Montgomery County, Maryland

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Montgomery County, Maryland
Seal of Montgomery County, Maryland
Map
Map of Maryland highlighting Montgomery County
Location in the state of Maryland
Statistics
Formed 1776
Seat Rockville
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
1,313 km² (507 mi²)
1,283 km² (496 mi²)
30 km² (12 mi²), 2.29%
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density
921,690
680/km² 
Website: www.montgomerycountymd.gov

Montgomery County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland north of Washington, D.C. Montgomery is the most populous jurisdiction in Maryland and is one of the most affluent counties in the nation. Montgomery leads the nation with the highest percentage of its residents over 25 holding an advanced degree at 29.2%. [1]

The county seat is Rockville and the largest municipality is the city of Gaithersburg. Most of the county's residents live in unincorporated locales, the most populous of which is Silver Spring.

This county is a part of the Washington portion of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area.


Contents

[edit] Economy

Montgomery County has a very lucrative business climate. In particular the county is very well endowed in the life sciences. Along with the rest of the state of Maryland, Montgomery County is the epicenter for biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic region. In fact Montgomery County is the third largest biotechnology cluster in the nation, holding the principal cluster and companies of large corporate size in the state.

Much research is done in the county through institutions like Johns Hopkins University's Montgomery County Campus (JHU MCC), Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the National Institute of Health and the University of Maryland.

Many large firms call Montgomery County home. Discovery Communications, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, Host Marriott, Robert Louis Johnson Companies (RLJ Cos), Choice Hotels, MedImmune, Chevy Chase Bank, TV One, BAE Systems Inc, Hughes Network Systems, and GEICO are just a few of the large and popular firms headquartered in Montgomery County.

There are also several government agencies that are based in Montgomery County including, National Institute of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring are the largest urban business hubs in the county; combined, they would rival many major city cores.

[edit] History

The Madison House in Brookeville was built around 1800 and originally owned by Caleb Bentley. The house provided refuge for President James Madison, on August 26, 1814, after the British burned Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812.
Enlarge
The Madison House in Brookeville was built around 1800 and originally owned by Caleb Bentley. The house provided refuge for President James Madison, on August 26, 1814, after the British burned Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812.

The area now known as Montgomery County was originally a part of Charles County. In 1696 parts of Charles and Baltimore Counties were split off to form the new Prince George's County. In turn, in 1748, a portion of Prince George's County produced Frederick County. 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 in honor of General (later President) George Washington, and the eastern part was named Montgomery County in honor of another Revolutionary War general, Richard Montgomery.

In 1791, portions of Montgomery County, including Georgetown, were ceded to form the new District of Columbia, along with portions of Prince George's County, Maryland, as well as parts of Virginia 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 dominated the economy in Montgomery County, with slaves playing a significant role. In the 1850s, crop production shifted away from tobacco and towards corn. Montgomery County was important in the abolitionist movement, with slave Josiah Henson, who wrote about his experiences in a memoir which became the basis for Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. In fact, the inspiration for Uncle Tom, Josiah Henson, was a slave in the county and a slave cabin where he is belived to have spent time still stands at the end of a driveway off Old Georgetown Road. And in the 1860 presidential election, Montgomery County was one of only 4 Southern counties to vote for Abraham Lincoln.

Until 1860, only private schools existed in Montgomery County. Initially, schools for caucasian 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. The railroad spurred development at Takoma Park, Kensington, Garrett Park, and Chevy Chase.

On July 1, 1997, Montgomery County annexed a portion of Prince George's County, after residents of Takoma Park, which spanned both counties, voted to be entirely within the more affluent Montgomery County.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,313 km² (507 mi²). 1,283 km² (496 mi²) of it is land and 30 km² (12 mi²) of it (2.29%) is water.

[edit] Adjacent jurisdictions

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 873,341 people, 324,565 households, and 224,274 families residing in the county. The population density was 680/km² (1,762/mi²). There were 334,632 housing units at an average density of 261/km² (675/mi²).

The racial makeup of the county was:

There were 324,565 households out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.70% 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.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 32.30% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $71,551, and the median income for a family was $84,035. Males had a median income of $54,005 versus $40,714 for females. The per capita income for the county was $35,684. About 3.70% of families and 5.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.90% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.

There exists a sharp, easily noticeable division in terms of diversity between the eastern side of the county, centered around the Silver Spring and Olney areas, the western side of the county, centered around the Bethesda and Potomac areas, and the agricultural northern side of the county. The complaint that the western side of the county is given special favors at the expense of the eastern side, such as the Intercounty Connector highway project, has often been raised.

Since the 1970s, the county has had in place a Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) zoning plan that requires developers to include affordable housing in any new residential developments that they construct in the county. The goal is to create socioeconomically mixed neighborhoods and schools so that 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. 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.

[edit] Law and government

Former Montgomery County Courthouse (1931-1982) in Rockville, Maryland. The building now houses a state district court.
Enlarge
Former Montgomery County Courthouse (1931-1982) in Rockville, Maryland. The building now houses a state district court.

Montgomery County was granted a charter form of government in 1948.

