Gaithersburg, Maryland

Gaithersburg, officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland. At the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 59,933, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville. Gaithersburg is located to the northwest of Washington, D.C., 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 divided into east and west sections, separated by Interstate 270. The eastern section of the city is older and is the original portion of the town before more recent growth. 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 award-winning Kentlands community, the Lakelands community, and the Washingtonian Center (better known as Rio), a popular 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". 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. Other major employers in the city include IBM, Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services business area headquarters, MedImmune (a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca), and the French multinational corporation, Sodexo. Gaithersburg is also the location of the garrison of the U.S. Army Reserve's 220th Military Police Brigade.

Gaithersburg is noted for its ethnic and economic diversity; WalletHub in 2016 ranked it first among the 313 largest U.S. cities for ethnic diversity and second for social class diversity.

History
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". 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. By the 1850s the area had ceased to be called Log Town and was known to inhabitants as Gaithersburg.

1850s
The Forest Oak Post Office, named for a large tree in the town, was located in Gaither's store in 1851. However, when the railroad was built through town the new station was called Gaithersburg, an officially recognized name for the community for the first time.

1870s
The town incorporated under its current name in 1878. 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.

In 1873 the B&O Railroad constructed a station at Gaithersburg, designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin as part of his well-known series of Victorian stations in Maryland. Rapid growth occurred shortly thereafter, and on April 5, 1878 the town was officially incorporated as the Town of Gaithersburg.

1890s
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.

1960s
In 1968, Gaithersburg was upgraded from a town to a city.

1970s
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.

1990s
During a 1997 rainstorm, the 295-year-old forest oak tree that gave its name to the Forest Oak Post Office crashed down. The tree served as the inspiration for the city's logo, which is also featured prominently on the city's flag.

2000s
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.

2010s
On July 16, 2010, Gaithersburg was hit by a 3.6 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest to occur in Maryland.

Geography
Gaithersburg is located at 39°7'55" North, 77°13'35" West (39.131974, −77.226428).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.34 sqmi, of which, 10.20 sqmi is land and 0.14 sqmi is water.

Economy
According to the City's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Gaithersburg also receives significant income from its conference organization platform including prominent conferences such as the CHI 84 conference.

rio (written in lower-case) a.k.a. Rio Lakefront, is 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.

Government
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 220th Military Police Brigade of the United States Army Reserve.

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.

Previous mayors include:


 * 1) George W. Meem 1898–1904
 * 2) Carson Ward 1904–1906
 * 3) John W. Walker 1906–1908
 * 4) E. D. Kingsley 1908–1912
 * 5) Richard H. Miles 1912–1918
 * 6) John W. Walker 1918–1924
 * 7) Walter M. Magruder 1924–1926
 * 8) William McBain 1926–1948
 * 9) Harry C. Perry, Sr. 1948–1954
 * 10) Merton F. Duvall 1954–1966
 * 11) John W. Griffith 1966–1967
 * 12) Harold C. Morris 1967–1974
 * 13) Susan E. Nicholson, May–September 1974
 * 14) Milton M. Walker 1974–1976
 * 15) B. Daniel Walder 1976–1978
 * 16) Bruce A. Goldensohn 1978–1986
 * 17) W. Edward Bohrer, Jr. 1986–1998
 * 18) Sidney A. Katz 1998 – 2014
 * 19) Jud Ashman, November 2014 – Present

The departments of the city of Gaithersburg and their directors include:
 * Office of the City Manager, Tony Tomasello
 * Finance and Administration, Angela Woo (acting)
 * Planning and Code Administration, John Schlichting
 * Community and Public Relations, Britta Monaco
 * Human Resources, Kimberly Yocklin
 * Information Technology, Peter Cottrell
 * Parks, Recreation, and Culture, Michele Potter
 * Chief of Police, Mark Sroka
 * Public Works, Michael Johnson

Police
Being a city, Gaithersburg also has its own police department, which was created in 1963.

Roads
The primary spine of Gaithersburg's road network is Frederick Avenue, which runs generally north-south through the middle of the city and connects Gaithersburg to Frederick, Rockville and Washington, D.C. Among the most important east-west roads are Diamond Avenue and Quince Orchard Road.

Interstate 270, runs approximately parallel to Frederick Avenue and connects Gaithersburg with the Capital Beltway. Interstate 370 begins in Gaithersburg and is the western end of the Intercounty Connector, a toll highway which provides a direct link to Interstate 95 near Laurel.

Transit
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.

Other
The mainline of CSX Transportation bisects Montgomery County and runs as many as 50 trains a day through the center of Gaithersburg. The MARC trains run on the CSX tracks, as well as the Capitol Limited from Amtrak, through Gaithersburg but doesn't stop there.

The Montgomery County Airpark (IATA airport code: GAI) is a short distance outside Gaithersburg city limits. The airport is the larger of two general aviation airports in the county. For commercial airline service, Gaithersburg residents use Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport or Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

Education
Gaithersburg is served by Montgomery County Public Schools.

