Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. With a population of 90,676 as of 2013 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore, and the census-designated place of Columbia, Maryland. If Germantown were to incorporate as a city, it would become the second largest incorporated city in Maryland, after Baltimore.[2][3] Germantown is located approximately 25–30 miles (40–48 km) outside of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C., and is an important part of the Washingtonian metropolitan area.

The original plan for Germantown divided the area into a downtown and six town villages:[4] Gunners Lake Village, Kingsview Village,[5] Churchill Village, Middlebrook Village,[6] Clopper's Mill Village, and Neelsville Village. The Churchill Town Sector at the corner of Maryland Route 118 and Middlebrook Road most closely resembles the downtown, or center, of Germantown, due to the location of the Upcounty Regional Services Center, the Germantown Public Library, the Black Rock Arts Center, the Regal Germantown Stadium 14, and a pedestrian shopping that features an array of restaurants. Three exits to Interstate 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 station of the Washington Metro's Red Line.

Germantown has the assigned ZIP codes of 20874 and 20876 for delivery and 20875 for post office boxes. It is the most populous Germantown in Maryland and is the only "Germantown, Maryland" that is recognized by the United States Postal Service, although there are others: one in Anne Arundel County, one in Baltimore County, and one in Worcester County.[7]

Etymology

In the 1830s and 1840s, the central business area was focused around the intersection of Liberty Mill Road and Clopper Road. Several German immigrants set up shop at the intersection and the town became known as "German Town", even though most residents of the town were of English or Scottish descent.[8]
History
A field headquarters of the U.S. Christian Commission at Germantown in September 1863.
19th century
Early education

Germantown did not have a public school until after the end of the American Civil War. During that time, education was handled at homes. In 1868, a one-room schoolhouse was built on Maryland Route 118, near Black Rock Road, which hosted children from both Germantown and neighboring Darnestown. In 1883, a larger one-room schoolhouse was built closer to Clopper Road. Another, newer school was constructed in 1910, on what is now the site of Germantown Elementary School. This school had four rooms, with two downstairs and two upstairs, with each room housing two grade levels. After the eighth grade, the students would head via train to nearby Rockville, for further education.[9]
American Civil War

Although it avoided much of the physical destruction that ravaged other cities in the region, the American Civil War was still a cause of resentment and division among residents of Germantown. Many Germantown residents, particularly those of German ancestry, were against slavery and had sons fighting for the Union Army. In contrast, other residents of Germantown, particularly those of English ancestry, owned slaves, and even those who weren't slave-owners had sons fighting for the Confederate Army. As a result, many people in Germantown, who were once on friendly terms with each other, made an effort not to interact with each other, such as switching churches, or frequenting a store or mill miles away from the ones they would normally do business with.[10]

Late in the summer and fall of 1861, there were more than twenty thousand Union Army soldiers camped to the west of Germantown, in neighboring Darnestown and Poolesville. Occasionally, these soldiers would come to Germantown and frequent the stores there. In September 1862 and in June of 1863, several regiments of Union Army soldiers marched north on Maryland Route 355, on their way to the Battle of Antietam, and the Battle of Gettysburg, respectively. In July 1864, General Jubal Early led his army of Confederate soldiers down Maryland Route 355 to attack the Union capital of Washington, D.C. Throughout the course of the war, Confederate raiders would often come through the Germantown area. Local farmers in the Germantown area lost horses and other livestock to both Union and Confederate armies.[11]
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

On April 20, 1865, George Atzerodt, a co-conspirator in the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, was captured in Germantown. He was assigned by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate U.S. Vice President Andrew Johnson, but lost his nerve and fled Washington, D.C., on the night of the Lincoln assassination. He was captured at the farm of his cousin Hartman Richter, near what is now the site of Germantown's Northwest High School. Atzerodt was hanged on July 7, 1865 along with Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, and David Herold at Washington, D.C.'s Fort McNair.[12][13]
1910s
The Liberty Mill

