About the Silver Spring, Maryland/D.C. Area 

Silver Spring is one of the fastest growing suburbs and commercial centers in the D.C. area and is one of the most sought-after locations to live and work. Downtown Silver Spring has a beautiful sky-line; many high-rise office and residential buildings enhance the downtown Silver Spring landscape. Beautiful parks balance the buzzing city atmosphere. Diversity is one of Silver Spring’ outstanding characteristics as so many countries are represented in the population. It is no wonder that Silver Spring residents live a high standard of living. Silver Spring is a thriving culturally-rich city in its own right with access to all the educational, employment and cultural amenities of Washington D.C.  

Location
Silver Spring is located in Montgomery County north of Washington D.C just inside the Capital Beltway, although portions of the city are north of the Capital Beltway. Silver Spring is bordered by Washington, D.C. to the south, Prince George's County to the east, and Howard County to the north.  

The Silver Spring, Forest Glen and Wheaton Metro stations are conveniently located near Silver Spring as well as the Silver Spring Railroad Station. 

Neighboring towns include Takoma Park, Wheaton, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Langley Park, Maryland. 

Silver Spring is 7 miles from the heart of Washington D.C., 30 miles from Baltimore, Maryland, 28 miles from Annapolis, Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay and 110 miles from Bethany Beach, Delaware and many other beautiful eastern coastal beaches. 

Airports
Ronald Regan Washington Airport is located approximately 11 miles from Silver Spring in Arlington.  

Washington Dulles International Airport is located approximately 23 miles west of the DC in Loudoun and Fairfax County, Virginia.  

Baltimore-Washington International Airport is 27 miles from Silver Spring in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, near Baltimore. 

Andrews Air Force Base in located 18 miles away in Camp Springs, Maryland. 

Local public use airports in the D.C. area include South Capital Street Airport, in D.C., Montgomery County Airpark, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, College Park Airport, in College Park, Maryland, Potomac Airfield, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, and Suburban Airport in Laurel, Maryland.  

Terrain
The land area of Silver Spring is 9.4 square miles and the elevation of Silver Spring is 340 feet. 

Silver Spring is a buzzing metropolitan suburb with a retail walking district, and high-rises. Outlying Silver Spring residential areas are characterized by its diversity of housing styles and mature tree-lined residential streets.  

The Sligo Creek crosses through the communities of Silver Spring, Wheaton, Takoma Park, Chillum and Hyattsville. Sligo Creek feeds into the Potomac River and eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean via Chesapeake Bay. The Sligo Creek Stream Valley Trail has many miles of trails and an auto parkway that run along the creek in Montgomery County. 

Population and Other Data
The entire Silver Spring area population is over 250,000 people. As of the 2000 census, the downtown area of Silver Spring (not including outlying areas) was 76,500 people. 

The median family income is above state average at $60,600.

The foreign-born population is significantly above average for the state. 

Jobs
United Therapeutics Corporation and Choice Hotels International are headquartered in Silver Spring. Discovery Communications is headquartered nearby. Hospitals providing employment locally include Holy Cross Hospital and Washington Adventist Hospital. 

Silver Spring is also home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a branch of the United States Department of Commerce incorporating the National Weather Service. 

Silver Spring residents are highly educated with 82% having a high school diploma, 49% having a Bachelor's degree and 24% having a Graduate or professional degree. 

Average travel time to work is 33 minutes.

Industries providing employment include educational, health and social services at 22.0% professional, scientific, management, administrative services at 17%.

Unemployment is low in Silver Spring at 4%.

Colleges/Universities
Colleges in Silver Spring include National Labor College, Maryland College of Art and Design, Montgomery Beauty School, Yeshiva College of the Nations Capital, Aspen Beauty Academy, International Fabricare Institute, Americare School of Allied Health, Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies, and Maryland School of Dog Grooming. 

Silver Spring residents have easy access (all within 8 miles) to some of the best educational institutions in the area including (but not limited to) the University of Maryland-College Park, Catholic University of America, University of the District of Columbia, Georgetown University, Howard University, George Washington University and American University. 