Elementary schools that serve Gaithersburg include:
 * Brown Station Elementary School
 * Diamond Elementary School
 * Fields Road Elementary School
 * Flower Hill Elementary School
 * Gaithersburg Elementary School
 * Goshen Elementary School
 * Jones Lane Elementary School
 * Judith A. Resnik Elementary School
 * Laytonsville Elementary School
 * Rosemont Elementary School
 * Rachel Carson Elementary School
 * South Lake Elementary School
 * Stedwick Elementary School
 * Strawberry Knoll Elementary School
 * Summit Hall Elementary School
 * Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
 * Washington Grove Elementary School
 * Watkins Mill Elementary School
 * Whetstone Elementary School

Middle schools that serve Gaithersburg include:
 * Forest Oak Middle School
 * Gaithersburg Middle School
 * Lakelands Park Middle School
 * Neelsville Middle School
 * Shady Grove Middle School
 * Ridgeview Middle School
 * Montgomery Village Middle School

High schools that serve Gaithersburg include:
 * Gaithersburg High School
 * Quince Orchard High School
 * Watkins Mill High School
 * Northwest High School

Media
Gaithersburg is primarily served by the Washington, D.C. media market.

Newspapers

 * The Town Courier newspaper is based in Kentlands and focuses on Gaithersburg's west side neighborhoods, in addition to publishing Rockville and Urbana editions.

Cable TV/Internet providers
Cable TV/Internet: The following cable TV and internet providers have franchise agreements with the City of Gaithersburg:


 * Comcast Xfinity
 * RCN
 * Verizon Fios

In popular culture

 * Gaithersburg is mentioned as the location of IniTech Labs on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (S3E6) by character Daisy Johnson.
 * In Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Season 13, Episode 4, the serial rapist was linked to a case in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
 * Part of the 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kahzakhstan was filmed in Gaithersburg in 2005.
 * Part of an episode of Da Ali G Show was filmed in Gaithersburg in 2004.
 * It is also mentioned by character Fox Mulder in episodes of The X-Files and as a story location.
 * Mentioned as a location of a suspect in The Blacklist, Season 3, Episode 14
 * "Most Diverse City In America"  United Shades Of America Season 2, Episode 1
 * Gaithersburg is mentioned in some of the rapper Logic's songs, it being his hometown. One of these songs being Take it Back where he describes his dangerous childhood in Maryland.
 * Netflix original series "Rapture" S1E1 was partially filmed in Gaithersburg.

Notable people

 * Sankar Adhya, member of the National Academy of Sciences
 * Lawson Aschenbach, NASCAR driver
 * Georges C. Benjamin, former Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
 * Kimberly J. Brown, actress who starred in Halloweentown
 * Mark Bryan, lead guitarist of Hootie & the Blowfish
 * Isabel McNeill Carley, published music teacher, lived in Gaithersburg from 2004 until her death in 2011
 * Justin Carter (born 1987), basketball player for Maccabi Kiryat Gat of the Israeli Premier League
 * Kiran Chetry, CNN anchor
 * Dominique Dawes, three-time women's Olympic gymnastics team member, member of the Magnificent Seven (gymnastics)
 * Stefon Diggs, professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings
 * Brandon Victor Dixon, American actor, singer and theatrical producer
 * Astrid Ellena, Miss Indonesia 2011
 * Hank Fraley, former football player in the NFL
 * Judah Friedlander, actor, most notably from the television show 30 Rock
 * Joshua Harris, Christian pastor and author
 * Kelela, R&B singer
 * Matt Holt, former singer of Nothingface and Kingdom of Snakes
 * Paul James, actor, most notably from the television show Greek
 * Courtney Kupets, 2004 Olympic gymnast and three-time NCAA champion
 * Tim Kurkjian, ESPN baseball analyst, appears on SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight, author of America's Game and Is This a Great Game, or What?: From A-Rod's Heart to Zim's Head—My 25 Years in Baseball
 * Matthew Lesko, author of "Free Money" from the government books
 * Logic, hip hop musician, rapper, musical engineer
 * Lucas and Marcus, dancers and YouTube personalities
 * Shane McMahon, WWE Wrestler and Commissioner of WWE SmackDown Live.
 * Jim Miklaszewski, chief Pentagon correspondent for NBC News
 * Malcolm Miller (basketball), Basketball player and NBA champion for the Toronto Raptors
 * John Papuchis, college football coach
 * Guy Prather, football player
 * Paul Rabil, lacrosse player (midfield), four-time All-American at Johns Hopkins University, all-star for the MLL's Boston Cannons
 * Chris Coghlan, Major League Baseball player
 * Eddie Stubbs, country musician, disc jockey, and Grand Ole Opry announcer
 * Wale, hip hop musician and rapper
 * Jessica Watkins, NASA astronaut
 * David P. Weber, principal in Gaithersburg and Washington, D.C.–based law firm Goodwin Weber LLC and former Assistant Inspector General for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
 * James White, professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets
 * 6ix (record producer), Record Producer
 * Dwayne Haskins NFL quarterback for the Washington Redskins
 * J. Maarten Troost New York Times best selling author, travel humor

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 59,933 people, 22,000 households, and 14,548 families residing in the city. The population density was 5875.8 PD/sqmi. There were 23,337 housing units at an average density of 2287.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 31.9% non-Hispanic White, 16.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 16.9% Asian, 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.

2000 census
As of the census 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 people per square mile (2,013.3/km²). There were 20,674 housing units at an average density of 2,049.7 per square mile (791.1/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.