What's the deal with "North" Potomac and "North" Bethesda? (Silver Spring: apartment, neighborhoods)

[superseiyan]

I mean Quince Orchard HS, Rio Center in Gaithersburg, exits 9/10/11 off 270 sound like GAITHERSBURG to me.

White Flint Mall, Rockville Pike after Medical Center, etc sounds like ROCKVILLE to me.

I've only "discovered" this North-designation recently as I'm looking for an apartment, and I'm surprised when I see the places that are considered potomac.

[firefightermom]

It's just a way to make their area sound more affluent than they really are. Would you rather live in Gaithersburg or North Potomac? It can make it more confusing for people not familiar from the area. I used to work across the street from White Flint Mall, and our address was Rockville. A few years later, everyone started calling it North Bethesda. But the address is still legally Rockville.

[North Beach Person]

Status of the address.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by firefightermom

It's just a way to make their area sound more affluent than they really are.

That sounds right, but it isn't. Incorporated cities have boundaries. The areas outside those boundaries are often unincorporated. To differentiate (sp?) they gave names to those areas. The area off of exit 9 is mostly within the city limits of Gaithersburg, so it wouldn't be right to call it North Potomac. However, the city limits do end at a certain place and the area beyond it is called North Potomac. They may call it that because it sounds better, but the area is not Gaithersburg.

There is a part of Gaithersburg served by the North Potomac Post Office, and the kids there often do go to schools located in North Potomac, so people might be tempted to use that name even if they are actually in Gaithersburg. These are the people you must have been referring to.

It's the same thing with North Bethesda. That area is not within the Rockville city limits even if it feels like Rockvie.

[Moth]

Its done everywhere. I lived in Park Slope in Brooklyn NY and the borders were constantly stretched- almost to the Atlantic Ocean thus renaming numerous neighborhoods that did not have quite the pedigree yet were decent places to live.

[GJHJ]

Having grown up in Montgomery County, and having spent 32 years there, I think that I can offer a thought or two on this subject. When I was growing up in the 1970s, where I lived was called Gaithersburg, even though it wasn't in the city limits. Sometime in the late 80s/early 90s, a post office was built, and we got our very own ZIP code. After that, every one started calling the area Montgomery Village. There were always signs showing the boundaries of MV, but no one ever called it that. Likewise, when I was growing up, there was no such thing as North Potomac or North Bethesda. The area at the intersection of MD Rte. 124 (Quince Orchard Rd.) and MD Rte. 28 (Darnestown Rd.) was always referred to as Gaithersburg or Darnestown. The area around the intersection of MD Rte. 355 (Rockville Pike) and Nicholson Lane was always reffered to as Rockville. While it is correct to say that neither of these locations are within the city limits of either city, they should still be referred to as Gaithersburg (or Darnestown) or Rockville. The only reason their names changed is to make the area seem more affluent, i.e. Potomac or Bethesda. In fact, I work in Germantown, and there are areas not far from the intersection of MD Rte. 118 (Germantown Rd.) and MD Rte. 117 (Clopper Rd.) that refer to their neighborhood as being in Boyds, which is yet another attempt to make them seem better than they really are.

[tonyc]

Originally Posted by GJHJ

Having grown up in Montgomery County, and having spent 32 years there, I think that I can offer a thought or two on this subject. When I was growing up in the 1970s, where I lived was called Gaithersburg, even though it wasn't in the city limits. Sometime in the late 80s/early 90s, a post office was built, and we got our very own ZIP code. After that, every one started calling the area Montgomery Village. There were always signs showing the boundaries of MV, but no one ever called it that. Likewise, when I was growing up, there was no such thing as North Potomac or North Bethesda. The area at the intersection of MD Rte. 124 (Quince Orchard Rd.) and MD Rte. 28 (Darnestown Rd.) was always referred to as Gaithersburg or Darnestown. The area around the intersection of MD Rte. 355 (Rockville Pike) and Nicholson Lane was always reffered to as Rockville. While it is correct to say that neither of these locations are within the city limits of either city, they should still be referred to as Gaithersburg (or Darnestown) or Rockville. The only reason their names changed is to make the area seem more affluent, i.e. Potomac or Bethesda. In fact, I work in Germantown, and there are areas not far from the intersection of MD Rte. 118 (Germantown Rd.) and MD Rte. 117 (Clopper Rd.) that refer to their neighborhood as being in Boyds, which is yet another attempt to make them seem better than they really are.

lol..I have a friend living in Boyds, and it takes 2 or 3 minutes to get from that intersection to his house, depending on which car I'm driving. So I know exactly where're talking about....a few years ago, wasn't all there known as Gaithersburg or Germantown...

