Silver Spring, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area
and census-designated place
(CDP) 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 southernmost part of Silver Spring is a major business hub that lies at the north apex of Washington, D.C.
As of 2004, the Central Business District
(CBD) held 7254729 square feet (673,986 m²) of office space, 5216 dwelling units and 17.6 acres (71,224.7 m²) of parkland. The population density of this CBD area of Silver Spring was 15,600 per square mile all within 360 acres (1.5 km²) and approximately 2.5 square miles (6 km²) in the CBD/downtown area.
The community has recently undergone a significant renaissance, with the addition of major retail, residential, and office developments.
Silver Spring takes its name from a mica
-flecked spring discovered there in 1840 by Francis Preston Blair
, who subsequently bought much of the surrounding land. Acorn Park
, tucked away in an area of south Silver Spring away from the main downtown area, is believed to be the site of the original spring.
, Prince George's County, Maryland
and Howard County, Maryland
lines to the south, east and north, and Rock Creek Park and Plyers Mill Road to the west and north-west. These boundaries make Silver Spring larger in area than any city
in Maryland
except for Baltimore. Among some notable landmarks is the world headquarters of Discovery Communications
, the AFI Silver
, and the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
.
The United States Census Bureau
defines Silver Spring as a census-designated place
whose center is located at 39°1' North latitude, 77°1' West longitude. The United States Geological Survey
locates the center of Silver Spring at 38°59′26"N 77°1′35"W, notably some distance from the Census Bureau's datum. By another definition, Silver Spring is located at 39°0′15"N 77°1′8"W (39.004242, -77.019004). The definitions used by the Silver Spring Urban Planning District, the United States Postal Service
, the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce
, etc., are all different, each defining it for its own purposes.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the community has a total area of 9.4 square mile, all land; however, it does contain numerous creeks and small lakes.
passes along the west side of Silver Spring, and offers hiking trails, picnic grounds, and bicycling on weekends, when its main road, Beach Drive, is mostly closed to motor vehicles.
Sligo Creek Park follows Sligo Creek
through Silver Spring; it offers hiking trails, tennis courts, playgrounds and bicycling. The latter is facilitated on weekends, when parts of Sligo Creek Parkway are closed to autos. The bike trails are winding and slower than most in the region. Recently, rocks have been spread along either side of the road, providing a hazardous bike ride, or skating leisure.
Acorn Park
in the downtown area of Silver Spring is believed to be the site of the eponymous "silver spring".
The 14.5 acres (58,679.5 m²) Jesup Blair Park was recently renovated and has a soccer field, tennis courts, basketball courts, and picnic area.
Brookside Gardens
is a 50 acres (20.2 ha) park within Wheaton Regional Park, in "greater" Silver Spring. It is located on the original site of Stadler Nursery (now in Laytonsville
, Maryland
).
, there were 76,540 people, 30,374 households, and 17,616 families residing in the census area (if all areas with the "Silver Spring" address are included, the population swells to around 250,000). The population density
was 8,123.6 people per square mile (3,137.2/km²). There were 31,208 housing units at an average density of 3,312.3 per square mile (1,279.1/km²). The racial makeup of the community was 46.61% White, 28.07% African American, 0.44% Native American, 8.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 11.55% from other races
, and 5.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race consist of 22.22% of the population.
There were 30,374 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. Thirty-two point six percent (32.6%) of all households are made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the census area, the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the census area was $51,653, and the median income for a family was $60,631. Males had a median income of $38,124 versus $36,096 for females. The per capita income
for the area was $26,357. 9.3% of the population and 6.4% of families were below the poverty line. 11.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
, who later helped organize the modern American Republican Party
, along with his daughter, Elizabeth, discovered a spring flowing with chips of mica
(the now-dry spring is still visible at Acorn Park
). Two years later, he completed a twenty-room mansion he dubbed Silver Spring on a 250 acre (one-square-kilometer) country homestead situated just outside of Washington, D.C.
(The house stood until 1954.) By 1854, Blair's son, Montgomery Blair
, who became Postmaster General
under Abraham Lincoln
and represented Dred Scott
before the United States Supreme Court, built the Falkland house in the area. By the end of the decade, Elizabeth Blair married Samuel Phillips Lee
, third cousin
of future Confederate
leader Robert E. Lee
, and gave birth to a boy, Francis Preston Blair Lee
. The child would eventually become the first popularly elected Senator
in United States history.
During the American Civil War
, Abraham Lincoln
visited the Silver Spring mansion multiple times. During some of the visits he relaxed by playing town ball
with Francis P. Blair's grandchildren. In 1864, Confederate
Army General Jubal Early
occupied Silver Spring prior to the Battle of Fort Stevens
. After the engagement, fleeing Confederate soldiers razed Montgomery Blair's Falkland residence. By the end of the 19th century, the region began to develop into a town of decent size and importance. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's Metropolitan Branch was completed in 1873 and ran from Washington, D.C.
to Point of Rocks
, Maryland
through Silver Spring. The first suburban development appeared in 1887 when Selina Wilson divided part of her farm on current-day Colesville Road (U.S. Route 29
) and Brookeville Road into five- and ten-acre (20,000- and 40,000 m²) plots. In 1893, Francis Preston Blair Lee and his wife, Anne Brooke Lee, gave birth to E. Brooke Lee, who is known as the father of modern Silver Spring for his visionary attitude toward developing the region.
, founded the Lee Development Company, whose Colesville Road office building remains a downtown fixture. Dale Drive, a winding roadway, was built to provide vehicular access to much of the family's substantial real estate holdings. Suburban development continued in 1922 when Woodside Development Corporation created Woodside Park, with 1 acre (4,000 m²) plot home sites. In 1924, Washington trolley service
on Georgia Avenue
(present-day Maryland Route 97
) across B&O's Metropolitan Branch was temporarily suspended so that an underpass could be built. The underpass was completed two years later, but trolley service never resumed. It would be rebuilt again in 1948 with additional lanes for automobile traffic, opening the areas to the north for readily accessible suburban development.
Takoma-Silver Spring High School, built in 1924, was the first high school for Silver Spring. The community's rapid growth led to the need for a larger school. In 1935, when a new high school was built at Wayne Avenue and Sligo Creek Parkway, it was renamed Montgomery Blair High School
. (The school remained at that location for over six decades, until 1998, when it was moved to a new, larger facility at the corner of Colesville Road (U.S. Route 29
) and University Boulevard (Maryland Route 193
). The former high school building became a combined middle school and elementary school.) The Silver Spring Shopping Center and Silver Theatre
(designed by noted theatre architect John Eberson
) were completed in 1938, at the request of developer William Alexander Julian
. The shopping center was unique because it was one of the nation's first retail spaces that featured a street-front parking lot. Conventional wisdom held that merchandise should be in windows closest to the street so that people could see it; the shopping center broke those rules.
