| Germantown, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| — CDP — | |
| Location of Germantown, Maryland | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| Counties | Montgomery |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.8 sq mi (28.0 km2) |
| • Land | 10.8 sq mi (27.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Population (2010Census) | |
| • Total | 86,395 (census) |
| • Density | 7,999.5/sq mi (3,096.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 20874, 20875, 20876 |
| Area code(s) | 301, 240 |
| FIPS code | |
| GNIS feature ID | |
Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland in the United States. It is the third most populous place in Maryland (after Baltimore and Columbia), with a population of 86,395 as of 2010.[1] If it were to incorporate along CDP boundaries, it would become the second largest incorporated city in Maryland.[2] It is located approximately 25 miles outside of Washington DC and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area.
As a non incorporated region with no mayor or town council, Germantown is, however, divided up into six town sectors, or "villages": Churchill Village, Gunners Lake Village, Clopper's Mill Village, Kingsview Village, Middlebrook Village, and Neelsville Village
The Churchill Town Sector at the corner of Route 118 and Middlebrook Road most closely resembles the center of Germantown, because of the location of the Up County Government Center, the library, the Black Rock Arts Center, the multiplex cinema, and the pedestrian shopping that features an array of restaurants. Three exits to I-270 are less than one mile away, the MARC train is walking distance, and the Germantown Transit Center that provides Ride On shuttle service to the Shady Grove red line.
Germantown has the assigned ZIP codes of 20874 and 20876 for delivery and 20875 for post office boxes. It is the only "Germantown, Maryland" recognized by the United States Postal Service, even though there technically are three others: one in Anne Arundel County, one in Baltimore County, and one in Worcester County.
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In the 1830s and 1840s, the central business area was focused around the intersection of Liberty Mill Road and Clopper Road. Many of the business owners seemed to be German. Despite the fact that most of the local landowners and farmers were English, travelers remembering the accents of the shop-owners called the area Germantown, and the name stuck.
On April 20, 1865, George Atzerodt, a co-conspirator in the Abraham Lincoln assassination, was captured in Germantown. He was assigned by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson, but lost his nerve and fled Washington, D.C., on the night of the Lincoln assassination. He was captured at his cousin Hartman Richter's farm in Germantown. Atzerodt was hanged on July 7, 1865 along with Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, and David Herold in Washington, D.C.[3]
In January 1958, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was relocated from its location in downtown Washington D.C. to Germantown, which was considered far enough from Washington to withstand a nuclear attack on the nation's capital.[4] The facility now operates as an administration complex for the U.S. Department of Energy and headquarters for its Office of Biological and Environmental Research.
Since about 1980, Germantown has experienced great growth, both in townhouses and single-family dwellings, and an urbanized town center has been built.
Germantown is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 10.8 square miles (28.0 km²), of which, 10.8 square miles (27.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.46%) is water.
| Climate data for Germantown | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 78 (26) |
82 (28) |
89 (32) |
95 (35) |
96 (36) |
100 (38) |
105 (41) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
91 (33) |
85 (29) |
80 (27) |
105 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 40 (4) |
44 (7) |
53 (12) |
65 (18) |
73 (23) |
81 (27) |
85 (29) |
83 (28) |
76 (24) |
65 (18) |
55 (13) |
44 (7) |
64 (17.6) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 27 (−3) |
29 (−2) |
36 (2) |
46 (8) |
55 (13) |
64 (18) |
69 (21) |
67 (19) |
60 (16) |
48 (9) |
39 (4) |
31 (−1) |
47.6 (8.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −13 (−25) |
−12 (−24) |
5 (−15) |
18 (−8) |
28 (−2) |
35 (2) |
38 (3) |
39 (4) |
28 (−2) |
20 (−7) |
10 (−12) |
−1 (−18) |
−13 (−25) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 2.88 (73.2) |
2.81 (71.4) |
3.61 (91.7) |
3.22 (81.8) |
4.13 (104.9) |
3.49 (88.6) |
3.67 (93.2) |
2.90 (73.7) |
3.83 (97.3) |
3.29 (83.6) |
3.53 (89.7) |
3.00 (76.2) |
40.36 (1,025.1) |
| Source: [5] | |||||||||||||
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 9,721 |
|
|
| 1990 | 41,145 | 323.3% | |
| 2000 | 55,419 | 34.7% | |
| 2010 | 86,395 | 55.9% | |
| source:[6] | |||
As of the census of 2010, there were 86,395 people, and 30,531 households residing in the area. The population density was 7,999.5 people per square mile (3,096.6/km²). There were 31,807 housing units at an average density of 2,001.9 per square mile (773.2/km²). The racial makeup of the area was 62.20% White, 19.13% African American, 0.34% Native American, 9.84% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.22% from other races, and 4.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.21% of the population.
There were 20,893 households out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the area, the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 43.0% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 3.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the area was $71,226, and the median income for a family was $81,461 as of a 2007 estimate.[7] Males had a median income of $46,039 versus $37,237 for females. The per capita income for the area was $26,709. 4.6% of the population and 3.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.9% are under the age of 18 and 9.9% are 65 or older. The largest families range from 8 to 12 people.
Public schools in Germantown are part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system.
Montgomery College, the largest higher education institution in Montgomery County, has a campus in Germantown.
Germantown is bisected by Interstate 270 and has a station on the MARC train commuter service's Brunswick Line, which operates over CSX's Metropolitan Subdivision. The station building itself, at the corner of Liberty Mill Road and Mateny Hill Road, is a copy of the original 1891 structure designed by E. Francis Baldwin for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The current building was rebuilt after it was burned down by arson in 1978.
The Montgomery County public bus system, Ride On, serves Germantown with approximately 20 bus routes and operates a major transit hub in Germantown, known as the Germantown Transit Center. Also, a light rail system (the Corridor Cities Transitway) is under evaluation which would, when completed, connect the terminal of the Washington Metro Red Line at Shady Grove Station near Gaithersburg to Germantown and continue on northward to Clarksburg.
The BlackRock Center for the Arts is located in the Germantown Town Center. BlackRock also sponsors Montgomery County's largest non-profit event, the Germantown Oktoberfest. The festival includes various genres of music, including traditional German folk, rock and pop.
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