Gaithersburg is located in Montgomery County just north of Washington D.C. Its humble roots began in 1765 when the area was known as Log Town, a small agricultural settlement. In 1873 the B & O Railroad came through leaving a quaint little depot right in what is now the center of old town. Before it was officially named Gaithersburg, it went through another name change and was called Forest Oak after a famous Forest Oak tree located on the property where Benjamin Gaither built his home and ultimately who Gaithersburg was named after. The city was incorporated on April 5, 1878.

Today, the Gaithersburg area boasts more than 50,000 residents, but it has never lost its small town feel or charm. This small town flavor is demonstrated by the Labor Day Parade in old town each year, the annual 4th of July fireworks display at the county fairgrounds located in Gaithersburg, the holiday lights festival held at Great Seneca State Park, and other such events throughout the year.

Although the town was more agriculturally oriented in its early days, it has grown up a bit over the past 25 years. It is located right off of Interstate 270 which is a major technology corridor in Maryland. The last stop of the “Metro Red Line,” Washington’s subway system, is in Gaithersburg so commuting into Washington is very convenient.

Geographically, Gaithersburg is centrally located in Montgomery County and is approximately 10 square miles in size. It is in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country and enjoys the four seasons with beautiful fall colors, warm (sometimes humid) summers where the ocean is about 2 ½ hours to the east. Winters are generally mild with the occasional snow storm thrown in and spring brings a plethora of beautiful azaleas, dogwoods, forsythia, rhododendrons, tulips and daffodils. Gaithersburg is a very culturally and ethnically diverse city. It is a “Character Counts” city which has adopted the Michael Josephson Institute of Ethics’ Six Pillars of Character. These include respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, trustworthiness and citizenship. These character traits are embraced by and taught in all Gaithersburg public schools where the children are encouraged to practice them. Overall Gaithersburg is a great place to raise a family.