By the 1950s, Silver Spring was the second busiest retail market between Baltimore and Richmond
, with the Hecht Company, J.C. Penney
, Sears, Roebuck and Company
, and a number of other retailers. In 1954, after standing for over a century, the Blair mansion "Silver Spring" was razed and replaced with the Blair Station Post office. In 1960, Wheaton Plaza (later known as Westfield Wheaton
), a shopping center several miles north of downtown Silver Spring opened, and captured much of the town's business. The downtown area soon started a long period of decline.
In December 1961, a short segment of the Capital Beltway (I-495)
was opened to traffic between Georgia Avenue (MD 97)
and University Boulevard East (MD 193)
. On Monday, August 17, 1964, the final segment of the 64 miles (103 km) Beltway
was opened to traffic, and a ribboncutting ceremony was held near the New Hampshire Avenue interchange, with a speech by then-Gov. J. Millard Tawes
.
Washington Metro
rail service into Washington, D.C.
helped breathe life into the region starting in 1978 with the opening of Silver Spring station
. The Metro Red Line was built following the alignment of the B&O Metropolitan Branch, with the Metro tracks centered between the B&O's eastbound and westbound mains. The Red Line heads south to downtown DC from Silver Spring, running at grade before descending into Union Station
. By the mid-1990s, the Red Line continued north from the downtown Silver Spring core, entering a tunnel just past the Silver Spring station and running underground to three more stations, Forest Glen
, Wheaton
and Glenmont
.
Nevertheless, the decline continued in the 1980s, as the Hecht Company, downtown's last remaining department store, closed and opened a new store at Wheaton Plaza. Furthermore, Hecht's added a covenant forbidding another department store from renting its old spot. City Place
, a multi-level mall, was established in the old Hecht Company building in 1992, but it had trouble attracting quality anchor stores and gained a reputation as a budget mall, anchored by Burlington Coat Factory
and Marshalls
, as well as now-closed anchors AMC Theaters, Gold's Gym
, Steve and Barry's, and Nordstrom Rack. In the mid-1990s, developers considered building a mega-mall and entertainment complex called the American Dream (similar to the Mall of America
) in downtown Silver Spring, but the revitalization plan fell through before any construction began because the developers were unable to secure funding.
Another notable occurrence in Silver Spring during the 1990s was a 1996 train collision on the Silver Spring section of the Metropolitan line. On February 16 of that year, during the Friday-evening rush hour
, a MARC commuter train bound for Washington Union Station
collided with the Amtrak
Capitol Limited
train and erupted in flames on a snow-swept stretch of track in Silver Spring, leaving eleven people dead.
The Maryland State Highway Administration
started studies of improvements to the Capital Beltway
in 1993, and have continued, off and on, examining a number of alternatives (including HOV lanes
and Express Toll Lanes) since then.
, Borders Books & Music, a 20-screen Regal Theatres
, Men's Wearhouse
, Ann Taylor Loft, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Office Depot
, and Pier 1 Imports, as well as many restaurants, including Romano's Macaroni Grill
, Panera Bread
, Red Lobster
, Cold Stone Creamery
, Fuddruckers
, Potbelly Sandwich Works
, Baja Fresh
, Nando's
, and Chick-fil-a
. In addition to these chains, Downtown Silver Spring is home to a wide variety of family-owned restaurants representing its vast ethnic diversity. As downtown Silver Spring revived, its 160-year history was celebrated in a PBS documentary entitled Silver Spring: Story of an American Suburb, released in 2002. In 2003, Discovery Communications
completed the construction of its headquarters and relocated to downtown Silver Spring from nearby Bethesda
. The same year also brought the reopening of the Silver Theatre, as AFI Silver
, under the auspices of the American Film Institute
. Development continues with the opening of new office buildings, condos, stores, and restaurants, although City Place Mall continues to struggle to fill its vacancies despite the explosive growth around it. The restoration of the old B&O Passenger Station
was undertaken between 2000 and 2002, as recorded in the documentary film Next Stop: Silver Spring.
Beginning in 2004, the downtown redevelopment was marketed locally with the "silver sprung" advertising campaign, which declared on buses and in print ads that Silver Spring had "sprung" and was ready for business. In June 2007, The New York Times
noted that downtown was "enjoying a renaissance, a result of public involvement and private investment that is turning it into an arts and entertainment center".
In 2007, the downtown Silver Spring area gained attention when an amateur photographer was prohibited from taking photographs in what appeared to be a public street. The land, leased to the Peterson Cos., a developer, for $1, was technically private property. The citizens argued that the Downtown Silver Spring development, partially built with public money, was still public property. After a protest on July 4, 2007, Peterson relented and allowed photography on their property under limited conditions. Peterson also claimed that it could revoke these rights at any time. The company further stated that other activities permitted in public spaces, such as organizing protests or distributing campaign literature, were still prohibited. In response, Montgomery County Attorney Leon Rodriguez said that the street in question, Ellsworth Drive, "constitutes a public forum" and that the First Amendment
's protection of free speech applies there. In an eight-page letter, Rodriguez wrote, "Although the courts have not definitively resolved the issue of whether the taking, as opposed to the display, of photographs is a protected expressive act, we think it is likely that a court would consider the taking of the photograph to be part of the continuum of action that leads to the display of the photograph and thus also protected by the First Amendment." The incident was part of a trend in the United States regarding the blurring of public and private spaces in developments built with both public and private funds.
In 2008, construction of the long-planned Intercounty Connector
(ICC), which crosses the upper reaches of Silver Spring, got under way. The highway's first section opened on February 21, 2011; the entire route is expected to be completed by 2012.
In July 2010, the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza opened in downtown Silver Spring.
documentary film festival held each June and hosted by Discovery Communications
and the American Film Institute
, as well as the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade (Saturday before Thanksgiving) for Montgomery County
. The Silver Spring Jazz
Festival has become the biggest event of the year drawing 20,000 people to the free festival held on the second Saturday in September. Featuring local jazz artists and a battle of high school bands, the Silver Spring Jazz Festival has featured such jazz greats as Wynton Marsalis
, Arturo Sandoval
and such bands as the Mingus Big Band
and the Fred Wesley
Group.
Dining in Silver Spring is also extremely varied, including American
, African, Burmese, Ethiopian, Moroccan, Italian
, Mexican
, Salvadoran, Jamaican
, Vietnamese, Lebanese
, and fusion restaurants, as well as many national and regional chains.
Silver Spring has many churches, synagogues, temples, and other religious institutions, including the World Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
. Silver Spring serves as the primary urban area in Montgomery County and its revitalization has ushered in an eclectic mix of people and ideas, evident in the fact that the flagship high school (Montgomery Blair High School
) has no majority group with each major racial and ethnic group claiming a significant percentage.
