Chevy Chase, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town
and an unincorporated census-designated place
(CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland
. In addition, a number of village
s in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names. These villages, the town, and the CDP share a common history and together form a larger community colloquially referred to as "Chevy Chase." This community is roughly centered on Connecticut Avenue north of the District of Columbia and also includes a neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
, called Chevy Chase, D.C
.
Primarily a residential suburb, Chevy Chase also is near a popular shopping district, Friendship Heights
, featuring several malls and a variety of shops and restaurants. Chevy Chase is home to the National 4-H
Center, where the National Science Bowl is held in late April or early May.
Chevy Chase is served by the Montgomery County Public Schools
.
of Nevada
and his partners began the aggressive acquisition of land in northwestern Washington, D.C.
, and southern Montgomery County, Maryland, for the purpose of developing a residential streetcar suburb
for Washington, DC. (See Washington streetcars
.) The Chevy Chase Land Company was founded in 1890, and its eventual holdings of more than 1700 acres (6.9 km²) would extend along the present-day Connecticut Avenue from Florida Avenue north to Jones Bridge Road. The Chevy Chase Land Company would build houses for no less than $5,000 on Connecticut Avenue or less than $3,000 on a side street.
The name "Chevy Chase" was taken from one of the absorbed plots of land. Its name in turn, according to the Village of Chevy Chase's official history, can be traced to the larger tract of land called "Cheivy Chace" that was patented to Colonel Joseph Belt from Lord Baltimore on July 10, 1725. It has historic associations to a 1388 battle between Lord Percy of England and Earl Douglas of Scotland
. At issue in this "chevauchée" (a French word describing a border raid) were hunting grounds or a "chace" in the Cheviot Hills
of Northumberland
and Otterburn
.
Like many suburban towns throughout the United States during the first half of the 20th century, Chevy Chase excluded individuals based on race and religion. Founder Francis G. Newlands
was an "avowed racist" who in 1912 mounted his presidential campaign on a platform that called for a constitutional amendment to disenfranchise black men and limit immigration to whites only. Three years earlier, the Chevy Chase Land Company had brought suit against a developer who had begun to sell lots to black people in a planned subdivision called "Belmont" on the grounds that the developer had committed fraud by proposing "to sell lots...to negroes."
By the 1920s, exclusionary language had begun to appear in Chevy Chase real estate deeds. Some prohibited both the sale or rental of homes to "a Negro or one of the African race." Others prohibited sales or rentals to "any persons of the Semetic (sic) race." By World War II, such restrictive language had largely disappeared from real estate transactions, and all were voided by the Supreme Court's 1948 decision in Shelley v. Kraemer
.
In addition to the above, the United States Postal Service
uses "Chevy Chase" for postal addresses that lie in the Town of Somerset
and the Village of Friendship Heights which lie outside historical Chevy Chase. USPS also considers addresses east of Jones Mill Rd./Beach Dr. and west of Grubb Rd. as a part of Chevy Chase, although according to the United States Census Bureau
this is part of the Silver Spring CDP
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and an unincorporated census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
. In addition, a number of village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names. These villages, the town, and the CDP share a common history and together form a larger community colloquially referred to as "Chevy Chase." This community is roughly centered on Connecticut Avenue north of the District of Columbia and also includes a neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, called Chevy Chase, D.C
Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C.
Chevy Chase is a neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. It borders Chevy Chase, Maryland, a collection of similarly affluent neighborhoods.-Geography:...
.
Primarily a residential suburb, Chevy Chase also is near a popular shopping district, Friendship Heights
Friendship Heights
Friendship Heights is a residential neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. and southern Montgomery County, Maryland. Though its borders are not clearly defined, Friendship Heights consists roughly of the neighborhoods and commercial areas around Wisconsin Avenue north of Fessenden Street NW and...
, featuring several malls and a variety of shops and restaurants. Chevy Chase is home to the National 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
Center, where the National Science Bowl is held in late April or early May.
Chevy Chase is served by the Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools ' is a school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. It is the largest school district in Maryland. As of the 2009–2010 school year, the district had 11,500 FTE teachers serving 141,777 students at 200 schools.Students in the district score among the...
.
History
Chevy Chase was unincorporated farmland in the years before 1890, during which time Senator Francis G. NewlandsFrancis G. Newlands
Francis Griffith Newlands was a United States Representative and Senator from Nevada.-Early life:Newlands was born in Natchez, Mississippi, on August 28, 1846...
of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and his partners began the aggressive acquisition of land in northwestern Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. (northwest)
Northwest is the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located north of the National Mall and west of North Capitol Street...
, and southern Montgomery County, Maryland, for the purpose of developing a residential streetcar suburb
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. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
for Washington, DC. (See Washington streetcars
Washington streetcars
For just under 100 years, between 1862 and 1962, streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region.The first streetcars in Washington D.C...
