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Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland. As of 2005, the city had an estimated total population of 57,698, making it the third largest in the state behind Baltimore and Frederick. This city is located at 39°8' North, 77°13' West, to the northwest of Rockville, the county seat of Montgomery County. Gaithersburg was incorporated in 1878.
Gaithersburg is home to the neo-traditionalist new town of Kentlands, designed by Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, which was an important early example of the new urbanism movement. Other new urbanist communities in Gaithersburg include Lakelands, the Washingtonian Center, Crown Farm and Watkins Mill Town Center.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is headquartered in Gaithersburg. Other major employers in the city include IBM, ACE*COMM, Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services business area headquarters, MedImmune, and Sodexho.
History
Gaithersburg began in 1765 as a small agricultural settlement known as Log Town. In 1850, the post office was named "Forest Oak." The town officially became "Gaithersburg" when it was incorporated on April 5, 1878, five years after the B&O Railroad built a station there.
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.
Geography
Gaithersburg is located at 39°7'55" North, 77°13'35" West (39.131974, -77.226428).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.3 km² (10.2 mi²). 26.1 km² (10.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.69% water.
Demographics
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 2,013.3/km² (5,216.2/mi²). There were 20,674 housing units at an average density of 791.1/km² (2,049.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.21% White, 14.60% Black or African American, 0.99% Native American, 13.76% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 8.62% from other races, and 4.39% from two or more races. 19.76% 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 3.25.
In the city 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.
The median income for a household in the city was $59,879, and the median income for a family was $66,669. Males had a median income of $44,331 versus $35,861 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,323. 7.1% of the population and 4.9% of families were below the poverty line. 7.2% of those under the age of 18 and 11.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
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, currently David B. Humpton.
Its current mayor is Sidney A. Katz. (1998-). Previous Mayors include:
#George W. Meem 1898-1904
#Carson Ward 1904-1906
#John W. Walker 1906-1908
#E. D. Kingsley 1908-1912
#Richard H. Miles 1912-1918
#John W. Walker 1918-1924
#Walter M. Magruder 1924-1926
#William McBain 1926-1948
#Harry C. Perry, Sr. 1948-1954
#Merton F. Duvall 1954-1966
#John W. Griffith 1966-1967
#Harold C. Morris 1967-1974
#Susan E. Nicholson, May-Sept. 1974
#Milton M. Walker 1974-1976
#B. Daniel Walder 1976-1978
#Bruce A. Goldensohn 1978-1986
#W. Edward Bohrer, Jr. 1986-1998
The departments of the city of Gaithersburg and their directors include:
Transportation
The road network is centered at the intersection of the north-south Frederick Avenue (Maryland State Highway 355) and the east-west Diamond Avenue (Maryland State Highway 117). It is also connected to Frederick and Rockville by Interstate 270, which also connects it with the Capital Beltway.
Shady Grove station, the western terminus of the Red Line of the Washington Metro, is located just outside the city limits of Gaithersburg. Interstate 370 -- which presently connects I-270 with the Shady Grove station -- terminates within Gaithersburg's city limits, transitioning into Sam Eig Highway near Washingtonian Center. If the Intercounty Connector, an as-yet-unbuilt highway to Laurel, Maryland, is constructed, I-370 would become its western portion and Gaithersburg its terminus.
Gaithersburg is served by WMATA Metrobus, Montgomery County Ride-On bus service and three MARC stations on the Brunswick Line- at downtown Gaithersburg, Washington Grove, and at Metropolitan Grove. Additionally, the State of Maryland is considering construction of a light rail or bus rapid transit line from Shady Grove Metro station to Clarksburg, Maryland called the Corridor Cities Transitway, which if built would have several stations inside Gaithersburg city limits.
The mainline of the CSX Railroad bisects Montgomery County and runs through the center of Gaithersburg. As many as fifty trains a day pass through this town. The MARC trains run on the CSX tracks.
The Montgomery County Airpark (IATA airport code: GAI) is located a short distance outside Gaithersburg city limits. It serves general aviation purposes and is the only airport in Montgomery County.
Education
Gaithersburg is served by Montgomery County Public Schools.
Elementary schools that serve Gaithersburg include:
Middle schools that serve Gaithersburg include:
High schools that serve Gaithersburg include:
Media
Gaithersburg is served by the Washington, DC media market. Additionally, it 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. Gaithersburg's city government operates Gaithersburg Television. Gaithersburg topics are also discussed on the blog Gaithersblog.
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