Silver Spring hosts the American Film Institute
Silver Theatre and Culture Center
, on Colesville Road. The theatre showcases American and foreign films. Discovery Communications
, a cable TV and satellite programming company, has its headquarters in downtown, as well. Gandhi Brigade
, a youth development media project, began in Silver Spring out of the Long Branch neighborhood. Docs in Progress
, a non-profit media arts center devoted to the promotion of documentary filmmaking is located at the "Documentary House" in downtown Silver Spring. Silver Spring Stage http://www.ssstage.org/, an all-volunteer community theater, performs in Woodmoor, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north up Colesville Road from the downtown area. Downtown Silver Spring is also home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce
that includes the National Weather Service
; the American Nurses Association
; and numerous real estate development, biotechnology, and media and communications companies.
can be accessed from Georgia Avenue (MD 97
), Colesville Road (US 29
), and New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650
).
As of 2008, the long-planned Intercounty Connector
(ICC) (to be designated Maryland Route 200) toll road
is under construction in the Fairland
area of Silver Spring, and will have interchanges at Georgia Avenue, Layhill Road (MD 182
), New Hampshire Avenue, Columbia Pike (as US 29
is known north of Lockwood Drive) and a half-interchange at Briggs Chaney Road.
Silver Spring is serviced by the Brunswick Line of the MARC Train
, Metrorail Red Line
, Metrobus
, Ride On
, and the free VanGo. The bus terminal at the Silver Spring Rail Station
is the busiest in the entire Washington Metro Area, and provides connections between several transit services, including those mentioned above. This transit facility serves nearly 60,000 passengers daily. Construction commenced in October 2008 on the new $91 million Paul S Sarbanes Transit Center which will further expand the station to facilitate the growing demand for public transportation, due to the increase in population in the Silver Spring area. The new center will be a multilevel, multimodal facility which will incorporate Metrobus, Ride On, Metrorail, MARC train, intercity Greyhound
bus, and local taxi services under one roof.
The Purple Line light rail
, being studied by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)
is planned to service this station, if a final environmental impact statement is completed and funds are secured for it, connecting Silver Spring with Bethesda to the west and then running east to the University of Maryland-College Park and then southeast to the New Carrollton Metro station. In 2008, Gov. Martin O'Malley assigned $100 million of the state budget for planning and engineering of the Purple Line. The MTA
estimates the Purple Line could carry 68,000 person-trips per day. Construction is planned to begin in 2012. In addition to the Silver Spring station, the Washington Metrorail's Forest Glen station is also located in Silver Spring and the MARC train also stops at the nearby Kensington station.
. Public high schools that serve the region include Montgomery Blair High School
, Albert Einstein High School
, Wheaton High School
, James Hubert Blake High School
, Northwood High School
, Paint Branch High School
, John F. Kennedy High School
, Springbrook High School
, and Bethesda Chevy Chase High School. Of the public high schools in the region, Montgomery Blair High School
is the only one within the Census Designation Place of Silver Spring. It is nationally recognized for its Communication Arts Program and its Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program, the latter of which perennially produces a large number of finalists and semi-finalists in such academic competitions as the Intel Science Talent Search
. Notable private schools in the region include The Siena School, Yeshiva of Greater Washington, Torah School of Greater Washington, and The Barrie School
.
A portion of the Montgomery College
Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus is located within the Silver Spring boundary, with the rest of the campus located in Takoma Park. The community college
is Montgomery County's
main institute of higher education. (The main campus is in the county seat
of Rockville
.) Adjacent to the White Oak neighborhood in the outer reaches of Silver Spring is the campus of the National Labor College
. Howard University
also has its School of Continuing Education in Silver Spring (its main campus is located nearby in Washington, D.C.
).
and the media company Discovery Communications
.
Silver Spring is also home to several MCSL swim teams, including Robin Hood, Calverton, Franklin Knolls, Daleview, Oakview, Forest Knolls, Long Branch, Stonegate, Glenwood, Rock Creek, and Northwest Branch,Stonegate, Hillandale, and West Hillandale
Silver Spring and Takoma Park together host Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts
a college wooden-bat baseball team playing in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
. Home games are played at Montgomery Blair Stadium.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
and 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...
, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, after Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Columbia
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
, and Germantown.
The urbanized, oldest, and southernmost part of Silver Spring is a major business hub that lies at the north apex 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....
As of 2004, the Central Business District
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
(CBD) held 7254729 square feet (673,986 m²) of office space, 5216 dwelling units and 17.6 acres (71,224.7 m²) of parkland. The population density of this CBD area of Silver Spring was 15,600 per square mile all within 360 acres (1.5 km²) and approximately 2.5 square miles (6 km²) in the CBD/downtown area.
The community has recently undergone a significant renaissance, with the addition of major retail, residential, and office developments.
Silver Spring takes its name from a mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
-flecked spring discovered there in 1840 by Francis Preston Blair
Francis Preston Blair
Francis Preston Blair, Sr. was an American journalist and politician.-Biography:Blair was born at Abingdon, Virginia. He moved to Kentucky, graduated from Transylvania University in 1811, took to journalism, and was a contributor to Amos Kendall's paper, the Argus, at Frankfort...
, who subsequently bought much of the surrounding land. Acorn Park
Acorn Park
Acorn Park is a urban park in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, which features an acorn-shaped gazebo and an artificial grotto. The site is historically significant as it is thought to be the location of the "mica-flecked spring" that in 1840 inspired Francis Preston Blair to name his estate...
, tucked away in an area of south Silver Spring away from the main downtown area, is believed to be the site of the original spring.
Geography
As an unincorporated area, Silver Spring's boundaries are not officially defined. Residents of a huge swath of Montgomery County have Silver Spring mailing addresses. This area extends roughly from the 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....
, Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
and Howard County, Maryland
Howard County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*62.2% White*17.5% Black*0.3% Native American*14.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*2.0% Other races*5.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
lines to the south, east and north, and Rock Creek Park and Plyers Mill Road to the west and north-west. These boundaries make Silver Spring larger in area than any city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
except for Baltimore. Among some notable landmarks is the world headquarters of Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
, the AFI Silver
AFI Silver
The AFI Silver is a three-screen movie theater complex in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. in the United States of America. It plays both art-house and mainstream movies...
, and the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
.
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...
defines Silver Spring as a 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...
whose center is located at 39°1' North latitude, 77°1' West longitude. The United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
locates the center of Silver Spring at 38°59′26"N 77°1′35"W, notably some distance from the Census Bureau's datum. By another definition, Silver Spring is located at 39°0′15"N 77°1′8"W (39.004242, -77.019004). The definitions used by the Silver Spring Urban Planning District, 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...
, the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, etc., are all different, each defining it for its own purposes.
