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Gaithersburg, Maryland | |
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![]() Top to bottom, left to right: the NIST Advanced Measurement Laboratory, the Gaithersburg city hall, a row of Gaithersburg townhouses, the Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church, the John A. Belt Building, and the Washingtonian Waterfront | |
Nickname: "Gburg" | |
Motto: "A Character Counts! city" | |
![]() Location in Montgomery County and Maryland | |
Coordinates: 39°7′55″N77°13′35″W / 39.13194°N 77.22639°W Coordinates: 39°7′55″N77°13′35″W / 39.13194°N 77.22639°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
County | ![]() |
Settled (as Log Town) | 1765 |
Founded | 1802 |
Incorporated (as a town) | April 5, 1878 |
Ascension (to city status) | 1968 [1] |
Named for | Benjamin Gaither |
Government | |
• Mayor | Jud Ashman [2] |
Area | |
• Total | 10.44 sq mi (27.05 km2) |
• Land | 10.32 sq mi (26.73 km2) |
• Water | 0.12 sq mi (0.32 km2) |
Elevation | 350 ft (106 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 69,657 |
• Density | 6,749.06/sq mi (2,605.78/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Area code(s) | 301, 240 |
FIPS code | 24-31175 |
GNIS feature ID | 0593389 |
Website | www |
Gaithersburg ( /ˈɡeɪθərzbɜːrɡ/ ( listen ) GAY-thərz-burg), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, [4] making it the ninth-largest location in the state. Gaithersburg is located to the northwest of Washington, and is considered a suburb and a primary city within the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gaithersburg was incorporated as a town in 1878 and as a city in 1968.
Gaithersburg is located east and west of Interstate 270. The eastern section includes the historic area of the town. Landmarks and buildings from that time can still be seen in many places but especially in the historic central business district of Gaithersburg called "Olde Towne". The east side also includes Lakeforest Mall, City Hall, and the Montgomery County Fair grounds, and Bohrer Park (a well-known joint community recreation center and outdoor water park for kids and families). The west side of the city has many wealthier neighborhoods that were designed with smart growth techniques and embrace New Urbanism. These include the Kentlands community, the Lakelands community, and the Washingtonian Center (better known as Rio), a shopping/business district. Consumers often come to this area during Black Friday and other shopping holidays for the deals and variety of huge brand name stores like Target and Dick's Sporting Goods, and smaller stores like Francesca's and Blue Mercury. Two New Urbanism communities are under construction, including Watkins Mill Town Center (Casey East and West), and the massive "Science City"[ citation needed ]. The state has a bus rapid transit line, Corridor Cities Transitway or "CCT", planned for the western portion of the city starting at Shady Grove Metro Station and connecting all the high density western Gaithersburg neighborhoods with a total of eight stops planned in the city.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is headquartered in Gaithersburg directly west of I-270. [N 1] Other major employers in the city include IBM, Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services business area headquarters, AstraZeneca, and the French multinational corporation, Sodexo. Gaithersburg is also the location of the garrison of the United States Army Reserve Legal Command.
Gaithersburg is noted for its ethnic and economic diversity; it was ranked second for ethnic diversity among the 501 largest U.S. cities, and first among smaller U.S. cities, by WalletHub in 2021. [5] [6]
Gaithersburg was settled in 1765 as a small agricultural settlement known as Log Town near the present day Summit Hall on Ralph Crabb's 1725 land grant "Deer Park". [7] The northern portion of the land grant was purchased by Henry Brookes, and he built his brick home "Montpelier" there, starting first with a log cabin in 1780/3. This 1,000-acre tract became part of the landmark IBM Headquarters complex built on the then-new I-270 Interstate "Industrial", now "Technology", Corridor in the late 1960s to the 1970s. Benjamin Gaither married Henry's daughter Margaret, and Benjamin and Margaret inherited a portion of Henry's land prior to Henry's death in 1807. Gaither built his home on the land in 1802. [8] By the 1850s the area had ceased to be called Log Town and was known to inhabitants as Gaithersburg. [9]
The Forest Oak Post Office, named for a large tree in the town, was located in Gaither's store in 1851.
