Gaithersburg, Maryland
—  City  —
View of the Washingtonian Waterfront in Gaithersburg, Maryland, as it appeared in October 2006.
Official seal of Gaithersburg, Maryland Seal
Nickname(s): G-Burg[1]
Location in the State of Maryland
Coordinates: 39°7′55″N 77°13′35″W / 39.13194°N 77.22639°W / 39.13194; -77.22639Coordinates: 39°7′55″N 77°13′35″W / 39.13194°N 77.22639°W / 39.13194; -77.22639
Country	United States of America
State	Maryland
County	Montgomery
Settled	1765
Founded	1802
Incorporated	April 5, 1878
Government
• Mayor	Sidney A. Katz
Area
• Total	26.3 km2 (10.2 sq mi)
• Land	26.1 km2 (10.1 sq mi)
• Water	0.2 km2 (0.1 sq mi)
Elevation	106 m (350 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	59,933
• Density	2,300/km2 (5,900/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	301
FIPS code	24-31175
GNIS feature ID	0593389
Website	http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/

Gaithersburg is a city located in Montgomery County, Maryland. At the time of the 2010 United States Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 59,933, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville.^[2] Gaithersburg is located at 39°8' North, 77°13' West, 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 in 1878.

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 Town". The east side also includes Lakeforest Mall, City Hall, and the Montgomery County Fair grounds. 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 The Rio), a popular shopping/business district. Three New Urbanism communities are under construction, including Crown Farm, Watkins Mill Town Center (Casey East and West), and the massive "Science City". The state has a light rail 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. ^[3] Other major employers in the city include IBM, Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services business area headquarters, MedImmune (recently purchased by AstraZeneca), and the French multinational corporation, Sodexo.

Gaithersburg is also the location of the 220th Military Police Brigade of the United States Army Reserve.

History[link]

Gaithersburg was settled in 1765 as a small agricultural settlement known as Log Town near the present day Summitee Hall on Ralph Crabb's 1725 land grant "Deer Park", gaining the name Gaithersburg a few years later. The northern portion of the land grant was purchased by Henry Brookes, and he built his home 'Montpelier' there in the late 1780s or early 1790s. His son-in-law, Benjamin Gaither, inherited a portion of that land, and by the 1850s the area had ceased to be called log town and was known to inhabitants as Gaitherburg.^[4]

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. 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.^[4]

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 City of Gaithersburg.

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.

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 last 20 years (1990–2010), it has become one of the most economically and ethnically diverse areas in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical 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 and Watkins Mill High having two of the most diverse populations in the Washington, D.C. area.

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

Geography[link]

Gaithersburg is located at 39°7'55" North, 77°13'35" West (39.131974, -77.226428)^[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.2 square miles (26 km²), of which 10.1 square miles (26 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²), or 0.69%, is water.

Pronunciation[link]

The Wikipedia page on Pronunciation of English th lists "Gaithersburg" among the many words and proper names of English origin in which non-initial TH is soft, as in "bathe" and "whether." However, Merriam-Webster.com shows a hard th, as in "thing" and "both." Since Benjamin Gaither lived during the 18th century, it's probable that his name was pronounced with a soft TH as in most native English names and words in which it occurs in the middle, and this would have been carried over into the city name. However, as the population of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area mushroomed after World War II, and especially after the construction of the Washington Beltway and the D.C. Metro lured affluent government employees and other professionals into the suburbs, the population of Gaithersburg swelled and the influence of the original settlers has waned. Pronunciation has shifted to a hard TH, consistent with the consonant's pronunciation in the multitude of words of Greek origin assimilated into English by scholars during the Enlightenment and invented by scientists and engineers during the scientific and technological boom of the 20th century.

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[6] 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.

Economy[link]

According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[7] the top employers in the city are:

Government[link]

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, currently Angel Jones.

Gaithersburg City Hall

Its current mayor is Sidney A. Katz. (1998-). 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 -

The departments of the city of Gaithersburg and their directors include:

• Office of the City Manager, Angel Jones
  • Deputy City Manager, Tony Tomasello
• Finance and Administration, Harold Belton
• Planning and Code Administration, Gregory Ossont
  • Neighborhood Services, Kevin Roman
  • Community Services, Crystal Carr
  • Animal Control, Lisa Holland
  • Planning Department, Lauren Pruss
  • Permits and Inspections, Wesley Burnette
• Information Technology, Peter Cottrell
• Parks, Recreation, and Culture, Michele McGleish
• Police, Mark P. Sroka of the Maryland State Police (temporary)
• Public Works, Jim Arnoult

Transportation[link]

Gaithersburg train station

Roads[link]

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, DC. 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[link]

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 light rail or 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[link]

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 do Amtrak trains, which go through Gaithersburg but do not stop.

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[link]

Gaithersburg is served by Montgomery County Public Schools.

Media[link]

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

Newspapers[link]

• Gaithersburg is home to Gazette Newspapers, a publisher of weekly community newspapers in suburban Maryland, including the Gaithersburg Gazette.
• The Town Courier newspaper is based in Kentlands and focuses on Gaithersburg's west side neighborhoods, in addition to publishing Rockville and Urbana editions.

Notable people[link]

• Mark Bryan, bass player from Hootie & the Blowfish
• Kiran Chetry, CNN anchor
• Astrid Ellena, Miss Indonesia 2011
• Hank Fraley, football player currently starting at center for the St. Louis Rams
• Judah Friedlander, actor, most notably from the television show 30 Rock
• Joshua Harris, Christian pastor and author
• Matt Holt, former singer of Nothingface and Kingdom of Snakes
• Paul James, actor, most notably from the television show Greek
• 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
• Shane McMahon, former "co-GM" of WWE Monday Night Raw
• Jim Miklaszewski, chief Pentagon correspondent for NBC News
• John Papuchis, Defensive Ends Coach, University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
• 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
• Eddie Stubbs, country musician, disc jockey, and Grand Ole Opry announcer
• James White, professional basketball player who played in with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets
• Wale (rapper)
• Jordan Goldberg, Co-Producer on Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, Writer of The Gun-Eaters and Batman: Gotham Knight
• Erin Willet, a semi finalist on the second season of The Voice (tv series)

References and footnotes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gaithersburg, Maryland

• City of Gaithersburg official website
• Gaithersburg Local
• Gaithersburg: Then & Now, a photographic tour of the city's history

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