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...
, the community has a total area of 9.4 square mile, all land; however, it does contain numerous creeks and small lakes.
Parks and recreation
Rock Creek ParkRock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
passes along the west side of Silver Spring, and offers hiking trails, picnic grounds, and bicycling on weekends, when its main road, Beach Drive, is mostly closed to motor vehicles.
Sligo Creek Park follows Sligo Creek
Sligo Creek
Sligo Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River in Maryland. The creek is approximately long, with a drainage area of about .- Geography :The creek rises in the Kemp Mill section of Silver Spring in Montgomery County and...
through Silver Spring; it offers hiking trails, tennis courts, playgrounds and bicycling. The latter is facilitated on weekends, when parts of Sligo Creek Parkway are closed to autos. The bike trails are winding and slower than most in the region. Recently, rocks have been spread along either side of the road, providing a hazardous bike ride, or skating leisure.
Acorn Park
Acorn Park
Acorn Park is a urban park in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, which features an acorn-shaped gazebo and an artificial grotto. The site is historically significant as it is thought to be the location of the "mica-flecked spring" that in 1840 inspired Francis Preston Blair to name his estate...
in the downtown area of Silver Spring is believed to be the site of the eponymous "silver spring".
The 14.5 acres (58,679.5 m²) Jesup Blair Park was recently renovated and has a soccer field, tennis courts, basketball courts, and picnic area.
Brookside Gardens
Brookside Gardens
Brookside Gardens are public gardens located within Wheaton Regional Park, at 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland. The gardens themselves are open daily without charge...
is a 50 acres (20.2 ha) park within Wheaton Regional Park, in "greater" Silver Spring. It is located on the original site of Stadler Nursery (now in Laytonsville
Laytonsville, Maryland
Laytonsville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 277 at the 2000 census. Laytonsville was originally known as Cracklintown. This name originated from the popular cracklin bread, which was baked in the locale. This recipe, essentially a bacon corn bread, also...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
).
Demographics
As of the 2000 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, there were 76,540 people, 30,374 households, and 17,616 families residing in the census area (if all areas with the "Silver Spring" address are included, the population swells to around 250,000). The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 8,123.6 people per square mile (3,137.2/km²). There were 31,208 housing units at an average density of 3,312.3 per square mile (1,279.1/km²). The racial makeup of the community was 46.61% White, 28.07% African American, 0.44% Native American, 8.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 11.55% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 5.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race consist of 22.22% of the population.
There were 30,374 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. Thirty-two point six percent (32.6%) of all households are made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the census area, the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the census area was $51,653, and the median income for a family was $60,631. Males had a median income of $38,124 versus $36,096 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the area was $26,357. 9.3% of the population and 6.4% of families were below the poverty line. 11.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Nineteenth century
The Blair, Lee, and Jalloh families, three politically active families of the time, are irrefutably tied to Silver Spring's history. In 1840, Francis Preston BlairFrancis Preston Blair
Francis Preston Blair, Sr. was an American journalist and politician.-Biography:Blair was born at Abingdon, Virginia. He moved to Kentucky, graduated from Transylvania University in 1811, took to journalism, and was a contributor to Amos Kendall's paper, the Argus, at Frankfort...
, who later helped organize the modern American Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, along with his daughter, Elizabeth, discovered a spring flowing with chips of mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
(the now-dry spring is still visible at Acorn Park
Acorn Park
Acorn Park is a urban park in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, which features an acorn-shaped gazebo and an artificial grotto. The site is historically significant as it is thought to be the location of the "mica-flecked spring" that in 1840 inspired Francis Preston Blair to name his estate...
). Two years later, he completed a twenty-room mansion he dubbed Silver Spring on a 250 acre (one-square-kilometer) country homestead situated just outside 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....
(The house stood until 1954.) By 1854, Blair's son, Montgomery Blair
Montgomery Blair
Montgomery Blair , the son of Francis Preston Blair, elder brother of Francis Preston Blair, Jr. and cousin of B. Gratz Brown, was a politician and lawyer from Maryland...
, who became Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
under Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and represented Dred Scott
Dred Scott
Dred Scott , was an African-American slave in the United States who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom and that of his wife and their two daughters in the Dred Scott v...
before the United States Supreme Court, built the Falkland house in the area. By the end of the decade, Elizabeth Blair married Samuel Phillips Lee
Samuel Phillips Lee
Samuel Phillips Lee was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy. He commanded the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron from 4 September 1862 to 12 October 1864. His flagship was Philadelphia.-Life and career:...
, third cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of future Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
leader Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, and gave birth to a boy, Francis Preston Blair Lee
Blair Lee I
Francis Preston Blair Lee was a Democratic member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland from 1914 to 1917. He was also the great-grandson of American patriot Richard Henry Lee, and grandfather of former Maryland Governor Blair Lee III...
. The child would eventually become the first popularly elected Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in United States history.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
visited the Silver Spring mansion multiple times. During some of the visits he relaxed by playing town ball
Town ball
The term town ball, or townball, describes the bat-and-ball, safe haven games played in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, which were similar to rounders and were precursors to modern baseball. In some areas - such as Philadelphia and along the Ohio River and Mississippi River - the...
with Francis P. Blair's grandchildren. In 1864, Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Army General Jubal Early
Jubal Anderson Early
Jubal Anderson Early was a lawyer and Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served under Stonewall Jackson and then Robert E. Lee for almost the entire war, rising from regimental command to lieutenant general and the command of an infantry corps in the Army of Northern Virginia...
occupied Silver Spring prior to the Battle of Fort Stevens
Battle of Fort Stevens
The Battle of Fort Stevens was an American Civil War battle fought July 11–12, 1864, in Northwest Washington, D.C., as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 between forces under Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early and Union Maj. Gen. Alexander McD. McCook. Although Early caused consternation...
. After the engagement, fleeing Confederate soldiers razed Montgomery Blair's Falkland residence. By the end of the 19th century, the region began to develop into a town of decent size and importance. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's Metropolitan Branch was completed in 1873 and ran from 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....
to Point of Rocks
Point of Rocks, Maryland
Point of Rocks is a community in Frederick County, Maryland. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent Catoctin Mountain, which were formed by the Potomac River cutting through the ridge in a water gap, a typical formation in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
through Silver Spring. The first suburban development appeared in 1887 when Selina Wilson divided part of her farm on current-day Colesville Road (U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 29 in Maryland
U.S. Route 29 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 29 is a major highway that emerges from Washington D.C. and runs north into eastern Montgomery County, stretching...
) and Brookeville Road into five- and ten-acre (20,000- and 40,000 m²) plots. In 1893, Francis Preston Blair Lee and his wife, Anne Brooke Lee, gave birth to E. Brooke Lee, who is known as the father of modern Silver Spring for his visionary attitude toward developing the region.
