Boyds, Maryland is an unincorporated community in rural Montgomery County, Maryland, located north of Washington, DC. Its ZIP Code is 20841 and is well known for being one of the few premier horse sites in Montgomery County.

According to the United States 2000 Census, the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) for the town of Boyds covers an area of 27.54 square miles and has a population of 2,025.[2] Black Hill Regional Park, and most notably Little Seneca Lake, are part of Boyds and offer great outdoor activities for the entire family!

The community was named for Colonel James Alexander Boyd (1823–1896), a Scottish immigrant who was a construction engineer for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). He built a temporary village to house construction workers as the B&O built the Metropolitan Branch line after the Civil War. The railroad line began service in 1873. A mill, stores and other businesses were established in the area after the railroad station opened. The B&O opened a brick railroad station in 1887, and demolished it in 1927 to make way for installation of a second track. A wooden station was built as a replacement, but was later taken down.[3] Passenger train service is still provided at Boyds by the MARC system.

James Boyd established dairy farms in the area and lived in the town until his death in 1896.[4]

Boyds has until recently been a predominantly rural area. However, since the 2000 Census, there has been enormous population growth. Large, multi-thousand home developments such as “The Vistas,” near the intersection of Route 118 and Richter Farm Road, have rapidly replaced farmland and forest throughout the Germantown and Clarksburg areas bordering sections of the town.

More recently, there has been some discussion as to the exact southern boundary of Boyds. Survey maps show that the town’s southern boundary runs along Little Seneca Creek. Since the new multi-thousand home developments lie south of this creek, this means that technically these new communities are part of Germantown. In addition, these communities have long been part of Germantown’s Master Plan. So, although, the ZIP code of these new communities continues to be 20841 which is served by the Boyds post office, they are not actually part of the town of Boyds.