North Bethesda is an unincorporated,

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

in Montgomery County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, United States, located just north-west of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. It had a population of 50,094 as of the 2020 census. Among its neighborhoods, the centrally-located, urbanizing district of White Flint is the commercial and residential hub of North Bethesda. The Pike & Rose development and the Pike District is an initiative of Montgomery County to brand and market this region as "North Bethesda's Urban Core". The

WMATA The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Con ...

North Bethesda (formerly White Flint) metro station and Grosvenor-Strathmore metro station serve the region. Four of the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the lat ...

as well other federal agencies, including the

Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began opera ...

, the

Health Resources and Services Administration The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services located in North Bethesda, Maryland. It is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for peopl ...

, and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, are headquartered in North Bethesda. A number of corporate headquarters are headquartered in North Bethesda, as well as nonprofits such as the American Kidney Fund, the Society of American Foresters and United States Pharmacopeia (USP). The region is also known for a number of its long-standing institutions, such as the Neo-Georgian Mansion at Strathmore and the

Georgetown Preparatory School Georgetown Preparatory School (also known as Georgetown Prep) is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre (380,000 square meters) campus. It is the only Jesuit boar ...

. The Music Center at Strathmore is also located in North Bethesda.

Geography

As an unincorporated area four miles (6.4 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., North Bethesda's boundaries are not officially defined. North Bethesda is, however, recognized by the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

as a

for statistical purposes, and by the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the 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, ...

as a populated place located at (39.036733, −77.120249). North Bethesda borders the city of Rockville to the north, and the unincorporated census-designated places of Bethesda and Potomac to the south and west respectively. According to the

, the North Bethesda CDP has a total area of , all land. Significant through-roads in North Bethesda include Interstates

270 __NOTOC__ Year 270 ( CCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Antiochianus and Orfitus (or, less frequently, year 102 ...

and

495 __NOTOC__ Year 495 (Roman numerals, CDXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Viator without colleague (or, less frequen ...

and Maryland State Highways 187 (Old Georgetown Road), 355 (Rockville Pike), and 547 (Strathmore Avenue). The Twinbrook,

North Bethesda North Bethesda is an unincorporated, census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just north-west of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. It had a population of 50,094 as of the 2020 census. Among its neighbor ...

(formerly White Flint), and Grosvenor-Strathmore

Washington Metro The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,Google Books search/preview

stations all serve the area, as does the Ride On and Metrobus bus systems. A future

MARC Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

station is planned as well. Other landmarks in the area are the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, the Kennedy-Shriver Aquatic Center (formerly the Montgomery County Aquatic Center), The Jewish Community Center, the Linden Oak tree, from which the metro was diverted from in an effort to preserve it, and North Bethesda Market, the tallest building in Montgomery County. Major shopping centers include Pike & Rose (formerly Mid-Pike Plaza), Montrose Crossing, and Federal Plaza. The former

White Flint Mall White Flint Mall was a shopping mall, located along Rockville Pike, in Montgomery County, Maryland, that closed in early 2015 and demolished thereafter. Its former anchors were Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale's, Dave & Buster's, H&M, Loews Theatr ...

, demolished in 2016, was also a major shopping center.

History

North Bethesda shares a common history with most of its Montgomery County neighbors. Archaeological evidence suggests that Paleo, Archaic, and Woodland Native Americans lived nearby, along the banks of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

. These peoples traveled along an ancient route known as the

Seneca Trail The Great Indian Warpath (GIW)—also known as the Great Indian War and Trading Path, or the Seneca Trail—was that part of the network of trails in eastern North America developed and used by Native Americans which ran through the Great Appala ...

(which is today approximately followed in North Bethesda by Old Georgetown Road). Like many ancient roads, the Seneca Trail followed a ridge line – in this case, the high ground between the

and Rock Creek. Much later, development would spring up along this route. The recorded history of the area commences with the colonial era. Settlements formed along Rock Creek and the

in the 17th Century, with recorded land grants in this area known originally as “Dan” and “Leeke Forest.” The far southern edge of the North Bethesda CDP was originally the country estate of the Grosvenor family, whose lineage includes

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and T ...

and a former President of the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, ...