[edit] County Executives

Name Party Term
James P. Gleason Republican 1970–1978
Charles W. Gilchrist Democrat 1978–1986
Sidney Kramer Democrat 1986–1990
Neal Potter Democrat 1990–1994
Douglas M. Duncan Democrat 1994–2006
Isiah "Ike" Leggett Democrat 2006—

Ike Leggett was sworn in on December 4, 2006.

[edit] Legislative body

The present form of government of Montgomery County dates to November 1948 when the voters changed the form of government from a County Commission/County Manager system, as provided in the original 1948 home rule Charter, to a County Executive/County Council form of government. The first seven-member County Council was elected in 1970. Originally all of the Councilmembers were elected at large (that is, by all of the voters). Five members were required to reside in their Councilmanic 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 councilmanic district and four are elected at-large. Each voter may vote for five Councilmembers—four at-large and one from the district in which they reside.

[edit] Cities and towns

This county contains the following incorporated municipalities:

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 and Silver Spring.

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.[1] 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. Three Special Tax Districts remain in the county:

  1. Drummond, Village of (1916)
  2. Friendship Heights and "The Hills" (1914)
  3. Oakmont (1918)

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, the United States Postal Service, 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 places in the county:

  1. Ashton-Sandy Spring (a combination of the communities of Ashton and Sandy Spring recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
  2. Aspen Hill
  3. Bethesda
  4. Brookmont
  5. Burtonsville
  6. Cabin John
  7. Calverton (This CDP is shared between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.)
  8. Chevy Chase (Note that this is also the name of an incorporated town!)
  9. Clarksburg
  10. Cloverly
  11. Colesville
  12. Damascus
  13. Darnestown
  14. Fairland
  15. Forest Glen
  16. Friendship Village (This CDP includes the Village of Friendship Heights.)
  17. Germantown
  18. Hillandale (This CDP is shared between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.)
  19. Kemp Mill
  20. Montgomery Village
  21. North Bethesda
  22. North Kensington
  23. North Potomac
  24. Olney
  25. Potomac
  26. Redland
  27. Rossmoor
  28. Silver Spring
  29. South Kensington
  30. Travilah
  31. Wheaton-Glenmont (a combination of the communities of Wheaton and Glenmont recognized as a unit by the Census Bureau)
  32. White Oak

Other unincorporated places:

  1. Beallsville
  2. Boyds
  3. Derwood
  4. Dickerson

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Roads

Montgomery County is approximately bisected north-south by Interstate 270, a connector linking Interstate 70 with Washington. I-270 divides in North Bethesda with its primary roadway connecting to the eastbound Capital Beltway (Interstate 495), and a spur connecting to southbound I-495 as it approaches northern Virginia. Another spur highway, Interstate 370, connects Interstate 270 with the Shady Grove Metro station.

A longstanding, fiercely contested plan exists to construct an east-west freeway, the Intercounty Connector ("ICC"). The ICC would extend Interstate 370 to connect I-270 with Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1 in Laurel, Prince George's County.

Roughly paralleling 270 is Maryland Route 355, 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. Other major routes include Maryland Route 190 (River Road); Maryland Route 97 (Georgia Avenue); Maryland Route 650 (New Hampshire Avenue), and Maryland Route 28 (Darnestown Road and Montgomery Avenue). U.S. Route 29 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.

[edit] Bus

Montgomery County operates its own bus public transit system, known as Ride On. Major routes are also covered by WMATA's Metrobus service.

[edit] Rail

Montgomery County is served by three passenger rail systems.

Amtrak, the U.S. national passenger rail system, operates its Capitol Limited to Rockville, between Washington Union Station and Chicago Union Station.

The Brunswick line of the MARC commuter rail 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 of the Washington Metro serve Montgomery County. It follows the CSX right of way to the west, roughly paralleling Route 355 from Friendship Heights to Shady Grove. The eastern side runs between the two tracks of the CSX right of way from Washington Union Station to Silver Spring, and roughly parallels Georgia Avenue, from Silver Spring to Glenmont.

There has been much debate on the construction of two new transitways, both of which are still in the early stages of design. The Bi-County Transitway would link highly-developed areas of both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties; and the Corridor Cities Transitway would provide an additional option for the north-south commute along the developed regions bordering I-270. There has been discussion of an extension to the Washington Metro Red Line, which would connect to Virginia and provide direct access to Dulles International Airport.

[edit] Air

The Montgomery County Airpark (FAA GAI, ICAO KGAI), a general aviation facility in Gaithersburg, is the only airport in the county. Commercial air service is provided at the nearby Reagan National, Dulles, and BWI Airports.

[edit] Education

Schools are operated by the Montgomery County Public Schools.

[edit] Liquor control

Main article: Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control

Montgomery County maintains a monopoly on the sale of alcoholic beverages, much like several U.S. states; it is thus referred to as an alcoholic beverage control county.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GRTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-_box_head_nbr=R1403&-ds_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_&-redoLog=false&-format=US-31&-mt_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_R1403_US30&-CONTEXT=grt


[edit] External links

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