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Tell Me About GAITHERSBURG, Maryland GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND – ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE!
With over 50,000 residents, Gaithersburg is one of the largest cities in Maryland and part of the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. In 2005, CNN/Money and Money Magazine rated Gaithersburg as seventeenth in their list of the Top 100 “Best Places to Live” in the United States. Gaithersburg is rated highly for its quality of life, which includes many major shopping areas, restaurants, and park spaces. Within Gaithersburg are many and varied suburban areas. Some, such as King Farm, Kentlands, and several other neo-traditionalist new towns, have been designed as towns-within-the-city for a special “small town” feel.
A high employment rate and job growth contribute to making Gaithersburg one of the “best places to live” in the US. The quality of healthcare available in the Greater Washington, DC Metropolitan Area is very high, as Gaithersburg and the surrounding area contain many top-notch hospitals, medical, and research facilities.
INDUSTRIES & OCCUPATIONS
As a major regional location for high-technology companies, Gaithersburg’s major economic activities are biotechnology, telecommunications, and software development. Gaithersburg has been home to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) since 1961.
As of 2005, median resident age is 33.6 years. For the population 25 years of age and older, over 46% have a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and almost 20% have a graduate or professional degree.
GETTING AROUND THE METRO AREA
VIA METRO: The Washington, DC Metro system (subway) extends into Gaithersburg. The Metro system connects Gaithersburg to Rockville, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Washington, DC, and the Northern Virginia suburbs.
VIA AIRLINE: Besides its excellent Metro system, the Greater Washington, DC Metropolitan Area is served by three major airports: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, DC; Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Washington, DC; and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) in Baltimore. All of these are within an hour’s drive or Metro ride from Gaithersburg.
CULTURAL GAITHERSBURG
Since 1986 Gaithersburg has been designated a “Tree City USA.” The National Arbor Day Foundation awards this designation to selected communities that have an organized plan to manage and maintain their trees. The program provides national recognition, direction and technical assistance to urban and community forestry programs. With its many trees and its 23 parks that encompass over 500 acres of parkland, Gaithersburg has many pleasant green spaces.
In the middle of Gaithersburg is “Gaithersburg Olde Towne,” which contains historic buildings dating from the 1800s. Currently, Olde Towne is being developed and expanded with added shopping, workplaces and residences, while its historic character is carefully preserved.
Gaithersburg is home to some lively cultural activities. In the summer is the “Live on the Lawn Series” at the Olde Towne Concert Pavilion, which features live theater and music almost every day. The “Celebrate Gaithersburg in Olde Towne Street Festival,” held in the fall, has music, food, and arts and crafts. From after Thanksgiving until the end of the year is the Winter Lights Festival. There are hundreds of illuminated displays, some animated, along a 3.5 mile drive. These include displays called Winter Woods, Teddy Bear Land, Victorian Village and the North Pole.
MORE ON GAITHERSBURG
Gaithersburg includes the zipcode areas 20877, 20878, 20879 and 20882.
Average temperatures for Gaithersburg range from a low of about 25 degrees Fahrenheit in January to a high of 85 degrees Fahrenheit in July. Seasonal average temperatures are 35 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter; 57 degrees in the spring; 80 degrees in the summer; and 60 degrees in the fall. Average precipitation is about 40 inches per year, spread evenly throughout the seasons and including about 21 inches of snow between late November and early April.
Gaithersburg lies inland from the Atlantic seacoast, which is about an hour’s drive east.
HISTORIC GAITHERSBURG
In 1765 Gaithersburg began as a small agricultural settlement called “Log Town.” In 1878, five years after a B&O railroad station was built there, the town was incorporated and named “Gaithersburg.” Gaithersburg is named after former resident Benjamin Gaither, who built a house in the area in 1802.
The former B&O train station still exists as a museum in the heart of Gaithersburg Olde Towne Business District. Gaithersburg Olde Towne’s historic character has been preserved, while the city expands this pedestrian-friendly area by adding shopping areas, workplaces and residences.
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