Twentieth century
The early 20th century set the pace for downtown Silver Spring's growth. E. Brooke Lee and his brother, Blair Lee IBlair Lee I
Francis Preston Blair Lee was a Democratic member of the United States Senate, representing the State of Maryland from 1914 to 1917. He was also the great-grandson of American patriot Richard Henry Lee, and grandfather of former Maryland Governor Blair Lee III...
, founded the Lee Development Company, whose Colesville Road office building remains a downtown fixture. Dale Drive, a winding roadway, was built to provide vehicular access to much of the family's substantial real estate holdings. Suburban development continued in 1922 when Woodside Development Corporation created Woodside Park, with 1 acre (4,000 m²) plot home sites. In 1924, Washington trolley service
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...
on Georgia Avenue
Georgia Avenue
Georgia Avenue is a major north-south artery in Northwest Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland. Within the District of Columbia and a short distance in Silver Spring, Maryland, Georgia Avenue is also U.S. Route 29...
(present-day Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 29 in Silver Spring, Montgomery County north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97...
) across B&O's Metropolitan Branch was temporarily suspended so that an underpass could be built. The underpass was completed two years later, but trolley service never resumed. It would be rebuilt again in 1948 with additional lanes for automobile traffic, opening the areas to the north for readily accessible suburban development.
Takoma-Silver Spring High School, built in 1924, was the first high school for Silver Spring. The community's rapid growth led to the need for a larger school. In 1935, when a new high school was built at Wayne Avenue and Sligo Creek Parkway, it was renamed Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
. (The school remained at that location for over six decades, until 1998, when it was moved to a new, larger facility at the corner of Colesville Road (U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 29 in Maryland
U.S. Route 29 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 29 is a major highway that emerges from Washington D.C. and runs north into eastern Montgomery County, stretching...
) and University Boulevard (Maryland Route 193
Maryland Route 193
Maryland Route 193 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as University Boulevard and Greenbelt Road, the state highway runs from MD 185 in Kensington east to MD 202 in Greater Upper Marlboro...
). The former high school building became a combined middle school and elementary school.) The Silver Spring Shopping Center and Silver Theatre
AFI Silver
The AFI Silver is a three-screen movie theater complex in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. in the United States of America. It plays both art-house and mainstream movies...
(designed by noted theatre architect John Eberson
John Eberson
John Eberson was an American architect best known for his movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre fashion.Born in Czernowitz, Austro-Hungarian Empire , Eberson went to highschool in Dresden and studied electrical engineering in Vienna. He arrived in the United States in 1901 and at first...
) were completed in 1938, at the request of developer William Alexander Julian
William Alexander Julian
William Alexander Julian served as the 28th Treasurer of the United States from June 1, 1933 - May 29, 1949 under Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman. He is currently the last male to hold that position...
. The shopping center was unique because it was one of the nation's first retail spaces that featured a street-front parking lot. Conventional wisdom held that merchandise should be in windows closest to the street so that people could see it; the shopping center broke those rules.
By the 1950s, Silver Spring was the second busiest retail market between Baltimore and Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, with the Hecht Company, J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
, Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, and a number of other retailers. In 1954, after standing for over a century, the Blair mansion "Silver Spring" was razed and replaced with the Blair Station Post office. In 1960, Wheaton Plaza (later known as Westfield Wheaton
Westfield Wheaton
Westfield Wheaton is a two-level enclosed shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland. It is owned by The Westfield Group.-History:...
), a shopping center several miles north of downtown Silver Spring opened, and captured much of the town's business. The downtown area soon started a long period of decline.
In December 1961, a short segment of the Capital Beltway (I-495)
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
was opened to traffic between Georgia Avenue (MD 97)
Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 29 in Silver Spring, Montgomery County north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97...
and University Boulevard East (MD 193)
Maryland Route 193
Maryland Route 193 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as University Boulevard and Greenbelt Road, the state highway runs from MD 185 in Kensington east to MD 202 in Greater Upper Marlboro...
. On Monday, August 17, 1964, the final segment of the 64 miles (103 km) Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
was opened to traffic, and a ribboncutting ceremony was held near the New Hampshire Avenue interchange, with a speech by then-Gov. J. Millard Tawes
J. Millard Tawes
John Millard Tawes , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 54th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1959 to 1967. He remains the only Marylander to be elected to the three positions of State Treasurer, Comptroller, and Governor.-Early life and family:Tawes was born to...
.
Washington Metro
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
rail service into 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....
helped breathe life into the region starting in 1978 with the opening of Silver Spring station
Silver Spring (Washington Metro)
Silver Spring is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line. It is the first station in Maryland on the eastern end of the line, and is the most-used Metro station in Maryland. It is co-located with a MARC commuter rail station....
. The Metro Red Line was built following the alignment of the B&O Metropolitan Branch, with the Metro tracks centered between the B&O's eastbound and westbound mains. The Red Line heads south to downtown DC from Silver Spring, running at grade before descending into Union Station
Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...
. By the mid-1990s, the Red Line continued north from the downtown Silver Spring core, entering a tunnel just past the Silver Spring station and running underground to three more stations, Forest Glen
Forest Glen (Washington Metro)
Forest Glen is a side platformed Washington Metro station in Forest Glen, Maryland, United States. The station was opened on September 22, 1990, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority . Its opening coincided with the completion of of rail north of the Silver Spring...
, Wheaton
Wheaton (Washington Metro)
Wheaton is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line.The station serves the suburb of Wheaton, and is located at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Reedie Drive. This station features the longest set of single-span escalators in the Western Hemisphere, each...
and Glenmont
Glenmont (Washington Metro)
Glenmont is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line. This is the northeastern terminus of the Red Line.Glenmont is the only station on the Red Line to feature the six-coffer arch design. The six-coffer design is also seen on the Green Line...
.
Nevertheless, the decline continued in the 1980s, as the Hecht Company, downtown's last remaining department store, closed and opened a new store at Wheaton Plaza. Furthermore, Hecht's added a covenant forbidding another department store from renting its old spot. City Place
City Place Mall
City Place Mall, at the intersection of Fenton Street and Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, is a , five-story shopping mall that opened on April 2, 1992...
, a multi-level mall, was established in the old Hecht Company building in 1992, but it had trouble attracting quality anchor stores and gained a reputation as a budget mall, anchored by Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
and Marshalls
Marshalls
Marshalls, Inc., is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 750 conventional stores, as well as larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico. Marshalls expanded into Canada in March 2011...
, as well as now-closed anchors AMC Theaters, Gold's Gym
Gold's Gym
Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an international chain of co-ed fitness centers originally started in California by Joe Gold. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment, group exercise classes and personal trainers to assist clients...
