Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. With a population of 86,395 as of the 2010 United States Census, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore, and the census-designated place of Columbia, Maryland. Germantown is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) outside of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C., and is an important part of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.

The Churchill Town Sector at the corner of Maryland Route 118 and Middlebrook Road most closely resembles the center of Germantown, because of the location of the Up County Government Center, the library, the Black Rock Arts Center, the multiplex cinema, and the pedestrian shopping that features an array of restaurants. Three exits to I-270 are less than one mile away, the Maryland Area Regional Commuter train is within walking distance, and the Germantown Transit Center that provides Ride On shuttle service to the Shady Grove red line. The Maryland SoccerPlex sports complex is located in Germantown, and served as the former home of the Washington Freedom, of the Women’s Professional Soccer league.

Germantown has the assigned ZIP codes of 20874 and 20876.

Beginnings

In the 1830s and 1840s, the central business area was focused around the intersection of Liberty Mill Road and Clopper Road. Many of the business owners seemed to be German. Despite the fact that most of the local landowners and farmers were English, travelers remembering the accents of the shop-owners called the area Germantown, and the name stuck.

Since the early 1980s, Germantown has experienced rapid economic and population growth, both in townhouses and single-family dwellings, and an urbanized town center has been built.

At the turn of the 21st century, Germantown had a population of 55,419, as of the 2000 United States Census. Ten years later, at the time of the 2010 United States Census, Germantown had experienced a 55.9% growth in population, growing from 55,419 to 86,395. As of the census of 2010, there were 86,395 people, and 30,531 households residing in the area. The population density was 8,019 people per square mile.

Education

Public schools in Germantown are part of the Montgomery County Public Schools system.

• Elementary schools: Cedar Grove Elementary School, Clopper Mill Elementary School, Fox Chapel Elementary School, Germantown Elementary School, Great Seneca Creek Elementary School, Captain James E. Daly Jr. Elementary School, Lake Seneca Elementary School, Ronald McNair Elementary School, Sally K. Ride Elementary School, Spark Matsunaga Elementary School, S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School, Waters Landing Elementary School, and William B. Gibbs, Jr. Elementary School
• Middle schools: Kingsview Middle School, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, Neelsville Middle School, and Roberto Clemente Middle School
• High schools: Northwest High School, and Seneca Valley High School.

Montgomery College, the largest higher education institution in Montgomery County, has a campus in Germantown.