On July 10 1864, using the route of present-day 355, over 10,000 Confederate troops camped overnight in the area, including the present Bohrer Park, after a one-day march from Frederick after the Battle of Monocacy. The next day the troops continued towards Washington in an unsuccessful attempt to take the city.
When the railroad was built through town in 1873, the new station was called Gaithersburg, an officially recognized name for the community for the first time. Also in 1873 the B&O Railroad constructed a station at Gaithersburg, [7] designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin as part of his well-known series of Victorian stations in Maryland. [10] Rapid growth occurred shortly thereafter, and on April 5, 1878, the town was officially incorporated as the Town of Gaithersburg.
Gaithersburg boomed during the late 19th century and churches, schools, a mill, grain elevators, stores, and hotels were built. Much of this development focused around the railroad station. [9]
In 1899, Gaithersburg was selected as one of six global locations for the construction of an International Latitude Observatory as part of a project to measure the Earth's wobble on its polar axis. The Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory is (as of 2007) the only National Historic Landmark in the City of Gaithersburg. The observatory and five others in Japan, Italy, Russia, and the United States gathered information that is still used by scientists today, along with information from satellites, to determine polar motion; the size, shape, and physical properties of the earth; and to aid the space program through the precise navigational patterns of orbiting satellites. The Gaithersburg station operated until 1982 when computerization rendered the manual observation obsolete.
In 1968, Gaithersburg was upgraded from a town to a city.
Gaithersburg remained a predominantly rural farm town until the 1970s when more construction began. As the population grew, with homes spreading throughout the area, Gaithersburg began taking on a suburban and semi-urban feel, leaving its farming roots behind. During the late 1990s and 2000s, it had become one of the most economically and ethnically diverse areas in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area as well as the State of Maryland, with people from all walks of life calling Gaithersburg home. This can be seen in the local schools, with Gaithersburg High School and Watkins Mill High School having two of the most diverse student bodies in the region.
During a 1997 rainstorm, the 295-year-old forest oak tree that gave its name to the Forest Oak Post Office crashed down. [11] The tree served as the inspiration for the city's logo, [11] which is also featured prominently on the city's flag. [11]
In 2007, parts of the film Body of Lies were filmed in the city, at a building on 100 Edison Park Drive. The film was released in 2008 and the building is now the Montgomery County Police Department's headquarters. [12]
On July 16, 2010, Gaithersburg was part of the area where a 3.6 magnitude earthquake was felt, one of the strongest to occur in Maryland.
After years of decline and loss of tenants, including three of its four anchor stores in 2019, Lakeforest Mall is slated to close on March 31st, 2023, [13] with plans to demolish it and redevelop the area. [14]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.34 square miles (26.78 km2), of which 10.20 square miles (26.42 km2) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km2) is water. [15]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1900 | 547 | — | |
1910 | 625 | 14.3% | |
1920 | 729 | 16.6% | |
1930 | 1,068 | 46.5% | |
1940 | 1,021 | −4.4% | |
1950 | 1,755 | 71.9% | |
1960 | 3,847 | 119.2% | |
1970 | 8,344 | 116.9% | |
1980 | 26,424 | 216.7% | |
1990 | 39,542 | 49.6% | |
2000 | 52,613 | 33.1% | |
2010 | 59,933 | 13.9% | |
2020 | 69,657 | 16.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [16] 2010–2020 [4] |
As of the census [17] of 2010, there were 59,933 people, 22,000 households, and 14,548 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,875.8 inhabitants per square mile (2,268.7/km2). There were 23,337 housing units at an average density of 2,287.9 per square mile (883.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 31.9% non-Hispanic White, 16.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 16.9% Asian (6.01 Chinese, 4.77% Indian, 2.03% Korean, 1.69% Filipino, 1.02% Vietnamese, 0.62% Burmese), 0.1% Pacific Islander, 10.7% from other races, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.2% of the population (8.3% Salvadoran, 2% Honduran, 1.9% Mexican, 1.9% Peruvian, 1.7% Guatemalan).