The wooden structure of the Bowman Brothers Mill fell victim to a fire in 1914, but four years later, the owners were back in business again, selling the mill to the Liberty Milling Company, a brand new corporation. Augustus Selby was the first owner and manager of the new Liberty Mill, which opened in 1918. Electricity was brought into Liberty Mill and also served the homes and businesses nearby, making Germantown the first area in the northern portion of Montgomery County to receive electricity.[14]
1930s

In 1935, professional baseball player Walter Perry Johnson, who played as a pitcher for the Washington Senators (now the Minnesota Twins), purchased a farm on what is now the site of Seneca Valley High School. Used as a dairy farm, Johnson lived there with his five children and his mother, as his wife died, until his death in 1946.[15]
1940s

"Feed the Liberty Way" was used as a slogan for Liberty Mill which, with eight silos, became the second largest mill in all of Maryland, supplying flour to the United States Army during World War II. Cornmeal and animal feed were also manufactured at Liberty Mill, and a store at the mill sold specialty mixes, such as pancake and muffin mix.[16]
1950s
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission

In January 1958, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was relocated from its location in downtown Washington, D.C. to Germantown, which was considered far enough from the city to withstand a Soviet nuclear attack.[17] The facility now operates as an administration complex for the U.S. Department of Energy and headquarters for its Office of Biological and Environmental Research.
1960s
Early development and Master Plan

Marshall Davis owned a farm located where Interstate 270 and Germantown Road intersect today.[18] After Interstate 270 divided his farm in two, Davis decided to sell the last of his land to the International Development Corporation for about $1,300 per acre in 1955.[18] Fairchild-Hiller Corporation bought the land for about $4,000 per acre in 1964, and it built an industrial park on the land four years later.[18] Harry Unglesee and his family sold their farm near Hoyles Mill Road for less than $1,000 per acre in 1959.[18] Other farmers soon sold their land to developers and speculators as well.[18]

The Germantown Master Plan was adopted in 1967.[19] The plan for the 17-square-mile (44 km2) area included a dense central downtown area and less dense development surrounding it.[6] In 1974, the Montgomery County Council approved an amended plan written by the Montgomery County Planning Board.[19] The amended plan included a downtown area and six separate villages, each comprising smaller neighborhoods with schools, shopping areas, and public facilities.[6] The amended plan also included the construction of a third campus for Montgomery College near the downtown area.[6]
1970s

During the 1970s, Wernher von Braun, a German rocket scientist during World War II, worked for the aerospace company Fairchild Industries, which had offices in Germantown, as its Vice President for Engineering and Development. Von Braun worked at Fairchild Industries from July 1, 1972 until his death.

Following the end of World War II, the Liberty Mill went into disrepair, and was finally destroyed by an arsonist in 1971.[20] In 1974, the completion of a sewer line helped the development and growth of Germantown.[21]
Montgomery College

The Germantown Campus of Montgomery College opened on October 21, 1978. At the time, it consisted of two buildings, 24 employees, and 1,200 students. Enrollment had increased to five thousand students by 2003, with eighty employees across four buildings. A steel water tower modeled after the Earth can be seen from orbiting satellites in outer space. As of 2008, a forty-acre bio-technology laboratory was nearing completion.[22]
1980s
Economic growth

Since the early 1980s, Germantown has experienced rapid economic and population growth, both in the form of townhouses and single-family dwellings, and an urbanized "town center" has been built. Germantown was the fastest growing zip code in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and Maryland in 1986, and the 1980s saw a population growth of 323.3% for Germantown.[23]
2000s

In 2000, the Upcounty Regional Services Center (now the Sidney Kramer Upcounty Regional Services Center)[24] opened in Germantown, and a 16,000 square feet section of the first floor was home to the Germantown Public Library for several years.[25]

In 2000 the Maryland Soccerplex opened in Germantown. The sports complex includes nineteen natural grass fields, three artificial fields, a 5,200 seat soccer stadium with lighting and press box, eight indoor convertible basketball/volleyball courts. Two miniature golf courses, a driving range, and a swim center. The soccerplex is the current home of the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League.