.) The Chevy Chase Land Company was founded in 1890, and its eventual holdings of more than 1700 acres (6.9 km²) would extend along the present-day Connecticut Avenue from Florida Avenue north to Jones Bridge Road. The Chevy Chase Land Company would build houses for no less than $5,000 on Connecticut Avenue or less than $3,000 on a side street.
The name "Chevy Chase" was taken from one of the absorbed plots of land. Its name in turn, according to the Village of Chevy Chase's official history, can be traced to the larger tract of land called "Cheivy Chace" that was patented to Colonel Joseph Belt from Lord Baltimore on July 10, 1725. It has historic associations to a 1388 battle between Lord Percy of England and Earl Douglas of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. At issue in this "chevauchée" (a French word describing a border raid) were hunting grounds or a "chace" in the Cheviot Hills
Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot Hills is a range of rolling hills straddling the England–Scotland border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.There is a broad split between the northern and the southern Cheviots...
of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and Otterburn
Otterburn, Northumberland
Otterburn is a small village in Northumberland, England, northwest of Newcastle Upon Tyne on the banks of the River Rede, near the confluence of the Otter Burn, from which the village derives its name. It lies within the Cheviot Hills about from the Scottish border...
.
Like many suburban towns throughout the United States during the first half of the 20th century, Chevy Chase excluded individuals based on race and religion. Founder Francis G. Newlands
Francis G. Newlands
Francis Griffith Newlands was a United States Representative and Senator from Nevada.-Early life:Newlands was born in Natchez, Mississippi, on August 28, 1846...
was an "avowed racist" who in 1912 mounted his presidential campaign on a platform that called for a constitutional amendment to disenfranchise black men and limit immigration to whites only. Three years earlier, the Chevy Chase Land Company had brought suit against a developer who had begun to sell lots to black people in a planned subdivision called "Belmont" on the grounds that the developer had committed fraud by proposing "to sell lots...to negroes."
By the 1920s, exclusionary language had begun to appear in Chevy Chase real estate deeds. Some prohibited both the sale or rental of homes to "a Negro or one of the African race." Others prohibited sales or rentals to "any persons of the Semetic (sic) race." By World War II, such restrictive language had largely disappeared from real estate transactions, and all were voided by the Supreme Court's 1948 decision in Shelley v. Kraemer
Shelley v. Kraemer
Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 , is a United States Supreme Court case which held that courts could not enforce racial covenants on real estate.-Facts of the case:...
.
Villages
- Chevy Chase (CDP), MarylandChevy Chase (CDP), MarylandChevy Chase is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,381 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chevy Chase is located at ....
- Chevy Chase (town), MarylandChevy Chase (town), MarylandChevy Chase is an incorporated town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,726 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chevy Chase is located at ....
- Chevy Chase Village, MarylandChevy Chase Village, MarylandChevy Chase Village is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,043 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chevy Chase Village is located at ....
- Village of Chevy Chase Section Three, MarylandChevy Chase Section Three, MarylandChevy Chase Section Three is a village in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It was originally organized as a Special Tax District in 1916 and later incorporated as a village in 1982...
- Village of Chevy Chase Section Five, MarylandChevy Chase Section Five, MarylandChevy Chase Section Five is a village in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It was founded as a Special Tax District in 1922 and was incorporated as a village in 1982...
- Village of Martin's Additions, MarylandMartin's Additions, MarylandMartin's Additions is a village in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It was established as a Special Tax District in 1916 and incorporated as a village in 1985...
- Village of North Chevy Chase, MarylandNorth Chevy Chase, MarylandNorth Chevy Chase is a village in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It was established as a Special Tax District in 1924 and incorporated as a village in 1996...
In addition to the above, the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
uses "Chevy Chase" for postal addresses that lie in the Town of Somerset
Somerset, Maryland
Somerset is an incorporated town within Chevy Chase in Montgomery County, Maryland, near its border with Washington, D.C.. The population was 1,124 at the 2000 census...
and the Village of Friendship Heights which lie outside historical Chevy Chase. USPS also considers addresses east of Jones Mill Rd./Beach Dr. and west of Grubb Rd. as a part of Chevy Chase, although according to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
this is part of the Silver Spring CDP
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
.
See also
- Francis G. NewlandsFrancis G. NewlandsFrancis Griffith Newlands was a United States Representative and Senator from Nevada.-Early life:Newlands was born in Natchez, Mississippi, on August 28, 1846...
- Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C.Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C.Chevy Chase is a neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. It borders Chevy Chase, Maryland, a collection of similarly affluent neighborhoods.-Geography:...
- List of people from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
- Restrictive covenantRestrictive covenantA restrictive covenant is a type of real covenant, a legal obligation imposed in a deed by the seller upon the buyer of real estate to do or not to do something. Such restrictions frequently "run with the land" and are enforceable on subsequent buyers of the property...