There were 22,000 households, of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.9% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.24.
The median age in the city was 35.1 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 9.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% females.
As of the census [18] of 2000, there were 52,613 people, 19,621 households, and 12,577 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,216.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,014.0/km2). There were 20,674 housing units at an average density of 2,049.7 per square mile (791.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city is 34.7% White, 19.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 13.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. 24.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.3% of Gaithersburg's population was foreign-born.
There were 19,621 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% 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 3.14 the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 37.7% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, [19] the top employers in the city are:
# | Employer | # of Employees |
---|---|---|
1 | AstraZeneca (formerly MedImmune ) | 4,000 |
2 | National Institute of Standards and Technology | 2,798 |
3 | Leidos (merged with Lockheed Martin ) | 1,515 |
4 | Asbury Methodist Village | 771 |
5 | Hughes Network Systems, LLC | 729 |
6 | Sodexo USA | 536 |
7 | Adventist HealthCare | 495 |
8 | GeneDx | 350 |
9 | Kaiser Permanente | 350 |
10 | Emergent BioSolutions | 347 |
Gaithersburg also receives significant income from its conference organization platform including prominent conferences such as the CHI 84 conference.
RIO Washingtonian Center a.k.a. rio a.k.a. Rio Lakefront, is a 760,000-square-foot complex of retail, restaurant and entertainment including AMC/Loews rio Cinemas, Target, LOFT, Barnes & Noble, Dave & Buster's, and Dick's Sporting Goods, built along an artificial lake. [20]
Year | Democratic | Republican | Others |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 77.5%21,286 | 20.0% 5,487 | 2.5% 694 |
2016 | 75.2%18,987 | 19.1% 4,820 | 5.7% 1,430 |
Gaithersburg has an elected, five-member City Council, which serves as the legislative body of the city. The mayor, who is also elected, serves as president of the council. The day-to-day administration of the city is overseen by a career city manager. Gaithersburg is also the location of the United States Army Reserve Legal Command.
The city's current mayor is Jud Ashman, who has held the office since 2014. On October 6, 2014, the Gaithersburg City Council selected city council member Jud Ashman to serve as mayor until the next City of Gaithersburg election in November 2015, replacing resigning mayor Sidney Katz. Ashman was re-elected in November 2015 and would be re-elected to full terms in 2017 and 2021. [22]
Position | Name | In office since | Next Election |
---|---|---|---|
Mayor | Jud Ashman | 2015 | 2025 |
Council (At Large) | Lisa Henderson | 2021 | 2025 |
Council (At Large) | Jim McNulty | 2021 | 2025 |
Council (At Large) | Neil Harris | 2014 | 2023 |
Council (At Large) | Ryan Spiegel | 2007 | 2023 |
Council (At Large) | Robert Wu | 2015 | 2023 |
Previous mayors include:
The departments of the city of Gaithersburg and their directors include:
The following Montgomery County Public Schools are located in Gaithersburg: [23]
Gaithersburg is primarily served by the Washington, D.C. media market.
Being a city, Gaithersburg also has its own police department, which was created in 1963. [24]
The most prominent highways serving Gaithersburg are Interstate 270 and Interstate 370. I-270 is the main highway leading northwest out of metropolitan Washington, D.C., beginning at Interstate 495 (the Capital Beltway) and proceeding northwestward to Interstate 70 in Frederick. I-370 is a short spur, starting just west of I-270 in Gaithersburg and heading east to its junction with Maryland Route 200. Via MD 200, I-370 connects Gaithersburg with Interstate 95 near Laurel.
Maryland Route 355 was the precursor to I-270 and follows a parallel route. It now serves as the main commercial roadway through Gaithersburg and neighboring communities. Other state highways serving Gaithersburg include Maryland Route 117, Maryland Route 119 and Maryland Route 124. Maryland Route 28 passes just outside the Gaithersburg corporate limits.
