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Bethesda, MD Area Guide

Bethesda draws visitors and residents with its strong atmosphere of community and history. Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda.

As an unincorporated area, Bethesda has no official boundaries. The United States Census Bureau defines a Census-Designated Place named Bethesda whose center is located at 38°59' North, 77°7' West. As of 2000, the community had a population of approximately 55,000 people.

Bethesda is one of the most affluent and highly educated locales in the country, placing first in Forbes list of America's most educated small towns and eleventh on CNNMoney.com's list of top-earning American towns. In April 2009, Forbes ranked Bethesda second on its list of "America's Most Livable Cities."

History

This beautiful city was originally located along an ancient Native American trail. The area developed after the trail was turned into a toll road between 1805 and 1820 and continued to grow. Bethesda experienced a giant leap in population growth with the addition of a streetcar line and the beginnings of suburbanization in the early 1900s.

The Second World War became the home of the Norwegian Royal Family and the expansion of the government further fed the rapid expansion of the community. Both the National Naval Medical Center (1939) and the NIH complex (1953) were built just to the north of the developing downtown. This, in turn, drew further government contractors, medical professionals, and other businesses to the area. In 1978, Bethesda saw the need for a number of parks and recreations and put forward the money to buy land for a number of the beautiful parks that exist in the area today.

Parks and Recreation

Bethesda is home to a number of parks and recreational activities for people of all ages to take part in. Check out the list below for great ideas for outdoor fun with your family and friends!

McCrillis Gardens
McCrillis Gardens offers a unique variety of decorative trees and shrubs, as well as bulbs, groundcovers and perennials add the perfect amount of color. The park also offers a pavilion and benches for visitors to sit and enjoy the view.

Ayrlawn Local Park
Ayrlawn Local Park is for the more active visitors, offering a playground, softball field, baseball field, multi-use field and two tennis courts.

Battery Lane Urban Park
Battery Lane Urban Park is a two acre park was originally the site of a fort that served to defend Washington, DC during the Civil War. Now the park offers a multi-use field and tennis court.

Please visit the Montgomery Park Directory located at the link below for more information regarding Bethesda’s parks.
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/facilities/park_directory.shtm

Events

Bethesda is home to a number of fabulous events that take place annually. Whether the community goes green by biking to work on Bike to Work Day or showing off their dogs in the Strut Your Mutt Dog Parade, everyone has an excellent time.

Bike to Work Day
Bike to Work Day encourages commuters to do their part to support increased bicycle commuting in Bethesda and around the Washington Metropolitan Area. By promoting biking as a commute option, traffic and parking congestion can be eased, thereby improving the quality of life enjoyed by the people in this region. We offer breakfast, entertainment, dynamic speakers and chances to win a bicycle and other prizes. On Friday, May 15, 2009 join hundreds of bike commuters for a celebration of clean transportation at Bethesda's 9th annual Bike to Work Day 2009.

Strut Your Mutt Dog Parade
The 4th annual Strut Your Mutt Dog Parade and Festival is set to take place on Saturday, May 16, 2009 in downtown Bethesda, MD. Organized and sponsored by the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rotary Club, past years have brought together over 5,000 participants and hundreds of dogs for a day of fun.

Back to Bethesda
Back to Bethesda is a day of viewing the area's finest display of custom, classic, antique and modified cars and trucks in addition to "How To" shops, entertainment for the whole family and much more! Held in conjunction with Taste of Bethesda, this festival acts as a fundraiser for the Children’s Inn at NIH and provides a day filled with fine food and top entertainment for the whole family.

For more events and information on the events listed below, please visit the following link: http://www.bccchamber.org/content.asp?pl=548&contentid=814