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by GJHJ

Having grown up in Montgomery County, and having spent 32 years there, I think that I can offer a thought or two on this subject. When I was growing up in the 1970s, where I lived was called Gaithersburg, even though it wasn't in the city limits. Sometime in the late 80s/early 90s, a post office was built, and we got our very own ZIP code. After that, every one started calling the area Montgomery Village. There were always signs showing the boundaries of MV, but no one ever called it that. Likewise, when I was growing up, there was no such thing as North Potomac or North Bethesda. The area at the intersection of MD Rte. 124 (Quince Orchard Rd.) and MD Rte. 28 (Darnestown Rd.) was always referred to as Gaithersburg or Darnestown. The area around the intersection of MD Rte. 355 (Rockville Pike) and Nicholson Lane was always reffered to as Rockville. While it is correct to say that neither of these locations are within the city limits of either city, they should still be referred to as Gaithersburg (or Darnestown) or Rockville. The only reason their names changed is to make the area seem more affluent, i.e. Potomac or Bethesda. In fact, I work in Germantown, and there are areas not far from the intersection of MD Rte. 118 (Germantown Rd.) and MD Rte. 117 (Clopper Rd.) that refer to their neighborhood as being in Boyds, which is yet another attempt to make them seem better than they really are.

I prefer now, with the names. I don't like the practice of calling a place Gaithersburg when it isn't actually in Gaithersburg. I don't like it either when someone who lives in Gaithersburg says they are in North Potomac. It gets too confusing. I never heard of such confusing ways to refer to places until I moved to the DC area. I hate explaining, "I used to live in Alexandria, not the actual city though, just the part of Fairfax County that the Post Office calls Alexandria", or "I used to live in Fairfax County, you know, the part called Alexandria, even though it isn't actually in Alexandria, it's just called that because.....blah, blah, blah." I know that's in Virginia, but the same thing happens in Maryland with Gaithersburg, or Silver Spring, or a bunch of other places. That's why I'm glad someone named the area. It doesn't matter to me why they named it North Potomac or North Bethesda. I'm just glad they did it..

[soymabelen]

Originally Posted by GJHJ

Having grown up in Montgomery County, and having spent 32 years there, I think that I can offer a thought or two on this subject. When I was growing up in the 1970s, where I lived was called Gaithersburg, even though it wasn't in the city limits. Sometime in the late 80s/early 90s, a post office was built, and we got our very own ZIP code. After that, every one started calling the area Montgomery Village. There were always signs showing the boundaries of MV, but no one ever called it that. Likewise, when I was growing up, there was no such thing as North Potomac or North Bethesda. The area at the intersection of MD Rte. 124 (Quince Orchard Rd.) and MD Rte. 28 (Darnestown Rd.) was always referred to as Gaithersburg or Darnestown. The area around the intersection of MD Rte. 355 (Rockville Pike) and Nicholson Lane was always reffered to as Rockville. While it is correct to say that neither of these locations are within the city limits of either city, they should still be referred to as Gaithersburg (or Darnestown) or Rockville. The only reason their names changed is to make the area seem more affluent, i.e. Potomac or Bethesda. In fact, I work in Germantown, and there are areas not far from the intersection of MD Rte. 118 (Germantown Rd.) and MD Rte. 117 (Clopper Rd.) that refer to their neighborhood as being in Boyds, which is yet another attempt to make them seem better than they really are.

I can't speak about the Gaithersburg and Rockville issues. Regarding the Germantown/Boyds distinction, this is made because technically, as far as I know, the newer parts south of 117 and west of 118 are in Boyds. They have a Boyds zip code, so this is not something people are making up, they are actually correct when they say Boyds, even if it's just across the road from Germantown.

[cpterp]

I can fully understand. I go to a church that's supposed to be in Darnestown, yet I have seen the immediate called Gaithersburg, Darnestown, and North Potomac. I experience the same thing on I-355. It's nearly impossible to tell where Rockville ends and so-called "North Bethesda" starts.

This fake expansion of borders to make neighbourhoods sound more affluent is ridiculous and uneccesary. Mont. Co. is the 8th wealthiest county in the nation, and even some questionable neighbourhoods, the poorest towns are still relatively very wealthy. It's like comparing platinum and white gold.