Gaithersburg is connected to the Washington Metro via Shady Grove station, which is located just outside the city limits and is the north-western terminus of the Red Line.
The Corridor Cities Transitway is a proposed bus rapid transit line that would have 8 stops in Gaithersburg, generally in the western half of the city.
Maryland's MARC system operates commuter rail services connecting Gaithersburg to Washington, D.C. with two stations in the city, at Old Town Gaithersburg and Metropolitan Grove, and a third station — Washington Grove — just outside city limits.
Bus service in Gaithersburg consists of Metrobus routes operated by WMATA and Ride-On routes operated by Montgomery County, as well as paratransit service provided by MetroAccess.
Montgomery County Airpark is located 3 miles (5 km) northeast of the city.
Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-designated place of Germantown is the most populous place within the county. Montgomery County, which adjoins Washington, D.C., is part of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metropolitan statistical area, which in turn forms part of the Baltimore–Washington combined statistical area. Most of the county's residents live in unincorporated locales, of which the most urban are Silver Spring and Bethesda, although the incorporated cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg are also large population centers, as are many smaller but significant places.
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in Montgomery County.
Elkridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,593 at the 2010 census. Founded early in the 18th century, Elkridge is adjacent to two other counties, Anne Arundel and Baltimore.
Clarksburg is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in northern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is located at the northern end of the Interstate 270 technology corridor, approximately four miles north of Germantown. As of the 2020 census, Clarksburg had a population of 29,051.
Darnestown is a United States census-designated place (CDP) and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. The CDP is 17.70 square miles (45.8 km2) with the Potomac River as its southern border and the Muddy Branch as much of its eastern border. Seneca Creek borders portions of its north and west sides. The Travilah, North Potomac, and Germantown census-designated places are adjacent to it, as is the city of Gaithersburg. Land area for the CDP is 16.39 square miles (42.4 km2). The Darnestown CDP has a population of 6,723, while the village of Darnestown is considerably smaller in size and population. Washington, D.C. is about 25 miles (40 km) away.
Laytonsville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 353 at the 2010 census. Laytonsville was incorporated in 1892.
Montgomery Village is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and a northern suburb of Washington, D.C. It is a large, planned suburban community, developed in the late 1960s and 1970s just outside Gaithersburg's city limits. Montgomery Village's population was 34,893 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, and it is a part of the Washington metropolitan area.
North Potomac is a census-designated place and unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is located less than 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the Potomac River, and is about 20 miles (32 km) from Washington, D.C. It has a population of 23,790 as of 2020.
Poolesville is a U.S. town in the western portion of Montgomery County, Maryland. The population was 5,742 at the 2020 United States Census. It is surrounded by the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, and is considered a distant bedroom community for commuters to Washington, D.C.
Travilah is a United States census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is 17.28 square miles (44.8 km2) located along the north side of the Potomac River, and surrounded by the communities of Potomac, North Potomac, and Darnestown—all census-designated places. It had a population of 11,985 as of the 2020 census.
Washington Grove is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 555 at the 2010 United States Census. The Washington Grove Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of 2020 U.S. Decennial Census, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore, and the census-designated place of Columbia. Germantown is located approximately 28 miles (45 km) outside the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. and is an important part of the Washington metropolitan area.
Mount Airy is a town in Carroll and Frederick counties in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and Baltimore Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census the population was 9,288.
The Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area is a statistical area including two overlapping metropolitan areas, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. The region includes Central Maryland, Northern Virginia, three counties in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and one county in South Central Pennsylvania. It is the most educated, highest-income, and third-largest combined statistical area in the United States behind New York–Newark and Los Angeles–Long Beach.
