" and later enlarged by the Union Army and renamed "Fort Stevens" after Brig. Gen...
from an attack by Confederate General Jubal Early on July 11–12, 1864.
Demographic shifts
In the 1950's the area was developed with Cape Cod, ranch houses, and split level homes owned by white affluent families. Now more of the aging housing stock is rented by a diverse population. This table shows the subsequent shift in demographics:| Year | White | Hispanic | Asian | Black | Multiracial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 61% | 13% | 10% | 15% | |
| 2000 | 38% | 29% | 12% | 17% | 6% |
| 2010 | 26% | 42% | 12% | 18% | 5% |
Between 2000 and 2010, Wheaton's hispanic population has increased 64 percent. In specific Wheaton neighborhoods the change has been larger. For example, in Glenmont Forest, the white population dropped 41% between 2000 and 2010 with its local elementary school having only 4% white students. That school now has two-thirds of its students receiving special English language classes.
Features
Wheaton is home to the Wheaton Regional Park, which includes a nature center; riding stables; dog park; a picnic area with carouselCarousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
and miniature train; an athletic complex with tennis bubble, ice rink, in-line skating rink, and ball fields; and Brookside Gardens
Brookside Gardens
Brookside Gardens are public gardens located within Wheaton Regional Park, at 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland. The gardens themselves are open daily without charge...
, Montgomery County's award-winning 50-acre (200,000-m²) public display garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
. Much of Wheaton was developed in the 1950s. In the 1960s its shopping center, Wheaton Plaza (now known as Westfield Wheaton
Westfield Wheaton
Westfield Wheaton is a two-level enclosed shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland. It is owned by The Westfield Group.-History:...
), was the largest in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. Wheaton is also home to the Wheaton Regional Public Library. The Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad is located in the Central Business District and is one of the busiest (11,000 calls in 2007) predominantly volunteer fire departments in Montgomery County. The diversity of the neighborhood is reflected by the high concentration of various ethnic restaurants located in Wheaton, as well as in the composition of the student body of Wheaton High School
Wheaton High School
Wheaton High School is an American four-year public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located in the unincorporated Wheaton/Glenmont section of Silver Spring, about 5 miles north of Washington, D.C.....
(school website), part of the Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools ' is a school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. It is the largest school district in Maryland. As of the 2009–2010 school year, the district had 11,500 FTE teachers serving 141,777 students at 200 schools.Students in the district score among the...
(MCPS website) and located near the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Randolph Road
Randolph Road
Randolph Road is a major cross-county road in Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of a longer road that runs across Montgomery and Prince George's counties. The full road, which is also known as Montrose Road on the western end and Cherry Hill Road at the southeast, runs between the Potomac...
.
It is served by the Red Line
Red Line (Washington Metro)
The Red Line of the Washington Metro is a rail rapid transit service operating between 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland and the District of Columbia, United States. It is a primary line through downtown Washington, and the oldest and busiest line in the system...
of the Washington Metro
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
system. Spanning 508 feet (155m), the Wheaton Metro station
Wheaton (Washington Metro)
Wheaton is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line.The station serves the suburb of Wheaton, and is located at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Reedie Drive. This station features the longest set of single-span escalators in the Western Hemisphere, each...
has the longest escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
in the Western Hemisphere.
Since Wheaton has the highest location in the Washington, DC area, it was also the home of the first television license
History of television
The history of television records the work of numerous engineers and inventors in several countries over many decades. The fundamental principles of television were initially explored using electromechanical methods to scan, transmit and reproduce an image...
in the United States. Using the call sign W3XK, Charles Francis Jenkins
Charles Francis Jenkins
Charles Francis Jenkins was an American pioneer of early cinema and one of the inventors of television, though he used mechanical rather than electronic technologies...
began broadcasting from his home at the corner of Windham Lane and Georgia Ave. starting on July 2, 1928.
Points of interest
- Brookside GardensBrookside GardensBrookside Gardens are public gardens located within Wheaton Regional Park, at 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland. The gardens themselves are open daily without charge...
- The Gilchrest Center for Cultural Diversity - Named after former Montgomery County Executive Charles W. GilchristCharles W. GilchristCharles 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. He was active in many civic and political organizations, including the D.C. Bar Association and the Democratic Central Committee, and...
, opened Sept. 8th 2001, it provides services to an increasing immigrant population in Montgomery County. - Wheaton Regional Park
- Wheaton Youth CenterWheaton Youth CenterThe Wheaton Youth Center, also known as the Wheaton Community Recreation Center, is a building located on Georgia Avenue in Wheaton, Maryland. The space is operated by the Montgomery County Department of Recreation....