Chevy Chase ()—formally, the Town of Chevy Chase—is an incorporated town in

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Montg ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States. The population was 2,904 at the 2020 census. The town is part of a larger community, colloquially referred to as

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1976), where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment b ...

, that includes several adjoining settlements in Montgomery County and one neighborhood of Washington.

History

In the 1890s, a real estate syndicate led by Francis G. Newlands bought more than 1,700 acres in upper Northwest D.C. and southern Montgomery County to create a Maryland

streetcar suburb A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Such suburbs developed in the United States in the years before the automobile, when ...

he dubbed Chevy Chase. In 1918, the subdivision called Section IV was incorporated as a municipality called the Town of Chevy Chase, creating a town government empowered to collect taxes and provide services.

Government

The Town of Chevy Chase has a

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

form of government, consisting of five councilmembers, who are elected to staggered two-year terms.

Geography

The Town of Chevy Chase is located in southern Montgomery County. Its southern border is north of the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. The town is bordered by the villages of Chevy Chase Section Five and Chevy Chase Section Three to the east, by unincorporated portions of Chevy Chase to the north, and by Bethesda to the west. The town is bordered to the south by the

Chevy Chase Club Chevy Chase () is the colloquial name of an area that includes a Town#Maryland, town, several Village#Incorporated villages, incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjo ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the Town of Chevy Chase has a total area of , all land.

Coquelin Run Coquelin Run is a tributary of Rock Creek in Montgomery County, Maryland. It rises in the Town of Chevy Chase, runs for about two miles while draining an area of 1,095 acres (1.71 square miles), and debouches in Rock Creek in unincorporated C ...

, a tributary of Rock Creek, rises in the town.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,824 people, 1,003 households, and 835 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,042 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.1%

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

, 1.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 3.9% Asian, 0.7% 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), ...

, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.7% of the population. There were 1,003 households, of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.0% were

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

living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 16.7% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age in the town was 46.3 years. 27.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.8% were from 25 to 44; 37.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,726 people, 987 households, and 802 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,024 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.01%

, 0.88%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.04%

, 2.20% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.51% from

, and 1.32% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.37% of the population. There were 987 households, out of which 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.6% were

living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 32.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $160,331, and the median income for a family was $167,790. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $66,705 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $70,325. About 0.9% of families and 2.1% 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 1.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Three state highways form the northern, eastern and southern borders of the town, with a fourth lying just beyond the western border. Of the three highways directly bordering the town, the most prominent is

Maryland Route 185 Maryland Route 185 (MD 185) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Connecticut Avenue, the state highway runs from Chevy Chase Circle at the Washington, D.C., border north to MD 97 in Aspen Hill. MD 185 serves as a maj ...

(

Connecticut Avenue Connecticut Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., and suburban Montgomery County, Maryland. It is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House, and the segment south of Florida Avenue wa ...

), which forms the eastern border of the town. MD 185 extends south to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and north to the nearest

Interstate highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

, Interstate 495 (the Capital Beltway). From the north side of town,

Maryland Route 410 Maryland Route 410 (MD 410) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland and known for most of its length as East–West Highway. The highway runs east to west (hence its name) for from Maryland Route 355, MD 355 in Bet ...

(East–West Highway) extends eastward, providing local connections to many other suburban towns north and northeast of Washington, D.C. On the south edge of town,

Maryland Route 191 Maryland Route 191 (MD 191) is a state highway in southwestern Montgomery County in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Bradley Boulevard, the highway runs from MD 190 (River Road) in Potomac east through Bethesda ...

extends west through Bethesda to Potomac. The fourth highway, lying just beyond the town's western edge, is

Maryland Route 355 Maryland Route 355 (MD 355) is a north–south road in western central Maryland in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is in Bethesda, Maryland, Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, where ...

(

Wisconsin Avenue Wisconsin Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Washington, D.C., and its Maryland suburbs. The southern terminus begins in Georgetown just north of the Potomac River, at an intersection with K Street under the elevated Whitehurst Freeway. Wisco ...

), which provides many of the same connections as MD 185 does on a slightly more west alignment. The town is also served by the Washington Metro's Red Line, whose

Bethesda station Bethesda station is a rapid transit station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro system in Bethesda, Maryland. It is one of the busiest suburban Metro stations, serving on average 9,142 passengers each weekday in 2017. The Purple Line, a l ...

sits about a quarter-mile from the town's northwest corner; and by several Ride On and

Metrobus Metrobus may refer to: Transport services Bus Rapid Transit *MetroBus (Bristol), a bus rapid transit system in Bristol, England, United Kingdom *Metrobus (Buenos Aires), a bus rapid transit system in Buenos Aires, Argentina *Metrobus (Istanbul), a ...

bus lines that stop on Connecticut or Wisconsin Avenues.

Education

The Town of Chevy Chase sends students to the Montgomery County Public Schools. Residents are zoned to Rosemary Hills Elementary School (PreK-2) (unincorporated Montgomery County), North Chevy Chase Elementary School, Westbrook Elementary School,

Chevy Chase Elementary School Chevy Chase Elementary School is an elementary school containing grades 3–5 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Founded in 1917, the school today occupies a much-renovated and -expanded 1930 building that has been designated as an Historic Site by the Ma ...

(3-6) (in the Town of Chevy Chase),

Westland Middle School Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is a State school, public school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland. With 210 schools, it is the largest school district in the state of Maryland. For the 2022–23 school year, the district ...

(unincorporated Montgomery County) and

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) is a State school, public Secondary school, high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda, Maryland, Bethesda. Part of the Montgomery County Public Schools ...

(unincorporated Montgomery County).

References

External links

* * Book:
The Town of Chevy Chase: Past and Present
" produced by the Town's History Committee in 1990 * {{Montgomery County, Maryland 1918 establishments in Maryland Populated places established in 1918 Suburbs of Washington, D.C. Towns in Maryland Towns in Montgomery County, Maryland