, Steve and Barry's, and Nordstrom Rack. In the mid-1990s, developers considered building a mega-mall and entertainment complex called the American Dream (similar to the Mall of America
Mall of America
The Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...
) in downtown Silver Spring, but the revitalization plan fell through before any construction began because the developers were unable to secure funding.
Another notable occurrence in Silver Spring during the 1990s was a 1996 train collision on the Silver Spring section of the Metropolitan line. On February 16 of that year, during the Friday-evening rush hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
, a MARC commuter train bound for Washington Union Station
Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...
collided with the Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
Capitol Limited
Capitol Limited
Capitol Limited refers to three passenger train services, two of which ran between Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois:* Capitol Limited , begun in 1981* Capitol Limited , started in 1923 and ended in 1971...
train and erupted in flames on a snow-swept stretch of track in Silver Spring, leaving eleven people dead.
The Maryland State Highway Administration
Maryland State Highway Administration
The Maryland State Highway Administration is the state agency responsible for maintaining Maryland numbered highways outside of Baltimore City...
started studies of improvements to the Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
in 1993, and have continued, off and on, examining a number of alternatives (including HOV lanes
High-occupancy vehicle lane
In transportation engineering and transportation planning, a high-occupancy vehicle lane is a lane reserved for vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers...
and Express Toll Lanes) since then.
Twenty-first century
At the beginning of the 21st century, downtown Silver Spring began to see the results of redevelopment. Several city blocks near City Place Mall were completely reconstructed to accommodate a new outdoor shopping plaza called "Downtown Silver Spring." New shops included national retail chains such as Whole Foods MarketWhole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
, Borders Books & Music, a 20-screen Regal Theatres
Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group also known as REG is a movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Regal operates the largest and most geographically diverse theater circuit in the United States, consisting of 6,775 screens in 548 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia as of...
, Men's Wearhouse
Men's Wearhouse
Men's Wearhouse is a men's dress apparel retailer in the United States. The company is based in the Westchase area of Houston, Texas, and it is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange...
, Ann Taylor Loft, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Office Depot
Office Depot
Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...
, and Pier 1 Imports, as well as many restaurants, including Romano's Macaroni Grill
Romano's Macaroni Grill
Romano's Macaroni Grill is an Italian-style chain of casual dining restaurants with locations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The first restaurant was founded by Texas restaurateur Philip J. Romano in Leon Springs, Texas, on April 19, 1988. Brinker International bought the...
, Panera Bread
Panera Bread
Panera Bread is a chain of bakery–café quick casual restaurants in the United States and Canada that sells breads, sandwiches, soups, salads, and other bakery items. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.-Corporate history:In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co...
, Red Lobster
Red Lobster
Red Lobster is a U.S. chain of seafood restaurants. It also operates in Canada, the UAE and Japan . It is aimed at the mid-level "casual dining" segment of the market...
, Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery is an American-based ice cream parlor chain. The company, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is owned and operated by Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. The company's main product is premium ice cream, or ice cream made with approximately 12-14% butterfat, that is made on location and...
, Fuddruckers
Fuddruckers
Fuddruckers is an American fast casual, franchised, restaurant chain that specializes in hamburgers. In 2011 Fuddruckers had 56 company-operated restaurants and 129 franchises across the United States with one in Saskatchewan, Canada and four in Puerto Rico...
, Potbelly Sandwich Works
Potbelly Sandwich Works
Potbelly Sandwich Works is a privately held restaurant chain that sells submarine sandwiches in the United States. Its name is derived from potbelly stoves common in the late 19th century. The company is headquartered in the tower of the Merchandise Mart in the Near North Side, Chicago,...
, Baja Fresh
Baja Fresh
Baja Fresh is a chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California in 1990 and headquartered in Cypress, California. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, and each restaurant features a self-serve salsa bar....
, Nando's
Nando's
Nando's is a casual dining restaurant group originating from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates in thirty countries on five continents....
, and Chick-fil-a
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A |"fillet"]]) is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values. Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a...
. In addition to these chains, Downtown Silver Spring is home to a wide variety of family-owned restaurants representing its vast ethnic diversity. As downtown Silver Spring revived, its 160-year history was celebrated in a PBS documentary entitled Silver Spring: Story of an American Suburb, released in 2002. In 2003, Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
completed the construction of its headquarters and relocated to downtown Silver Spring from nearby Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. The same year also brought the reopening of the Silver Theatre, as AFI Silver
AFI Silver
The AFI Silver is a three-screen movie theater complex in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. in the United States of America. It plays both art-house and mainstream movies...
, under the auspices of the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
. Development continues with the opening of new office buildings, condos, stores, and restaurants, although City Place Mall continues to struggle to fill its vacancies despite the explosive growth around it. The restoration of the old B&O Passenger Station
Silver Spring Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station
The Silver Spring Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station is a historic building located at Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland. It was built in 1945 on the foundation of the original station, a Victorian-style brick structure built in 1878. It was designed in the Colonial Revival style and...
was undertaken between 2000 and 2002, as recorded in the documentary film Next Stop: Silver Spring.
Beginning in 2004, the downtown redevelopment was marketed locally with the "silver sprung" advertising campaign, which declared on buses and in print ads that Silver Spring had "sprung" and was ready for business. In June 2007, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted that downtown was "enjoying a renaissance, a result of public involvement and private investment that is turning it into an arts and entertainment center".
In 2007, the downtown Silver Spring area gained attention when an amateur photographer was prohibited from taking photographs in what appeared to be a public street. The land, leased to the Peterson Cos., a developer, for $1, was technically private property. The citizens argued that the Downtown Silver Spring development, partially built with public money, was still public property. After a protest on July 4, 2007, Peterson relented and allowed photography on their property under limited conditions. Peterson also claimed that it could revoke these rights at any time. The company further stated that other activities permitted in public spaces, such as organizing protests or distributing campaign literature, were still prohibited. In response, Montgomery County Attorney Leon Rodriguez said that the street in question, Ellsworth Drive, "constitutes a public forum" and that the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
's protection of free speech applies there. In an eight-page letter, Rodriguez wrote, "Although the courts have not definitively resolved the issue of whether the taking, as opposed to the display, of photographs is a protected expressive act, we think it is likely that a court would consider the taking of the photograph to be part of the continuum of action that leads to the display of the photograph and thus also protected by the First Amendment." The incident was part of a trend in the United States regarding the blurring of public and private spaces in developments built with both public and private funds.
In 2008, construction of the long-planned Intercounty Connector
Intercounty Connector
Maryland Route 200 , more commonly known as the Intercounty Connector or ICC, is a partially completed toll freeway under construction in Maryland which connects Gaithersburg in Montgomery County and Laurel in Prince George's County. When completed, it will reach the community of Konterra just...
(ICC), which crosses the upper reaches of Silver Spring, got under way. The highway's first section opened on February 21, 2011; the entire route is expected to be completed by 2012.
