Rockville, MD

Covering 13 square miles, Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County and the third largest city in Maryland. It is situated four miles southeast of Gaithersburg and 15 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.

At the turn of the 19th century, just 200 people lived in the area. Rockville finally became a city in 1860, and the area soon became a suburban resort for residents of Washington, D.C. By the beginning of the 20th century, the population had increased to more than 1,000 people. Today, Rockville has a population of more than 58,000.

In 2008, Money Magazine ranked Rockville 66th in its list of the "Best Places to Live in the United States."

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Rockville has an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent, which is quite low compared with the national average.

Around 66 percent of workforce from the city work for companies, 24 percent work for the government and 7 percent are self-employed. The leading industries in Rockville are technology, health care, government, law and education.

Major employers in the Rockville area include Westat Inc., Human Genome Sciences, Booz Allen Hamilton, Wolpoff and Abramson, LLP, Lockheed Martin Information Systems, U.S. Pharmacopeia, BioReliance, and Risk Metrics Group.

There have been several efforts to market Rockville as a potential commercial district, including a renovation of the Rockville Town Center.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Rockville accommodates about 17,800 houses with an occupancy ratio 97 percent, out of which about 11,710 are owner-occupied and 5,530 are renter-occupied.

Residents and visitors need a car or some other mode of transport to get around the city, as most of the commercial and residential areas are spread out.

Rockville's neighborhoods include:

• East Rockville: A residential neighborhood located in the northeastern section of Rockville, East Rockville consists primarily of single-family homes and includes two small commercial centers, three parks and a forest preserve. Historic homes dating from the late 1800s line Baltimore Road, but the majority of houses were built beginning in the 1940s during the building boom that occurred after World War II.
• Lincoln Park: This neighborhood has an extensive history as one of the oldest African-American communities in Montgomery County, dating to the 1850s. Today, the neighborhood is primarily a single-family residential community.
• Lincoln Park: One of the great traditional neighborhoods that serves as a significant link to Rockville's past, Lincoln Park is home to an African-American community that existed during segregation. It is a low-to-moderate income neighborhood, with about 320 households. It retains the ambience of a small town within Rockville and is undergoing a revitalization effort by the city.
• Rockville Pike Corridor: In its earliest form, the Rockville Pike served as an Indian trail. After the arrival of European settlers, the trail was widened to transport tobacco. In the 1920s, the Pike became a two-lane paved road, and in 1957 it was expanded to four lanes. Today, the Pike has six lanes with adjacent retail, office and residential uses.
• Other neighborhoods include Twinbrook, Croydon Park and Woodley Gardens.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The residents of Rockville take their art seriously, and the city works hard to promote creative expression through such programs as Art in Public Places and Sculpture on the Grounds. The Glenview Mansion Art Gallery features rotating exhibits and the Student Art Exhibit showcases young artists.

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater is named after the legendary author, who was a frequent visitor to Rockville. The theater seats 446 audience members and is used for both local performances and national touring productions. The theater and social hall are also used for seminars and conferences.

The Rockville Music Festival is a multi-stage musical event that also includes the Hard Times Café Maryland State Championship Chili Cook-Off. At least 75 renowned chili cooks compete in several categories for prizes.

Preserving and performing musical works from the Victorian era is the mission of the Victorian Lyric Opera Company in Rockville. The company was founded in 1978 with a repertoire featuring many works by Gilbert and Sullivan. The company also focuses on educational programs.

The Rockville Regional Youth Orchestra is composed of 50 students in grades four through nine who are proficient in a musical instrument. The youth orchestra holds yearly auditions for new musicians, conducting weekly rehearsals and performing regularly at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater.

Art and events in Rockville also include:

• Rockville Civic Ballet
• Rockville Chorus
• Rockville Concert Band
• Sunday Afternoon Concert Series at Glenview Mansion
• Kids, Parks, & Performing Arts, a summer family series that takes place in neighborhood parks
• Out to Lunch Wednesdays, featuring food, music and a farmers market
• Concert in the Square, a Thursday evening concerts in Town Center
• Antique and Classic Car Show
• Haunted Happenings
• Hometown Holidays
• Independence Day Celebration
• Holiday Open House at the Glenview Mansion
• F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, Inc.
• Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation, Ltd.
• Rockville Art League
• Rockville Little Theatre
• Rockville Musical Theatre
• VisArts

FAMILY FUN

Outdoor activities of all kinds can be pursued at one of Rockville's parks:

• Lincoln Terrace Park
• Calvin Park
• Orchard Ridge Park
• Anderson Park
• Dawson Park
• Dogwood Park
• Silver Rock Park
• Welsh Park
• David Scul Park

SPORTS TEAMS

Besides enjoying the benefits of major league teams in nearby Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Rockville is home to:

• Maryland Nighthawks, a Premier Basketball League franchise
• Rockville Express, a member of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League and 2007 CRSCBL Champion

EDUCATION

Educational centers located in and around Rockville include the Montgomery County Campus of Johns Hopkins University and Montgomery College. Other educational institutions include:

• Omega Studios School of Applied Recording Arts and Sciences
• Maryland School of Real Estate
• Maryland Academy of Dramatic Arts and Theatre
• Berlitz Language Centers

LOCAL MEDIA

The Montgomery County Sentinel is a weekly community newspaper published in Rockville since 1855.

FUN FACTS

Notable Rockville residents include:

• Film director Spike Jonze
• F. Scott Fitzgerald, who is buried in Rockville
• College basketball player Isaiah Swann (Florida State Seminoles)
• College basketball player Levi Watkins (NC State Wolfpack)
• College basketball player Omari Isreal (Notre Dame Fighting Irish)