Germantown is an unincorporated city located in Montgomery County, Maryland. It has a land area of 10.9 square miles and had a population of 90,676 in 2013. Germantown straddles interstate 270 and is approximately 25-30 miles northwest of the U.S. Capital of Washington, D.C. If Germantown were incorporated it would be the second largest incorporated city in Maryland after Baltimore. Germantown has large residential, commercial, tech, recreational and civic areas.
The town received it's name in the 1800's due to a large concentration of businesses set up by German immigrants at the intersection of Liberty Mill Rd. and Clopper Rd., even though most of it's residents were of English or Scottish descent.
The Germantown “town center” is located in an area north of Germantown Rd. (rte. 118) between Middlebrook Road and I270. The town center contains shops, restaurants, the Germantown Public Library, Upcounty Regional Services Center, Black Rock Arts Center, Germantown Transit Center and Regal Germantown Stadium 14 Cinema.
There are 3 Germantown exits off of I270 which leads to Washington D.C. to the South and Frederick, MD to the North. There is a MARC train station in Germantown which leads to Washington, DC or West Virgina and Ride On shuttle bus service available at the Transit Center to Shady Grove Metro Station that is a short distance away in Gaithersburg, MD. A high percentage of Germantown residents commute to Washington, DC for their jobs by car, train or Metro.
Germantown is a well planned city and the original plan divided the area into a downtown and six town villages. Gunners Lake Village, Kingsview Village, Churchill Village, Middlebrook Village, Neelsville Village and Clopper’s Mill Village.
Germantown is home to one of the Montgomery College campuses, as well as the Germantown Holy Cross Hospital. The U.S. Department of Energy administration complex is also located in Germantown at Germantown Road and I270. Well know businesses that call Germantown home include Qiagen North America, Hughes Network Systems, Xerox, Weatherbug, Library Systems and Services, Earth Network Systems, Wabtec, and Digital Receiver Technology, Inc.
Germantown has many lakes and parks for those looking for outdoor recreation. There are several public swimming pools including a large indoor pool. The Germantown Maryland Soccerplex opened in 2000 and includes grass fields, artificial fields, a 5,200 seat soccer stadium, basketball and volleyball courts, miniature golf courses, swim center and golf driving range.
Germantown is known for having a diverse population and there are numerous styles of housing to choose from including rental apartments, condominiums, townhomes and detached single family housing. Several national hotel/motel chains have locations in Germantown as well.