Silver Spring

Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 census. Silver Spring takes its name from a mica-flecked spring discovered there in 1840 by Francis Preston Blair, who subsequently bought much of the surrounding land. As of the 2010 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau gives Silver Spring a total area of 7.92 square miles (20.5 km²), which is all land; however, the CDP contains some creeks and small ponds. This definition is a 15% reduction from the 9.4 square mile (24 km²) used in previous years. The area that has a Silver Spring mailing address is larger in area than any city in Maryland except Baltimore. The population of this area, comprising ZIP codes 20901 through 20910, was 278,170 as of the2020 census, making it the largest suburb of Washington, DC. The official Silver Spring CDP includes the following neighborhoods: Downtown Silver Spring, Woodside, Wood side Park, Lyttonsville, North Hills Sligo Park, Long Branch, Indian Spring, Goodacre Knolls, Franklin Knolls and Adelphi. Other organizations use their own slightly different definitions of Silver Spring's boundaries, such as the U-S. Geological Survey, Silver Spring Urban Planning District, and Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce.

Geography

Silver Spring is the primary city name, but also Aspen Hill are acceptable city names or spellings, Glenmont, Leisure World, Norbeck, Wheaton on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is Silver Spring, Maryland. As an unincorporated CDP, Silver Spring's boundaries are not consistently defined. As of the 2010 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau gives Silver Spring a total area of 7.92 square miles (20.5 km²), which is all land. The official Silver Spring CDP contains the following neighborhoods: Downtown, East Silver Spring, Woodside, and Woodside Park. The Postal Service in particular assigns Silver Spring mailing addresses to a large swath of eastern Montgomery County sometimes called "Greater Silver Spring" The population of this area, comprising ZIP codes 20901 through 20910, was 278,170 as of the 2020 census, making it the largest suburb of Washington, DC. Landmarks in the downtown area include the AFI Silver Theatre, the National Museum of Health and Medicine, a branch of The Fillmore, and the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Four major creeks run through Silver Spring: from west to east, they are Rock Creek, Sligo Creek, Long Branch, and Northwest Branch. Each is surrounded by parks offering hiking trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, and tennis courts. On weekends, roads are closed in the parks for bicycling and walking. The 14.5-acre (5.9 ha) Jessup Blair Park, south of downtown, has a soccer field, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a picnic area. There are similar local parks throughout the residential parts of the community. The area that has a Silver Spring Mailing address is larger in area than any city in Maryland except Baltimore.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, an estimated 81,015 people lived in Silver Spring. There were 32,114 households; their average annual income was $83,782. As of 2019, 36.5% of Silver Spring residents (29,800 people) were born outside of the United States. Of these, the most predominant foreign-born people are from El Salvador, Ethiopia, India, and China. Like much of the Washington metropolitan area, Silver Spring is home to many people of Ethiopian ancestry. For the 2010 Census the boundaries of the Silver Spring CDP were changed reducing the land area by approx. 15%. As a result, the population count for 2010 shows a 6.6% decrease, while the population density increases 11%. As of the 2010 census, there were 71,452 residents, 28,603 total households, and 15,684 families residing in the Silver spring CDP. The racial makeup of the community, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, for residents who self-identified as being members of "one race" was 45.7% White (7.8% German, 7.0% Irish, 5.7%. English), 27.8%. Black or African American (5.2% Ethiopian, 1.1% Haitian), 0.6%. American Indian and Alaska Native, 7,9% Asian (2.35% Indian, 174% Vietnamese, 132% Chinese, 0.63% Korean), 0,1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 13.2%. Hispanic or Latino residents "of any race" comprised 26.3% of the population.

History

Silver Spring has been inhabited by various indigenous peoples for 10,000 years. In 1840, Francis Preston Blair, who later helped organize the modern American Republican Party, discovered a spring flowing with chips of mica believed to be the now-dry spring visible at Acorn Park. In 1864, Confederate Army General Jubal Early occupied Silver Spring before the Battle of Fort Stevens. E. Brooke Lee is known as the father of modern Silver Spring for his visionary attitude toward developing the region. The first suburban development appeared in 1887 when Selina Wilson divided part of her farm on current-day Colesville Road (U.S. Route 29) and Brookeville Road into five- and ten-acre (20,000- and 40,000 m2) plots. In 1924, Washington trolley service on Georgia Avenue (present-day Maryland Route 97) across B&O's Metropolitan Branch was temporarily suspended so that an underpass could be built. It would be rebuilt again in 1948 with additional lanes for automobile traffic, opening the north side of Silver Spring to suburban development. In 1935, a new high school was built at Wayne Avenue and Sligo Creek, and it was renamed Montgomery Blair High School. The Silver Spring Shopping Center (built by developer Albert Small) was built over the former Small Theatre (designed by architect Albert Albert Small). Silver Spring International Middle School became a combined middle and elementary school, housing housing for elementary and middle school students. The former Silver Spring High School, built in 1924, was the first high school in Silver Spring.

Culture

Downtown Silver Spring hosts several entertainment, musical, and ethnic festivals. The Silver Spring Jazz Festival has become the biggest event of the year drawing 20,000 people to the free festival held on the second Saturday in September. Downtown Silver Spring is also home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the United States Department of Commerce that includes the National Weather Service. Silver Spring Stage, an all-volunteer community theater, performs in Woodmoor, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north up Colesville Road from the downtown area. Stevie Nicks, of the band Fleetwood Mac, has credited Silver Spring, Maryland as the inspiration for the title of his band's 1977 song "Silver Springs"Silver Spring has many churches, synagogues, temples, and other religious institutions, including the World Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The city is home to numerous real estate development, biotechnology, and media and communications companies, as well as many national and regional chains. It is the primary urban area in Montgomery County and its revitalization has ushered in an eclectic mix of people and ideas, evident in the fact that the flagship high school (Montgomery Blair High School) has no majority group with each major racial and ethnic group claiming a significant percentage of the school's students. The town is located on the Potomac River, which flows through the center of the city. It has a population of about 2.5 million.

