North Potomac, Maryland

History

North Potomac was created in 1988 from the peripheral fringes of Gaithersburg and Rockville, and lies parallel to the Potomac River. North Potomac shares ZIP codes with Gaithersburg and Rockville. The United States Postal Service defines North Potomac to encompass only zip code 20878.

Having only been established in the late 1980s, North Potomac still maintains a burgeoning neighborhood feel and remains largely residential. Located 20 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. and flanked by Gaithersburg to the north, Rockville to the east and Potomac to the south, this neighborhood houses mainly families seeking quiet suburban life outside of the city.

Crime rates are low, as is unemployment, and neighborhood schools grade highly. All this does come at a price, however, as the cost of living in North Potomac consistently rests significantly higher than Maryland averages.

Maryland Route 124 (MD 124) begins as Quince Orchard Road at an intersection with MD 28 (Darnestown Road) adjacent to Quince Orchard High School at the southwestern corner of the city of Gaithersburg. Quince Orchard Road heads south as a county highway into North Potomac. MD 124 heads northeast as a four-lane divided highway that follows the city limit to Long Draft Road and Kentlands Boulevard; the latter street provides access to the New Urbanism community of Kentlands. The state highway veers east into the city and intersects MD 119 (Great Seneca Highway). MD 124 again follows a city limit of Gaithersburg where it veers north and becomes an undivided highway along the western edge of the National Institute of Standards and Technology campus, which occupies an unincorporated enclave within the city.

Major shopping areas include Travilah Square and Traville Gateway. Travilah Square, The Shops at Potomac Valley, for a long time the area's only shopping center, is now facing tough competition from a new breed of new urbanism lifestyle centers, which contain a multitude of retailers, from Giant Food, Safeway, CVS Pharmacy to new boutique chains. The intersection of Darnerstown Road and Quince Orchard Road is popular for its shopping. The Shops at Potomac Valley and Quince Orchard Market Place is located at this intersection. The shopping areas contain a mix of retail shops, service retail, restaurants, large surface parking lots, gas filling stations and drive through banks.

One notable business includes the Potomac Horse Center, which was founded in the late 1950s and has since become the premiere equestrian center located in the area. The center's primary feature is a riding school for children between the ages of 5 and 8 and a separate course for adults. It also puts on a variety of shows and activities throughout the year, usually adding up to about one per month. This is a great place for trail riding classes through the surrounding wooded parkland as well as therapeutic horseback riding. The center even has a summer horse camp program.

Aberdeen Park on Triple Crown Road continues the equestrian theme of North Potomac, offering not much in the way of built-up playground equipment but just a nice grassy field to take the kids to run around. The walking path between the trees also makes for a nice stroll at dusk.

North Potomac has a couple of nurseries which locals frequent quite a bit. Potomac Garden Center is great for gardening and floral needs.

In addition to the Giant Food and Safeway for groceries, neighborhood residents also head to the Gaithersburg Main Street Pavilion Farmers Market. The florist at the market is another great resource for all your flower-arranging needs. Additionally, there are four vegetable and fruit vendors there every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market is small, but it carries a lot of items. Adding on to flowers and produce, you can find meats, eggs, cosmetics, clothes, and baked goods here. Be sure to try the empanadas. Closely located is The Fulks Corner Farmers Market at the corner of Route 355 and Fulks Corner Avenue in Olde Towne, Gaithersburg.

Geography

North Potomac is located in west central Montgomery County, northeast of the Potomac River. It is conveniently located 3 miles from Gaithersburg and 20 miles from Washington, DC. The geographic location can be viewed at the Official North Potomac Map.

As an unincorporated area, North Potomac's boundaries are not officially defined. North Potomac is, however, recognized by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place, and by the United States Geological Survey as a populated place located at 39°5′50″N 77°14′3″W (39.097206, -77.234213).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the place has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17 km²), all of it land. The main artery for the area is Darnestown Road (Designated as MD 28 west of its intersection with Key West Avenue) which connects North Potomac with the other affluent communities nearby (Potomac and Bethesda) and provides access to Interstate 270 (Exit-6).

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 24,410 people, 8,040 households, and 6,867 families residing in the area. The population density was 3,522.1 people per square mile (1,360.4/km²). There were 7,002 housing units at an average density of 1,070.2/sq mi (413.4/km²). The racial makeup of the area was 56.8% White (53.3% non-Hispanic white), 5.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 33.9% Asian (18.4% Chinese, 7.4% Indian, 4.7% Korean, 0.7% Vietnamese, 0.5% Filipino, 0.3% Japanese, 1.9% "Other"), 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.8% of the population.

There were 6,924 households out of which 60.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.9% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.8% were non-families. 7.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.33 and the average family size was 3.51.

In the area, the population was spread out with 34.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the area was $156,275, and the median income for a family was $164,522. Males had a median income of $91,216 versus $79,634 for females. The per capita income for the area was $57,573. About 0.9% of families and 1.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

According to the U.S. Census conducted in 2000, 14.5% of North Potomac's residents identified themselves as being of Chinese ancestry, which was the highest in any place besides California and Hawaii.

Neighborhoods

The major neighborhoods in North Potomac include Potomac Grove, Amberlea Farm, Potomac Farm, Willows of Potomac, Potomac Glen (also known as Piney Glen Village), Stonebridge, Stoneview, Washingtonian Woods, Dufief Mill Estates, DuFief, Flints Grove, Mills Farm, Hunting Woods/Potomac Point, Lakewood Estates, Natalie Estates, Stoney Creek Estates, Potomac Chase Estates, Potomac Crossing, Potomac Edge, Potomac Mill Farm, Potomac Oaks, Potomac Preserve, Potomac Ridge, Potomac Haven Estates, Potomac Valley (Owens Glen), Quince Haven, Quince Orchard Knolls, Quince Trace, Travilah Meadows, Travilah Grove, Traville, and Westleigh.

Schools

Local schools include Stone Mill Elementary School, Travilah Elementary School, DuFief Elementary School and Wayside Elementary School. The local middle and high schools are Cabin John Middle School, Robert Frost Middle School, Herbert Hoover Middle School and Quince Orchard High School. All nearby high schools are either in Potomac, Maryland, Rockville, Maryland or Gaithersburg.

Montgomery College (MC) is a public, open access community college located in Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.. The college has three campuses, the largest of which is in Rockville.

The Universities at Shady Grove are located in North Potomac. It combines nine of Maryland's leading universities into one convenient campus location for professionally focused students.

Transportation

North Potomac, as you might expect of a predominantly residential neighborhood, is massively car dependent. The only public transportation option is Montgomery County's Ride On 56, 67 and 76 buses. A reloadable SmarTrip card is the most convenient method for frequent riders.

Cabs do not drive around this neighborhood, but Uber's service area includes the greater D.C. area and can pick you up wherever you may be.

Walking and biking are fine from a safety standpoint, but the neighborhood is quite sprawling, creating long treks to whatever you destination may be. Don't expect to encounter many bike lanes.

This leaves driving as the main option. Public parking remains widely available as space does not come at a premium in this area. Access to major road such as Interstates 270 and 370 give residents convenient access to much of Maryland, Virginia and the D.C. metro area. 6.1 miles from North Potomac is Shady Grove (WMATA station) in Gaithersburg, MD.

Nearest Airports are Washington Dulles International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.