Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is 494.6 square miles with a population of over 920,000 people. It borders the Northwest district of Washington DC on the South with the Potomac River on the West and Frederick, Howard and Prince Georges Counties, MD on the North and East. It is convenient to Washington DC by car, bus, train and the Metrorail red line. The U.S. Naval Command, National Naval Medical Center, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health and Department of Energy are among the federal offices. A variety of Fortune 500 companies and Biotechnology companies are located in the county. As a result of zoning laws the county still maintains a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas.Strathmore Hall is a new arts center that supports the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Performing Arts Society as well as other performers and educational programs.
The county is proud of its public schools with a range of special services including extended elementary programs, family math program, theater education and on-the job training. There are three campuses for Montgomery Community College and Johns Hopkins biotechnology research facility. In addition to public education there are many private schools serving the county. The county has seven major hospitals as well as mobile medical clinics that serve senior citizens.
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission administers over 27,000 acres of parkland. There are more than 500 community, neighborhood and regional parks. The county offers amenities such as conservation centers, ice-skating rinks, golf course, arboretums, botanical gardens, lakes, gymnasiums riding rails, picnic grounds. The canal and the park that runs parallel to the Potomac River through the county offers hiking, biking, camping, rock climbing, boating in a beautiful natural setting.
The communities in Montgomery County are Bethesda, Burtonsville, Chevy Chase, Damascus, Friendship Heights, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Kensington, Montgomery Village, Olney, Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Wheaton.