. That region continues to bear the family's name, and is the location of the headquarters of the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation. Also in the southern sector of the census designated area, located in the triangle between the two limbs of I-270 and I-495, is a business district that includes several corporate and government agency headquarters. Uncle toms cabin1

In the early 19th century, much of the area was part of a tobacco plantation owned by a slaveowning family with the surname of Riley. One of the Rileys' slaves,

Josiah Henson Josiah Henson (June 15, 1789 – May 5, 1883) was an author, abolitionist, and minister. Born into slavery, in Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland, he escaped to Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1830, and founded a settlement and laborer's scho ...

, is thought by historians to be the inspiration for

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel '' Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the har ...

's ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...

.'' In 1806, the Washington Turnpike Company was chartered to improve the old Seneca route, by then known as the Georgetown-Frederick Road. The road was opened in 1828, but had nearly washed away by 1848. The Riley plantation house was located on this road, and the plantation house's kitchen (in which Henson is known to have slept) still stands near the course of this road. By the late 19th century, the area was privileged with stops along a train route, and by the early 20th century with its own trolley tracks on the line connecting Georgetown and Rockville (along current-day Fleming Avenue). During this time, development bloomed around train and trolley stops, and a number of wealthy families, including those of Captain James F. Oyster and Charles I. Corby (who developed methods that revolutionized the baking industry), lived or summered in the area. Nonetheless, the area remained sparsely populated through the 1920s. The arrival of the automobile eventually transformed the area into a commuter suburb of Washington, D.C. By the 1950s, the area had sprouted a number of developer-conceived neighborhoods with tract houses for the middle-class. While some traditional neighborhoods remain, other areas have struggled with issues related to

suburban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

. Like most other suburbs in Montgomery County, the

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. History The commission was formed in 1927 by the Maryland G ...

(M-NCPPC) engages in master planning for all development. The White Flint Master Plan is designed to alleviate negative aspects of future high-density development in North Bethesda.

Education

Walter johnson hs 20200812 094105 1 crop16x9

Montgomery County Public Schools serves North Bethesda. Public schools include:2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: North Bethesda CDP, MD

Archive
.

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Retrieved on April 30, 2014. * Garrett Park Elementary School *Veirs Mill Elementary School *Luxmanor Elementary School *Tilden Middle School *

Walter Johnson High School Walter Johnson High School (also known as Walter Johnson or WJ) is a public upper secondary school located in the census-designated place of North Bethesda, Maryland ( Bethesda postal address).Charles W. Woodward High School Charles W. Woodward High School is a former U.S. high school located in North Bethesda, Maryland, near Rockville.Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington The Archdiocese of Washington is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the District of Columbia and the counties of Calvert, Charles, Montgomer ...

) include: *

Academy of the Holy Cross The Academy of the Holy Cross is a Catholic college preparatory school sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and founded in 1868. The academy is located on a campus in North Bethesda, Maryland (Kensington postal address),

*Holy Cross School - Established in 1961 Other private schools in the CDP include: *

* Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School has two campuses *Green Acres School ( K-8) * Montrose Christian School formerly operated in North Bethesda CDP. The Washington Japanese Language School (WJLS, ワシントン日本語学校 ''Washington Nihongo Gakkō''), a supplementary weekend Japanese school, has its school office at Quinn Hall of the Holy Cross Church in North Bethesda, adjacent to Garrett Park.Map
"
Archive
. Town of Garrett Park. Retrieved on April 30, 2014.Home