In March 2001, Germantown's only movie theater, the Sony 6, located at the Germantown Commons Shopping Center, closed down as part of a closure of 112 movie theaters across the United States by Loews Cineplex, leaving Germantown without a movie theater of its own. As a result, local residents frequented a movie theater in Kentlands or one at The Rio in Gaithersburg. Over a year later, on May 3, 2002, the Hoyts Cinema 14, now the Regal Germantown Stadium 14, opened, and Germantown now had its own movie theater once again.[26][27] A DSW footwear retail store now sits on the site of the former Sony 6 theater.

In June 2002, it was announced that a Staples and Best Buy store would open at Germantown's Milestone Shopping Center later that fall. Opening later that year, the Best Buy store replaced a Homeplace store that had closed down in 2001 following that company's disbandment.[28][29]

In 2007, at a cost of 19 million dollars, the Germantown Public Library moved from the Upcounty Regional Services Center to its current location, at a separate 44,193 square foot facility at the nearby Germantown Town Center.[25]
The intersection of Maryland Route 118 and Middlebrook Road in downtown Germantown in January 2008.
2010s
A Germantown Best Buy store in October 2014, which opened in 2002.

In 2000, Germantown had a population of 55,419, according to 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.

On August 14, 2011, a 7-Eleven convenience store in downtown Germantown fell victim to a flash mob robbery, in which nearly forty people walked into the store, grabbed merchandise, and subsequently fled with the stolen goods, all without paying. The incident garnered widespread attention in the United States and internationally.[30]

On September 29, 2013, the Upcounty Regional Services Center in Germantown was renamed as the Sidney Kramer Upcounty Regional Services Center, after Sidney Kramer, the Montgomery County executive from 1986 to 1990.[24]

Holy Cross Health opened a 237,000-square-foot (22,000 m2) hospital on the campus of Montgomery College in October 2014. The 93-bed hospital is projected to eventually bring 5,000 jobs to the area.[31]
Government

The U.S. Department of Energy has its headquarters for the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in Germantown. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was moved from its location in downtown Washington, D.C. to the present-day U.S. Department of Energy building in Germantown, due to fears of a Soviet nuclear attack on the U.S. capital. At the time, Germantown was believed to be far enough from Washington, D.C. to avoid the worst effects of a nuclear strike on the city. The facility now operates as an administration complex for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Economy
A Germantown branch of the Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union in May 2014.
A Germantown Giant Food store in September 2013.
A Germantown Shoppers Food & Pharmacy in September 2013.

Library Systems & Services, Qiagen North America, Earth Network Systems Inc., Digital Receiver Technology Inc.,[32] and Hughes Network Systems have their headquarters in Germantown.[33]

Wabtec, Xerox, General Electric Aviation, WeatherBug, and Proxy Aviation Systems[34] all have offices in Germantown.
Geography
Seneca Creek State Park's Clopper Lake in October 2002.

Germantown is located approximately 428 feet above sea level, at 39°11′N 77°16′W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 10.9 sq mi (28.0 km²), of which, all but 0.039 sq mi (0.1 km2) (0.46%) of which is land.
Climate

Germantown lies within the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), with hot, humid summers, cool winters, and generous precipitation year-round. Its location above the fall line in the piedmont region gives it slightly lower temperatures than cities to the south and east such as Washington, D.C. and Silver Spring. Summers are hot and humid with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. July is the warmest month, with an average temperature of 77 °F (25.0 °C). Winters are cool but variable, with sporadic snowfall and lighter rain showers of longer duration. January is the coldest month, with an average temperature of 33.5 °F (0.8 °C). Average annual rainfall totals 40.36 in (103 cm).
[hide]Climate data for Germantown
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high, °F (°C) 78
(26) 82
(28) 89
(32) 95
(35) 96
(36) 100
(38) 105
(41) 102
(39) 99
(37) 91
(33) 85
(29) 80
(27) 105
(41)
Average high, °F (°C) 40
(4) 44
(7) 53
(12) 65
(18) 73
(23) 81
(27) 85
(29) 83
(28) 76
(24) 65
(18) 55
(13) 44
(7) 63.7
(17.5)
Average low, °F (°C) 27
(−3) 29
(−2) 36
(2) 46
(8) 55
(13) 64
(18) 69
(21) 67
(19) 60
(16) 48
(9) 39
(4) 31
(−1) 47.6
(8.7)
Record low, °F (°C) −13
(−25) −12
(−24) 5
(−15) 18
(−8) 28
(−2) 35
(2) 38
(3) 39
(4) 28
(−2) 20
(−7) 10
(−12) −1
(−18) −13
(−25)
Average precipitation, inches (mm) 2.88
(73.2) 2.81
(71.4) 3.61
(91.7) 3.22
(81.8) 4.13
(104.9) 3.49
(88.6) 3.67
(93.2) 2.90
(73.7) 3.83
(97.3) 3.29
(83.6) 3.53
(89.7) 3.00
(76.2) 40.36
(1,025.3)
Source: [35]
Demographics
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1980 9,721 —
1990 41,145 323.3%
2000 55,419 34.7%
2010 86,395 55.9%
source:[36]