Housing
The average price of a home in Montgomery County is approximately $550,000 and detached homes in Silver Spring range from $300,000 to over $3,000,000, averaging approximately $590,000. Condominiums range from the low $130’s to the high $400’s, with the average condo price in the low $300’s. The median home value is significantly above state average. 

Silver Spring has many fine neighborhoods and a variety of housing styles available including single-family home, apartments, condos, high-rise living and town homes. It is one of the many fine cities of Montgomery County with a school system that always ranks amongst the top five in the State of Maryland. 

Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and the boundaries are not officially defined. However, residents of a large portion of Montgomery County have Silver Spring mailing addresses including (but not limited to) North Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Aspen Hill, Colesville, White Oak, Kemp Mill, Hillandale, and Burtonsville. 

Historic Places of Interest
The Silver Spring Shopping Center and Silver Theatre were built in 1938. The Shopping Center was unique because it was one of the nation's first retail spaces with a street-front parking lot, a feature that was unheard of at the time. 

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring offers a year-round program of the best in American and international cinema. The building underwent rehabilitation of the historic 1938 Silver Theatre and includes one historic theatre and two new theatres. 

The Silver Spring Armory, constructed in 1911, housed Company K, 115th Infantry Regiment, Maryland National Guard, which Captain Lee commanded in World War I. A new Maryland National Guard Armory was built in 1927 on the corner of Fenton Street and Wayne Avenue. In 1998 the Maryland National Guard Armory was demolished to make way for downtown Silver Spring redevelopment.  

Silver Spring’s ancestors, the Lee family, started the Lee Development Company in 1920, and the Colesville Road office building remains located in Downtown Silver Spring. 

The Blair Mansion Inn has a long and colorful history. It was constructed at the end of the 19th century. The Mansion has gone through many changes from its beginning as a country estate, evolving into a top-rated destination in the Washington, DC area, best known for its interactive Mansion Mysteries Dinner Theatre.  

Interesting Facts
Silver Spring has the 2nd busiest downtown area in the State of Maryland. 

After Baltimore and Columbia, Silver Spring is the third largest city in Maryland based on population. 

Silver Spring takes its name from the spring discovered in 1840 by Francis Preston Blair, who subsequently bought much of the surrounding land. Acorn Park in the downtown area of Silver Spring is believed to be the site of the original spring. Blair's son, Montgomery Blair, who became Postmaster General under Abraham Lincoln, and represented Dred Scott before the United States Supreme Court built a house in the area, called Falkland. 

Silver Spring has become a haven for thousands of Modern Orthodox Jews --- many who are highly skilled professionals with government-related employment. 

Shopping in Silver Spring can’t be beat with the many excellent shopping centers in the city. Eclectic dining choices are a trademark in Silver Spring challenged only by neighboring Bethesda! 

Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Montgomery County Parks Department is headquartered in Silver Spring.  

Silver Spring is home to over 35 beautiful parks and many recreation centers including Quebec Terrace Park, Sligo Creek Park, Sligo Park, Northwest Branch Park, Montgomery Hills Park, Fairview Park, Long Branch Park, Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, and Jessup Blair Park. Amenities include ball fields, picnic table, playgrounds, and trails for walking, running or riding.  

Brookside Gardens is a beautiful, 50-acre park in Silver Spring, located within Wheaton Regional Park. 

Silver Spring is touts several wonderful golf courses including Silver Spring Country Club, Argyle Country Club, Hampshire Greens, Leisure World Golf Club, Northwest Park Golf Course, and Sligo Creek Golf Course. 

Special Attractions
Silver Spring is home to the American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Culture Center, on Colesville Road. The theatre showcases American and Foreign Films. 

Downtown Silver Spring hosts several musical and ethnic festivities. 

Cuisine in Silver Spring is quite eclectic and extensive including Ethiopian, Salvadorean, Vietnamese and many other ethnic restaurants. 

Silver Spring hosts the Annual Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade that travels throughout Downtown Silver Spring. 

The Round House Theatre is adjacent to the new AFI/Silver Theatre. The Round House Theatre makes the magic of theatre and the arts accessible to everyone by offering performance programs and classes for all ages. 

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