Transportation

Silver Spring is serviced by the Brunswick Line of the MARC Train, Metrorail Red Line, Metrobus, Ride On, and the free VanGo. The bus terminal at the Silver Spring Rail Station is the busiest in the entire Washington Metro Area. The long-planned Intercounty Connector (ICC) (MD-200) toll road opened in three segments between February 2011 and November 2014. Construction commenced in October 2008 on the new $91 million Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center, which will further expand the station. The Purple Line light rail, under construction by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is planned to service this station, connecting Silver Spring with Bethesda to the west and then running east to the University of Maryland-College Park and then southeast to the New Carrollton Metro station. It is scheduled to open in 2026. The project was completed over four years behind schedule and $50 million over budget. The center opened on September 20, 2015. The Capital Beltway can be accessed from Georgia Avenue (MD 97), Colesville Road (US 29), and New Hampshire Ave (MD 650) It is also possible to get to Silver Spring from Baltimore via the Dulles International Airport, which is just a few miles away. The area is home to the National Mall, the National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Institution, and other tourist attractions. It also has a number of museums, including the National Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art.

Education

Silver Spring is served by a county-wide public school system, Montgomery County Public Schools. Private schools in the region include The Siena School, the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, and The Barrie School. Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus is located within the Silver Spring boundary. Howard University's School of Continuing Education is located in Silver Spring, with its main campus in nearby Washington, D.C. Silver Spring Library started operation in 1931 and is one of the most heavily used in the Montgomery County System. It was relocated in June 2015 to Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street as part of the Downtown Silver Spring redevelopment plan. In the middle of the 1960s it had up to 1,200 students. The student population was decreasing by the 1980s as working-class people moved from the area. In 2014 it had 485 students at all campuses; over 70% the students were of parents born abroad. In 2010 the school had 260 students. It merged into Saint Francis International, which opened in 2010; at that time all teachers had to reapply for their jobs. The community college is Montgomery County's main institute of higher education the main campus is in the county seat of Rockville. Adjacent to the White Oak neighborhood in the outer reaches of Silver Spring is the campus of the National Labor College. The city is home to several public libraries: Silver Spring Public Library, Silver Spring City Library, and Silver Spring Park Public Library. It is also home to the National Park Service.

Economy

A number of major companies and organizations are based in Silver Spring, including United Therapeutics, Urban One, and CuriosityStream. The city is also home to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the American Nurses Association. Silver Spring is a suburb of Washington, D.C. with a population of 1.3 million. The area's economy is one of the fastest growing in the country, according to the city's business and industry leaders. The town has a history of economic growth, particularly in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is home to a number of federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It also is the home of the University of Maryland, which was founded in 1776. The U.N. is based in the city, and has offices in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Maryland, and New York, New Jersey, and Washington, Pennsylvania. In 2010, the city was the fastest-growing city in the United States, with a growth rate of 7.7 percent. The economy is the second-largest in the nation, after New York City, with 7.8 percent growth. The state's economy has been the fastest in the past decade, with growth rates of 6.3 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively. In 2012, the economy was the third-fastest in the state, behind New Jersey and Maryland.

Sports

The Silver Spring Saints Youth Football Organization has been a mainstay of youth sports in the town since 1951. The name "Saints" is derived from the merging of the two Catholic parishes. The Potomac Athletic Club Rugby team has a youth rugby organization based in Silver Spring. The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts are a college wooden-bat baseball team playing in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. Silver Spring is also home to several swim teams, including Parkland, Robin Hood, Calverton, Franklin Knolls, Daleview, Oakview, Forest Knolls, Kemp Mill, Long Branch, Stonegate, Glenwood, Rock Creek, and Northwest Branch. In 2009, the Saints moved from the Capital Beltway League (CBL) to the Mid-Maryland Youth Football & Cheer League (MMYFCL) The Saints play home games at St. Bernadette's Church near Blair High School. The club was formed when two local Catholic parries, St. John the Baptist and St. Andrews, merged their football programs to compete in the Capital beltway League. In 2005, PAC Youth Rugby has tag rugby for ages 5 to 15, girls and boys and also offer introduction to tackle rugby for U13 and U15 players. In addition to introducing numerous young athletes to the sport of rugby, PAC has also won Maryland state championships across the age groups. The Saints also host Silver Spring and Takoma Park together host the Silver Spring Thunderbolting.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland = 42.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 50. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Silver Spring = 4.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 81,015 individuals with a median age of 37.4 age the population grows by 1.73% in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 10,277.18 residents per square mile of area (3,968.02/km²). There are average 2.5 people per household in the 30,808 households with an average household income of $68,133 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 5.40% of the available work force and has dropped -2.42% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 29.76%. The number of physicians in Silver Spring per 100,000 population = 563.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Silver Spring = 40.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 22.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 107. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 202. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 22.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 44, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland which are owned by the occupant = 40.75%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 49 years with median home cost = $351,250 and home appreciation of -8.94%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $12.02 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $8,183 per student. There are 14.9 students for each teacher in the school, 340 students for each Librarian and 308 students for each Counselor. 3.67% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 24.19% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 23.75% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).