As of 2013 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau, Germantown had a population of 90,676. 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 (3,096.6/km²). The racial makeup of the area was 36.3% White, 21.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 19.7% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.4% of the population.

There were 20,893 households out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the area, the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 43.0% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 3.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in Germantown was $76,061 as of a 2010 estimate by the website, City-Data.[37] 6.5% of the population and 3.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.9% are under the age of 18 and 9.9% are 65 or older.
Population by race in Germantown, Maryland (2010)
Race Population % of Total
Total 86,395 100
Caucasian 31,102 36.3
African American 18,813 21.8
Asian 17,001 19.7
Hispanic 15,879 18.4
Other 258 0.3
Two or more races 2,847 3.3
American Indian 172 0.2
[38]
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 W. 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.

Transportation

The intersection of Middlebrook Road and Ridgecrest Drive in September 2013.

Germantown is bisected by Interstate 270 and has a station on the MARC train commuter service's Brunswick Line, which operates over CSX's Metropolitan Subdivision. The station building itself, at the corner of Liberty Mill Road and Mateny Hill Road, is a copy of the original 1891 structure designed by E. Francis Baldwin for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The current building was rebuilt after it was burned down by arson in 1978.

The Montgomery County public transit bus system, Ride On, serves Germantown with approximately 20 bus routes and operates a major transit hub in Germantown, known as the Germantown Transit Center. Also, a light rail system (the Corridor Cities Transitway) is under evaluation which would, when completed, connect the terminal of the Washington Metro Red Line at Shady Grove Station near Gaithersburg to Germantown and continue on northward to Clarksburg.
Culture
Sailors from the United States Navy Band perform at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, Maryland, on August 1, 2009.
Sailors from the United States Navy Band perform at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, Maryland, on August 1, 2009.
Music

The BlackRock Center for the Arts is located in the downtown Germantown, at the Germantown Town Center. The BlackRock Center for the Arts also sponsors the Germantown Oktoberfest, an annual festival held every year in the fall, which includes various genres of music, including traditional German folk, rock and pop. The Harmony Express Men's Chorus is a 4-part a cappella men's chorus based in Germantown.
Sports

The Maryland SoccerPlex sports complex is located in Germantown. The arena now hosts the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League as well as amateur, collegiate, and regional soccer tournaments.
Media

Germantown is served by a weekly newspaper, The Gazette and a news and information website called Germantown Pulse.
Veterans

Germantown Veterans are served by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, American Legion Post 295 [1]. American Legion Post 295 sponsors Cub Scout Pack 436, a Venturing Crew and is establishing a Sea Scout Ship. American Legion Boys State and American Legion Baseball have been longtime programs supported by the Post.
In popular culture

Germantown is featured in several episodes of the science fiction television series, The X-Files, notably as a hotbed for biomedical engineering and research, as in reality.[39]

Germantown is featured in the 2008 video game, Fallout 3, where the town has been destroyed by a nuclear war and one of its police stations subsequently used as a mutant-run prison camp.[40]

Sam Fisher, the protagonist of the Splinter Cell video game series, lives on a farm in rural Germantown, according to the novelizations of the series.

