Photo courtesy Peerless Rockville
Rockville is a residential community as well as a commercial, office, and government center that appeals to families and professionals from all over Maryland. It is the county seat of Montgomery County and, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, has a population of 61,209, making it the third largest incorporated city in Maryland, behind Baltimore and Frederick. Conveniently located in the DC-metropolitan area, Rockville offers a wide variety of housing styles, prices, sizes, and neighborhoods from mid-rise condominiums and Victorian homes to more contemporary and traditional styles.
“Rockville grew as a resort area in the late 1800s with the era of Victorian homes. But with the market fluctuations over the last 100 years, we have seen every imaginable housing style here in Rockville,” says architect Craig Moloney of CEM Design in Rockville. “We have the Victorians, pre-war bungalows, modest post-war homes, 1960s and 1970s contemporaries, 1980s McMansions, and lately we are coming back to the neo-Victorians…realizing there are advantages to the porches, tall windows, and higher ceilings. We have come full circle,” he adds.
Rockville’s history began long ago with semi-nomadic Native Americans as early as 8000 B.C., but in the early 18th century, under pressure from European colonists, the majority of these original inhabitants had been driven away. “In 1776, Rockville was chosen as the county seat of Montgomery County, and people began to come to the area to file court papers, and the population began to grow,” says local historian Eileen McGuckian, founder of Peerless Rockville, a historic preservation organization, and author of five books on Rockville.
Like many early American settlements, the railroad came through Rockville in 1873 and “opened it up to the rest of the world,” says McGuckian. “Rockville has always had a connection to Washington, DC, but the railroad made it easier,” she continues. Many people came to Rockville to spend the summer in their “country” homes away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
By 1900, there were only 1,100 people living in Rockville and by 1960 that number increased to a little over 26,000. Today, Rockville, along with neighboring Gaithersburg and Bethesda, is at the core of the Interstate 270 Technology Corridor, which is home to numerous software and biotechnology companies as well as several federal government agencies. The city also has several upscale regional shopping malls and is one of the major retail centers in Montgomery County.
“Rockville is a suburb of Washington, DC, and it is a great place to raise a family,” says Moloney.
Jennifer K. Dansicker is the Special Projects Editor for Chesapeake Home + Living.
Contacts:
CEM Design: cemdesign.com or 301-294-0682
Peerless Rockville: peerlessrockville.org or 301-762-0096
Price Comparison of Rockville Homes
This 1951 Colonial home has five bedrooms, four full and one half baths, a total square footage of 7,065, and is situated on .44 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $1,399,000. Listing Agent: Eric Stewart/Llewellyn Realtors. (301-424-0900)*
This 2007 Colonial home has five bedrooms, five full and one half baths, a total square footage of 7,002 and is situated on 1.03 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $1,200,000. Listing Agent: Creig Northrop/The Creig Northrop Team of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. (410-531-0321)*
This 1999 Colonial home has five bedrooms, four full and one half baths, a total square footage of 4,434 and is situated on .37 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $925,000. Listing Agent: Creig Northrop/The Creig Northrop Team of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. (410-531-0321)*
*The status of the above listings was current at the time of publication.