Interstate 370 (I-370) is a 2.54-mile (4.09 km) Interstate Highway spur route off I-270 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, to the western end of the Maryland Route 200 toll road at an interchange that provides access to the park and ride lot at the Shady Grove station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro. Despite the number, I-370 does not connect to I-70 itself. The road continues to the west of I-270 as Sam Eig Highway, a surface road. Along the way, I-370 has interchanges with MD 355 and Shady Grove Road. The freeway was completed in the late 1980s to connect I-270 to the Shady Grove station. I-370 was always part of the planned Intercounty Connector but was the only segment to be built at the time. The opening of MD 200 east of I-370 resulted in the truncation of I-370 to the interchange with MD 200 and the redesignation of the road leading into the Shady Grove station as MD 200A.
Interstate 270 (I-270) is a 34.7-mile (55.8 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Maryland that travels from I-495 just north of Bethesda in Montgomery County north to I-70 in the city of Frederick in Frederick County. It consists of the 32.6-mile (52.5 km) mainline as well as a 2.1-mile (3.4 km) spur that provides access to and from southbound I-495. I-270 is known as the Washington National Pike, and makes up the easternmost stretch of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. Most of the southern part of the route in Montgomery County passes through suburban areas around Rockville and Gaithersburg that are home to many biotech firms. This portion of I-270 is up to 12 lanes wide and consists of a local–express lane configuration as well as high-occupancy vehicle lanes that are in operation during peak travel times. North of the Gaithersburg area, the road continues through the northern part of Montgomery County, passing Germantown and Clarksburg as a six- to eight-lane highway with an HOV lane in the northbound direction only. North of here, I-270 continues through rural areas into Frederick County and toward the city of Frederick as a four-lane freeway.
Maryland Route 355 (MD 355) is a 36.75-mile (59.14 km) north–south road in western central Maryland in the United States. The southern terminus of the route, Wisconsin Avenue, is located in Bethesda in Montgomery County, at the county's border with Washington, D.C.. It continues south into Washington, D.C. as Wisconsin Avenue NW. The northern terminus is just north of a bridge over Interstate 70 (I-70)/U.S. Route 40 (US 40) in the city of Frederick in Frederick County, where the road continues north as Market Street through Frederick towards MD 26.
Maryland Route 124 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs 17.03 miles (27.41 km) from MD 28 in Darnestown north to MD 108 in Damascus. MD 124 connects the central and northern Montgomery County communities of Gaithersburg, Montgomery Village, Redland, Laytonsville, and Damascus. The route is a major conduit on the western and northern sides of Gaithersburg, where the highway serves the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Lakeforest Mall and connects with Interstate 270 (I-270) and MD 355. MD 124 continues north past the Montgomery County Airpark, beyond which the route changes from a four- to six-lane divided highway to a two-lane undivided road as it passes west of Laytonsville on its way to Damascus.
Maryland Route 119 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Also known as Great Seneca Highway, the highway runs 7.47 miles (12.02 km) from MD 28 in Rockville north to Middlebrook Road in Germantown. MD 119 is a four- to six-lane divided highway that connects several residential and commercial neighborhoods in Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Germantown. Great Seneca Highway was planned by Montgomery County in the late 1960s as a local relief route for traffic on parallel Interstate 270 (I-270) between the three communities. By the early 1980s, the highway had become controversial because it was proposed to pass through Seneca Creek State Park. A coalition of civic and environmental groups unsuccessfully pursued litigation to stop the highway. The National Park Service refused permission for the county to build the highway in 1985 but reversed itself two years later, by which time the first segment of the highway in Germantown was nearing completion. The Rockville–Gaithersburg section was completed in 1989 and the controversial segment through the state park was finished in 1990. Almost all of Great Seneca Highway became MD 119 in 1999.
The I–270 Express Line, designated as Routes J7, J9, was an express bus route that was operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority between Bethesda station of the Red Line of the Washington Metro and Lakeforest Transit Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The line operated every 25–30 minutes during rush hours only with J7 trips taking roughly 25 minutes and J9 trips roughly taking 45 minutes. The route was discontinued due to low ridership and arrival of Ride On extRa on October 2, 2017.
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