About the Bethesda, Maryland Area 

This classy Washington suburb has a growing and well-educated population of approximately 55,277. The city has elegance, with its posh town center and superb landscaping. Home to several prominent people, it offers a safe environment, excellent job opportunities, and ample housing, as well as an abundance of first-class restaurants, shops and other amenities. Enjoy a high quality of living in this beautiful and dynamic city! 

Location
Bethesda is located in Montgomery County, in the Washington-Arlington metro area. The city is northwest of Washington D.C. and south of Rockville, MD. Montgomery County is bordered by Carroll and Howard Counties to the north, Frederick County to the northwest, Prince George’s County to the east, Washington, D.C. to the south, Loudoun County, VA to the west, and Fairfax County, VA to the southwest. 

Geography/Terrain
Encompassing a total area of 13.2 square miles, Bethesda has 13.1 square miles of land and 0.1 square miles of water. It sits at an elevation of 328 feet above sea level. Chesapeake Bay lies to the east of Bethesda, and the Potomac River and the C&O Canal National Historical Park rim the entire western edge of Montgomery County. A rich mixture of natural lands protected by national, state, and county parks surrounds the area.  

Distance to 3 Closest Major Cities
Bethesda is approximately 7 miles north of Washington, DC; 34 miles southwest of Baltimore, MD; and 106 miles northeast of Richmond VA. 

Jobs
Job opportunities are excellent in Bethesda, as well as in adjacent Washington, D.C. The headquarters of the defense conglomerate Lockheed Martin and the hotel and resort chain Marriott International are located here. Montgomery County’s major employers are: National Institutes of Health; Adventist Healthcare; Food and Drug Administration; National Naval Medical Command; Lockheed Martin; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Giant Food; Marriott International; Montgomery College; Holy Cross Hospital; and IBM.  

Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services provide 26.6% of the employment in Bethesda; educational, health and social services provide19.2%; public administration provides12.5%; and finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing provide11.4%. The unemployment rate in the city is 3.5% and there has been 1.99% increase in available jobs within the last year. The average time to commute to work is 28 minutes. The median household income in Bethesda is $119,102 and the per capita income is $67,808.

Housing
The real estate market is holding strong in Bethesda, with homes staying on the market an average of 96 days. There has been an increase in inventory and continued activity. The outer perimeter of Bethesda is known for its older houses, but there is also a wide range of prices, features and custom homes. Properties vary from small and reasonably priced to new luxurious estates. You can find a great selection of older colonials on tree-lined streets or modern luxurious condominiums and apartments. In Bethesda you can find the right home at the right price, and all conveniently located. 

Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Numerous parks and natural lands are available to Bethesda residents and visitors. Starting in the heart of downtown Bethesda, the Capital Crescent Trail begins in the downtown area of the city and follows the old tracks of the B&O Railroad for 11 miles from Georgetown to Silver Spring. It is a hard surface trail from Georgetown to Bethesda, and a temporary gravel trail from Bethesda to west Silver Spring.  

Glen Echo Park, located on the Potomac palisades, was originally a Chautauqua site, and then became an amusement park. The park now offers festivals, dance and theatre as well as a variety of arts, environmental and history programs. Within the park there is an antique, hand-painted, hand-carved Dentzel carousel that operates between May and September. 

Bordering Bethesda on the north, heavily forested Rock Creek Park is a great place to play soccer, picnic, hike, bike, rollerblade, play tennis, fish, horseback ride, or listen to a concert. Its facilities include equestrian trails; sport venues, a tennis stadium; a nature center and planetarium; an outdoor concert venue; and picnic and playground facilities. The park maintains cultural exhibits as well as being a popular venue for jogging and cycling. Cabin John Regional Park is a 551-acre park in nearby Rockville which features playgrounds, a miniature train ride; a nature center; summer concerts; six tennis courts, handball courts, an ice rink, nature trails, and picnicking. Children love the playground and the miniature train, and also enjoy the baseball, softball and the Pee Wee soccer fields.  

There is no shortage of excellent golfing possibilities in Bethesda. The Bethesda Country Club is a private facility, which hosted the LPGA Tour's Mazda Tournament in 1993. The Burning Tree Club is an exclusive men’s club, built on hilly terrain. It has been rated the 7th and 10th "Best in State", and "Golfweek" rated it 83rd among "America's 100 Best Classical Courses" in 1997. The Congressional Country Club features two incredibly scenic eighteen-hole courses, which played host to the U.S. Open in 1997 and 1964, the U.S. Senior Open in 1995, as well as the Kemper Open. It has been ranked among the "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." as well as "America's 100 Best Classical Courses". The Kenwood Golf and Country Club has narrow fairways and greens, well equipped with numerous and challenging hazards. 

Special Attractions/Events
With a good number of arts venues, galleries and special events, Bethesda is a culturally alive city. The arts and entertainment district boasts award-winning theater and independent films, an artist market and galleries showing sculpture, pottery, photography and mixed-media artwork. 

Festivities abound year round in Bethesda. In May, the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival brings together more than 100 of the nation's best artists, while visitors sample the local cuisine. In April, the Bethesda Literary Festival attracts novelists, poets, journalists and children's authors, with activities and workshops for all ages. A summer concert series showcasing local and regional musicians playing everything from jazz to rock to blues is hosted by the city on Thursday evenings and Friday afternoons during May, June and July. Additional arts performances happen regularly at Round House Theatre and Imagination Stage. 

Bethesda has an incredible collection of over 180 restaurants where you can enjoy a variety of culinary delights. The cuisine is extensive, ranging from Afghan to Vietnamese. The city boasts also two excellent farmer’s markets, the Montgomery Farm Woman's Cooperative Market and the Bethesda Farmer's Market. 

Interesting Facts/Historic Buildings and Places
One belief is that Bethesda was named after a local church, while another belief traces the name directly to the biblical place. The Bethesda Presbyterian Church was first built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850. The Church took its name from the Aramaic word found in the Bible- “beth hesda,” which means "house of mercy". 

Bethesda is home to the National Naval Medical center, also known as Bethesda Naval Hospital, where many famous Americans such as Senator Joseph McCarthy died, and the John F. Kennedy autopsy was performed.  

A very wealthy and well-educated area, Bethesda was rated as the best-educated city in the nation with a population of 50,000 or more in the year 2000. Bethesda was the filming location for the 1999 movie, "Random Hearts", and the 1993 movie, "Dave". 

Notable residents of Bethesda have included: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress and heiress; John R. Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former Secretary of State; William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist; John G.Roberts, Chief justice of the supreme court; Red Auerbach, former Boston Celtics GM and coach; Bruce Morrison, former US Congressman; Gary Clark, former Washington Redskin and Two-Time Super Bowl Champion; and Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile; John Glen, the first man to circle the earth in a space ship and the oldest person to go to space; Lisa Loeb, musician, singer-songwriter; and Richard Schiff, actor. 

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