In July 2010, the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza opened in downtown Silver Spring.
Culture
Downtown Silver Spring hosts several entertainment, musical, and ethnic festivals, the most notable of which are the SilverdocsSilverdocs
AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival is an American international film festival created by the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel. It is held every year in Silver Spring, Maryland near Washington, D.C.. Started in 2003, the festival is held for eight days in June at...
documentary film festival held each June and hosted by Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
and the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
, as well as the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade (Saturday before Thanksgiving) for Montgomery County
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...
. The Silver Spring Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Festival has become the biggest event of the year drawing 20,000 people to the free festival held on the second Saturday in September. Featuring local jazz artists and a battle of high school bands, the Silver Spring Jazz Festival has featured such jazz greats as Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
, Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
and such bands as the Mingus Big Band
Mingus Big Band
The Mingus Big Band is an ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of the late Charles Mingus. It is managed by his widow, Sue Mingus and represented by Tree Lawn Artists, Inc.. In addition to its weekly Monday night appearance at the Jazz Standard in New York City,...
and the Fred Wesley
Fred Wesley
Fred Wesley is an American jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
Group.
Dining in Silver Spring is also extremely varied, including American
Cuisine of the United States
American cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from the United States of America. European colonization of the Americas yielded the introduction of a number of ingredients and cooking styles to the latter...
, African, Burmese, Ethiopian, Moroccan, Italian
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
, Mexican
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
, Salvadoran, Jamaican
Jamaican cuisine
Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavors, spices and influences from the indigenous people on the island, and the Spanish, British, Africans, and Chinese who have inhabited the island. It is also influenced by the crops introduced into the island from tropical Southeast...
, Vietnamese, Lebanese
Lebanese cuisine
Lebanese cuisine includes an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten it is usually lamb on the coast and goat meat in the mountain regions...
, and fusion restaurants, as well as many national and regional chains.
Silver Spring has many churches, synagogues, temples, and other religious institutions, including the World Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
. Silver Spring serves as the primary urban area in Montgomery County and its revitalization has ushered in an eclectic mix of people and ideas, evident in the fact that the flagship high school (Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
) has no majority group with each major racial and ethnic group claiming a significant percentage.
Silver Spring hosts the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
Silver Theatre and Culture Center
AFI Silver
The AFI Silver is a three-screen movie theater complex in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. in the United States of America. It plays both art-house and mainstream movies...
, on Colesville Road. The theatre showcases American and foreign films. Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
, a cable TV and satellite programming company, has its headquarters in downtown, as well. Gandhi Brigade
Gandhi Brigade
The Gandhi Brigade is a youth voice project that was started in Silver Spring, Maryland. Inspired by the vision of Mohandas Gandhi to create local peace brigades, the project uses the media arts as a tool for connecting youth to their community and to critical issues in their world...
, a youth development media project, began in Silver Spring out of the Long Branch neighborhood. Docs in Progress
Docs in Progress
Docs in Progress is a film organization based in Washington DC which showcases works in progress by up-and-coming and established documentary filmmakers.- History :...
, a non-profit media arts center devoted to the promotion of documentary filmmaking is located at the "Documentary House" in downtown Silver Spring. Silver Spring Stage http://www.ssstage.org/, an all-volunteer community theater, performs in Woodmoor, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north up Colesville Road from the downtown area. Downtown Silver Spring is also home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
(NOAA), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
that includes the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
; the American Nurses Association
American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association is a professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911...
; and numerous real estate development, biotechnology, and media and communications companies.
Transportation
The major roads in Silver Spring are mostly 3-5 lane highways. The Capital BeltwayInterstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
can be accessed from Georgia Avenue (MD 97
Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 29 in Silver Spring, Montgomery County north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97...
), Colesville Road (US 29
U.S. Route 29 in Maryland
U.S. Route 29 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 29 is a major highway that emerges from Washington D.C. and runs north into eastern Montgomery County, stretching...
), and New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650
Maryland Route 650
Maryland Route 650 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as New Hampshire Avenue for most of its length, the state highway runs from Eastern Avenue at the Washington, D.C. border north to MD 108 in Etchison...
).
As of 2008, the long-planned Intercounty Connector
Intercounty Connector
Maryland Route 200 , more commonly known as the Intercounty Connector or ICC, is a partially completed toll freeway under construction in Maryland which connects Gaithersburg in Montgomery County and Laurel in Prince George's County. When completed, it will reach the community of Konterra just...
(ICC) (to be designated Maryland Route 200) toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
is under construction in the Fairland
Fairland, Maryland
Fairland is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, Fairland's boundaries are not officially defined...
area of Silver Spring, and will have interchanges at Georgia Avenue, Layhill Road (MD 182
Maryland Route 182
Maryland Route 182 is a road that runs between Olney and Glenmont, Maryland. The road is first known as Dr. Bird Road for a short distance before becoming Norwood Road. When the road reaches Norwood, a right turn is required to stay on the route, which for its remainder is known as Layhill Road...
), New Hampshire Avenue, Columbia Pike (as US 29
U.S. Route 29 in Maryland
U.S. Route 29 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 29 is a major highway that emerges from Washington D.C. and runs north into eastern Montgomery County, stretching...
is known north of Lockwood Drive) and a half-interchange at Briggs Chaney Road.
Silver Spring is serviced by the Brunswick Line of the MARC Train
MARC Train
MARC , known prior to 1984 as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration , a Maryland Department of Transportation agency, and is operated under contract...
, Metrorail Red Line
Red Line (Washington Metro)
The Red Line of the Washington Metro is a rail rapid transit service operating between 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland and the District of Columbia, United States. It is a primary line through downtown Washington, and the oldest and busiest line in the system...
, Metrobus
Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)
Metrobus is a bus service operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority . Its fleet consists of 1,480 buses covering an area of in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. There are over 300 bus routes serving 12,216 stops, including 2,398 bus shelters. In fiscal year 2009,...
, Ride On
Ride On (bus)
Ride On is the primary public transportation system in Montgomery County, Maryland. Ride On serves Montgomery County as well as the community of Langley Park in Prince George's County...
, and the free VanGo. The bus terminal at the Silver Spring Rail Station
Silver Spring (Washington Metro)
Silver Spring is a Washington Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland on the Red Line. It is the first station in Maryland on the eastern end of the line, and is the most-used Metro station in Maryland. It is co-located with a MARC commuter rail station....
is the busiest in the entire Washington Metro Area, and provides connections between several transit services, including those mentioned above. This transit facility serves nearly 60,000 passengers daily. Construction commenced in October 2008 on the new $91 million Paul S Sarbanes Transit Center which will further expand the station to facilitate the growing demand for public transportation, due to the increase in population in the Silver Spring area. The new center will be a multilevel, multimodal facility which will incorporate Metrobus, Ride On, Metrorail, MARC train, intercity Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
bus, and local taxi services under one roof.