Archive
. Washington Japanese Language School. Retrieved on April 16, 2015. "学校事務局 Holy Cross Church, Quinn Hall 2F. 4900 Strathmore Avenue, Garrett Park, MD 20896 ..��舎ストーンリッジ校 Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart 9101 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20814" The WJLS holds its classes in Bethesda. The institution, giving supplemental education to Japanese-speaking children in the Washington DC area, was founded in 1958,English
." Washington Japanese Language School. Retrieved on April 30, 2014. "Washington Japanese Language School c/o Holy Cross Church, Quinn Hall, 4900 Strathmore Avenue, Garrett Park, MD 20896" making it the oldest Japanese government-sponsored supplementary school in the U.S. It previously held classes at Holy Cross Church Elementary and

in North Bethesda.ワシントン日本語学校概要

. Washington Japanese Language School. May 6, 2003. Retrieved on April 16, 2015. "学校事務局 Washington Japanese Language School Holy Cross Church, Quinn Hall内. 4900 Strathmore Avenue, Garrett Park, MD 20896" and "ホーリークロス校 Holy Cross Church Elementary School 4900 Strathmore Ave, Garret Park, MD 20896" and "プレプ校 Georgetown Preparatory School 10900 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD 20852" and "セントルーク校 St.Luke Catholic School 7005 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101" The French International School, Lycee Rochambeau, is also located near the region.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 38,610 people, 17,286 households, and 9,662 families residing in the area. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 4,281.5 people per square mile (1,652.7/km). There were 18,071 housing units at an average density of 2,003.9/sq mi (773.5/km). The racial makeup of the area was 77.24%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 4.96%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.29% Native American, 11.97% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.61% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.88% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 9.53% of the population. There were 17,286 households, out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.85. In the area, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males. According to survey conducted between 2005 and 2009, the median income for a household in the area was $87,324, and the median income for a family was $113,719. Males had a median income of $79,085 versus $61,793 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the area was $51,254. About 2.2% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The corporate

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

, Coventry Healthcare,

Host Hotels & Resorts Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in hotels. As of February 19, 2021, the company owned 80 upscale hotels containing approximately 46,500 rooms in the United States, Brazil, and Canada. History I ...

Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging including hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The company was founded by ...

, and

Total Wine & More Total Wine & More is a family-owned privately held American alcohol retailer founded and led by brothers David and Robert Trone. The company was named Retailer of the Year by ''Market Watch'' in 2006, ''Beverage Dynamics'' in 2008, and ''Wine En ...

are in North Bethesda. Four of the

: the

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, ) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's ...

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is an American government health institute. It is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The stated mission of the NIMHD is to "lead scientific research to improve m ...

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), founded at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2000, is located in Bethesda, Maryland. It is one of 27 institutes and centers that are part of NIH, an agency of the U ...

, and the

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) was established in 2012 and is located in Bethesda, Maryland. NCATS is one of 27 institutes and centers of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the US Departmen ...

are also headquartered here. Several units of the

United States Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services concerned with public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant ...

have headquarters in North Bethesda: the

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ; pronounced "ark" by initiates and often "A-H-R-Q" by the public) is one of twelve agencies within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The agency is headquartered i ...

, the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA; pronounced ) is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is charged with improving the quality and availability of treatment and rehabilitative services ...

, the

Indian Health Service The Indian Health Service (IHS) is an operating division (OPDIV) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). IHS is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally-recognized Nativ ...

, the

, and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Other government agencies based in North Bethesda include the

. Nonprofits based in North Bethesda include the American Kidney Fund, the Society of American Foresters and United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Locally, the Marriott-operated Montgomery County Conference Center, located next to the White Flint metro station, hosts a number of large national conferences every year. In 2018, the e-commerce giant

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

named Montgomery County, Maryland as one of its top 20 cities considered in the final running for its second headquarter. White Flint was rumored to be the proposed site if it were to be selected. In late 2018, Amazon announced that the headquarter would be split into two locations in New York and Virginia.

was for decades a major retail mall here while Pike & Rose nearby is a major new

mixed-use development Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to ...

designated by local planning authorities as a dense hub of offices, retail, hotels, residential and entertainment for the area.

Neighborhoods in North Bethesda

Neighborhoods within the North Bethesda CDP include the following:

Geography

History

Education

Demographics

Economy

Neighborhoods in North Bethesda

See also

References

Further reading