Notable people

Walter Perry Johnson, a professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Senators, lived on a dairy farm in Germantown with his mother and children, from 1935, to his death in 1946.[15]
Danny Heater, a high school basketball player and single game scoring record holder lived in Germantown.[41]
Members of rock band, Hootie and the Blowfish, attended Seneca Valley High School.
Members of rock band, Clutch, attended and formed the band at Seneca Valley High School.
Juliet Lee, professional competitive eater.[42]
Jason Malachi, pop singer.[43]
Gavin Peretti, actor and producer.[44][45][46][better source needed]
Frank Warren, the founder of PostSecret.
Bobby Worrest, professional skateboarder.[47]

See also

Flag of Maryland.svgMaryland portal

References

"FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2014-11-17.
"Maryland Trend Report 2: State and Complete Places". Missouri Census Data Center. Missouri State Library, Missouri Secretary of State. March 8, 2011.
Burke, Garance (July 17, 2003). "Germantown Looking to Incorporate: Area Would Be County's Largest Municipality". The Washington Post. p. T03.
Perez-Rivas, Manuel (October 6, 1996). "A Community In Progress; Fast-Growing Germantown Stands Apart in Montgomery". The Washington Post. p. A01.
Meyer, Eugene L. (December 26, 1987). "Antigrowth Battle Forges Germantown Identity:". The Washington Post. p. B1.
Bonner, Alice (January 9, 1974). "Revision Approved Of Germantown Plan: 'New Town' Plan Change Is Approved". The Washington Post. p. C1.
"Geographic Names Information System (GNIS): Germantown, Maryland". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "The crossroads became known as "German town" because of the heavy German accents of these people. The name has stuck even though a majority of the land-owners in the area were of English or Scottish descent."
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "There was no public school in Germantown until after the Civil War. Before that time school was held in people's homes. In 1868 there was a one-room school on built on Rt. 118 near Blackrock Road that served the children of both Germantown and Darnestown. In 1883 a larger one-room school was built closer to Clopper Road to teach the children of Germantown. Another new school was built in 1910 on the present site of Germantown Elementary school. This school had four rooms--two downstairs and two upstairs--each room housing two grades. After eighth grade the children rode the train to attend high-school in Rockville."
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "The Civil War took a terrible toll on Germantown, not because there was any actual fighting here, but because of the animosities between neighbors that it created. Many of the families of German descent were against slavery and had sons fighting in the Union army. Many of the families of English descent owned slaves and even many who didn't had sons fighting in the Confederate army. Many people who had formerly been friendly went out of their way to not have to deal with each other, some changing churches, or going to a mill or store miles distant from the one they usually used."
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "In the late summer and fall of 1861 there were more than 20,000 Union soldiers camped to the west of Germantown in the Darnestown and Poolesville areas. Sometimes these soldiers would come to the stores in Germantown. In September, 1862, and June, 1863, many regiments of Union soldiers marched north on Rt. 355 on their way to the Battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. In July, 1864, Gen. Jubal Early led his Confederate army down Rt. 355 to attack Washington, D.C. Confederate raiders also came through the area several times during the War. Local farmers lost horses and other livestock to the armies of both sides."
Kauffman, M. (2004). American Brutus. Random House. pp. 282–284. ISBN 0-375-75974-3.
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "George Adzerodt had come to the town with his family from Prussia when he was about nine years old. When he was about 16 his father moved the family to Virginia, but George still had many friends and relatives in Germantown. He was living in Port Tobacco during the Civil War, and supplementing his meager income as a carriage painter by smuggling people across the Potomac River in a row boat. This clandestine occupation brought him into contact with John Seuratt and John Wilkes Booth and he was drawn into a plot to kidnap President Lincoln. On April 14, 1865 John Wilkes Booth gave George Adzerodt a gun and told him that he was to kill the vice president, Andrew Johnson. George panicked when he found out that Booth had shot President Lincoln and made his way to his cousin's, Hartman Richter's, house in Germantown to hide. He was discovered there by soldiers three days after the assassination and, although he had never actually committed a crime, was hanged with other conspirators on July 7."
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "Fire engulfed the old wooden structure of the Bowman Brothers Mill in 1914, but four years later they were in business again and sold the mill to a brand new corporation--the Liberty Milling Company. Augustus Selby was the first owner/manager of the new mill which opened in 1918. Electricity was brought into the mill and also served the homes and businesses nearby, making this the first area in the northern part of the county to get electricity."