The Purple Line light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
, being studied by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)
Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. It is better known as MTA Maryland to avoid confusion with other cities' transit agencies who share the initials MTA. The MTA operates a...
is planned to service this station, if a final environmental impact statement is completed and funds are secured for it, connecting Silver Spring with Bethesda to the west and then running east to the University of Maryland-College Park and then southeast to the New Carrollton Metro station. In 2008, Gov. Martin O'Malley assigned $100 million of the state budget for planning and engineering of the Purple Line. The MTA
Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. It is better known as MTA Maryland to avoid confusion with other cities' transit agencies who share the initials MTA. The MTA operates a...
estimates the Purple Line could carry 68,000 person-trips per day. Construction is planned to begin in 2012. In addition to the Silver Spring station, the Washington Metrorail's Forest Glen station is also located in Silver Spring and the MARC train also stops at the nearby Kensington station.
Education
Silver Spring is served by a county-wide public school system, Montgomery County Public SchoolsMontgomery 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...
. Public high schools that serve the region include Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
, Albert Einstein High School
Albert Einstein High School
Albert Einstein High School, named after the German-American physicist, Albert Einstein, is a four-year high school located at 11135 Newport Mill Road, near Kensington in unincorporated Montgomery County, Maryland. The principal is James G. Fernandez, and the assistant principals are Linda Jasper,...
, Wheaton High School
Wheaton High School
Wheaton High School is an American four-year public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located in the unincorporated Wheaton/Glenmont section of Silver Spring, about 5 miles north of Washington, D.C.....
, James Hubert Blake High School
James Hubert Blake High School
James Hubert Blake High School is a secondary school located in Silver Spring, an unincorporated section of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States....
, Northwood High School
Northwood High School (Silver Spring, Maryland)
Northwood High School is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, and is part of Montgomery County Public Schools. Northwood originally opened in 1956. In 1985 it was closed in a contested decision by the Montgomery County School Board in an effort to alleviate the concentration of minorities enrolling...
, Paint Branch High School
Paint Branch High School
Paint Branch High School is a high school located in Burtonsville, an unincorporated section of Montgomery County, Maryland.It is named after the Paint Branch creek. The school was founded in 1969 and is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools System. The school lies on Old Columbia Pike,...
, John F. Kennedy High School
John F. Kennedy High School (Montgomery County, Maryland)
John F. Kennedy High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland.The school is a part of Montgomery County Public Schools.Over 1,550 students are enrolled at Kennedy...
, Springbrook High School
Springbrook High School
Springbrook High School is a public high school. It is located in Silver Spring, an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, between the Colesville and White Oak communities....
, and Bethesda Chevy Chase High School. Of the public high schools in the region, Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery Blair High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States...
is the only one within the Census Designation Place of Silver Spring. It is nationally recognized for its Communication Arts Program and its Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program, the latter of which perennially produces a large number of finalists and semi-finalists in such academic competitions as the Intel Science Talent Search
Intel Science Talent Search
The Intel Science Talent Search , known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search is a research-based science competition in the United States for high school seniors. It has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition. In his speech...
. Notable private schools in the region include The Siena School, Yeshiva of Greater Washington, Torah School of Greater Washington, and The Barrie School
The Barrie School
Barrie School, formerly the Peter Pan School, is an independent school for all grades of pre-collegiate education located in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC....
.
A portion of the Montgomery College
Montgomery College
Montgomery College is a public, open access community college located in Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. in the United States. The college has three campuses, the largest of which is in Rockville; the other campuses are in Takoma Park/Silver Spring and Germantown...
Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus is located within the Silver Spring boundary, with the rest of the campus located in Takoma Park. The community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
is Montgomery County's
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...
main institute of higher education. (The main campus is in the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Rockville
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
.) Adjacent to the White Oak neighborhood in the outer reaches of Silver Spring is the campus of the National Labor College
National Labor College
The National Labor College is the only accredited higher education institution in the United States devoted exclusively to educating union members, leaders and staff. It was established as a training center by the AFL-CIO in 1969 to strengthen union member education and organizing skills...
. Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
also has its School of Continuing Education in Silver Spring (its main campus is located nearby in 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....
).
Libraries
Silver Spring is served by at least five public libraries of which one – the Silver Spring branch of Montgomery County Public Libraries – is located in downtown Silver Spring. Four other libraries are Wheaton, Fairland, White Oak and Long Branch. The Silver Spring library, one of the most heavily used in the Montgomery County system, is being renovated, enlarged, and relocated to Wayne Ave. and Fenton St. as part of the Silver Spring redevelopment plan.Economy
Among the companies based in Silver Spring are the hotel franchisor Choice HotelsChoice Hotels
Choice Hotels International is a hospitality holding corporation which is affiliated with several hotel brands and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland...
and the media company Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
.
Sports
The Silver Spring Saints football club was formed in 1995. The club was formed when two local Catholic parishes, St. John the Baptist and St. Andrews, merged their football programs to compete in the Capital Beltway League after the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) for the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. discontinued its youth football program at the end of the 1994 season. The name "Saints" is derived from the merging of the two Catholic parishes. The club plays their home games at Mcardle field at St. Andrews's Church near Our Lady of Good Counsel High School. The Saints currently play in the Capital Beltway League.Silver Spring is also home to several MCSL swim teams, including Robin Hood, Calverton, Franklin Knolls, Daleview, Oakview, Forest Knolls, Long Branch, Stonegate, Glenwood, Rock Creek, and Northwest Branch,Stonegate, Hillandale, and West Hillandale
Silver Spring and Takoma Park together host Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts
Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts
The Silver Spring–Takoma Thunderbolts is a collegiate summer baseball team based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Most of its players are drawn from the college ranks. The team is a member of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League . The Thunderbolts play their home games at Montgomery Blair Baseball...
a college wooden-bat baseball team playing in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League is a collegiate summer baseball league located in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan areas. All players are from NCAA-sanctioned colleges and universities and have at least one year of NCAA eligibility remaining.-History:The CRCBL...
. Home games are played at Montgomery Blair Stadium.
See also
- List of famous people from Silver Spring
- Washington Metropolitan AreaWashington Metropolitan AreaThe Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...
Further reading
- McCoy, J, et al. (2003). Silver Spring Timeline. Retrieved August 6, 2003 from "Silver Spring history".
- McCoy, Jerry A. and Silver Spring Historical Society. Historic Silver Spring. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005.
Government sites
- The Silver Spring Regional Center
- M-NCPPC, Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning
- Purple Line Study (Maryland Transit Administration)
- Intercounty Connector (Maryland State Highway Administration)
- Maryland Capital Beltway Study (Maryland Department of Transportation)