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "Johnson bought his dream farm in Germantown in 1935 and lived here with his five children and his mother, his wife having passed away, until his death in 1946. His dairy farm was located where Seneca Valley High School is today. He was elected by the local people to two terms as a County Commissioner."
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. ""Feed the Liberty Way" was the slogan for the mill which, with its 8 silos, became the second largest mill in Maryland and supplied flour for the army during World War II. Cornmeal and animal feed were also made at the mill, and a mill store sold specialty mixes like pancake and muffin mix."
"Redirection Page". U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC).
Barringer, Felicity (September 19, 1977). "Once-Rural Germantown Growing Up". The Washington Post. p. A1.
"Germantown Master Plan Boasts a Time Schedule". The Washington Post. August 11, 1973. p. E21.
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "After the war the mill went into decline, and was burned by arson in 1971."
Germantown Historical Society. "Germantown's History, A Brief Overview". Germantown Historical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "The area felt a new surge of energy with the building of interstate 270 in the 1960s. For a while the old and the new mixed as employees of the Atomic Energy Commission (now the Department of Energy) came to the old Germantown store for lunch and Mr. Burdette's cows often had to be cleared from the road. When the sewer line was completed in 1974 building in Germantown began in earnest."
Coleman, Margaret (2008). Then & Now: Around Germantown. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7385-5416-7. Retrieved March 8, 2013. "Montgomery College, Germantown Campus, opened October 21, 1978, with two buildings, 1,200 students, and a faculty of 24. A steel water towel modeled Planet Earth as seen from a satellite. By 2003, enrollment was 5,000 with 80 faculty members in four buildings. A 40-acre biotechnology laboratory is nearing competition in 2008."
Meyer, Eugene L. (March 17, 1987). "Germantown: Zip Code Seeking Identity; Montgomery Community's Dream Is Sidetracked by Economics". The Washington Post. p. A1.
Carignan, Sylvia (September 30, 2013). "Germantown center renamed for former county executive: Ceremony to be held Sept. 29". The Gazette. 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Maryland: Post-Newsweek Media, Inc. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
Coleman, Margaret (2008). Then & Now: Around Germantown. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-7385-5416-7. Retrieved March 8, 2013. "Until recent years, Germantown book lovers went to the library in Gaithersburg or patronized the weekly bookmobile. In the year 2000, the Upcounty Regional Services Center opened and the largest first-floor space became the library. In 2007, the Germantown Public Library opened at a cost of $19 million. Now library space is enlarged from 16,000 to 44,193 square feet on two levels. There are 180,000 volumes on the shelves, and 37 PCs available for public use."
Milton, Kristen (May 8, 2002). "Projectors rolling in Town Center: New multiplex opens". The Gazette. 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Maryland: Post-Newsweek Media, Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
Milton, Kristen (May 17, 2002). "Movie projectors are rolling once again in Germantown". The Gazette. 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Maryland: Post-Newsweek Media, Inc. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
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"Danny Heater". West Virginia Humanities Council. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
Hendrix, Steve (October 13, 2009). "Germantown Mom Has an Insatiable Appetite for Competition". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
Andre Taylor and Meghan Tierney (July 7, 2010). "Germantown musician performs at rock hall of fame". The Gazette. Retrieved March 10, 2013. "Malachi, 26, of Germantown, got to honor the late pop star as part of a weekend tribute to Jackson at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, from June 25 to 27."
"Gavin Peretti". IMDb. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
"Maine film festival to run gamut from Hollywood to homegrown". Portland Press Herald. June 28, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
"Rumford rejects Los Angeles actor’s request to close side streets for filming". Bangor Daily News. December 9, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2014.

"Lords of D.C.-Town". Five O'Clock Publishing. Retrieved May 8, 2012.

External links
Find more about

History of Germantown, from the Germantown Historical Society
Germantown Oktoberfest
Hybrid satellite image/street map of Germantown, from WikiMapia
Germantown at the Wayback Machine (archived August 1, 2003)
Germantown at the Wayback Machine (archived April 13, 1997)