North Bethesda Maryland

Located outside the beltway, North Bethesda Maryland is a Census Designated Place, with boundaries of the beltway on the south, the city limits of Rockville to the north, Rock Creek Park to the east, and I-270 to the west.

History The entire area used to be a tobacco farm in the early 1800’s. Once the trolley car came in the early 1900’s, so did the people and the areas of Bethesda and North Bethesda grew.  Boundaries became more defined in the 70’s when Montgomery County drafted the North Bethesda Master Plan. It was mostly this “area” between Rockville and Bethesda, and until the beltway was built, the boundaries were even more fluid.

Did you know?

Most people think this is Rockville, but it’s not Rockville. Rockville is a city, with defined boundaries.  North Bethesda has a population of 50,000 and includes a dozen neighborhoods with the new-ish Pike and Rose being the “downtown.”

North Bethesda is also home to many government agencies as well as the headquarters for Lockheed Martin, Host Hotels & Resorts, and several large non-profits.

Red line Metro runs right through here from Bethesda to Rockville, with several stops in North Bethesda.

Real Estate

There is such a mix of homes here – you have everything from apartments and condos to townhomes and single family homes. Condos start in the mid $100’s for efficiency units and run to the $500’s for 2 bedrooms. Townhomes cost anywhere between the $500,000’s to $1,000,000. Single family homes can start in the low $1M range and run to $2M. Many of the townhomes and single family homes are brand new – having been torn down and rebuilt.

Food

Restaurants are found along 355 or Rockville Pike. There’s a heavy Asian food influence here with a lot of hot pot and ramen restaurants. There’s also Fogo de Chao which is Brazilian, Nando’s Peri Peri which is Peruvian and a mix of other restaurants in Pike & Rose. If you can’t satisfy your palette, there are a ton of restaurants just a mile south in Bethesda and a lot of long time local places too on Rockville Pike to the north. Off the beaten path is Tower Oaks Lodge, a Clydes local chain which has awesome décor. Secret – the canoes hanging in the back bar are filled with bras.

There’s also Farmer’s Markets – in addition to 4 farmer’s markets in Bethesda there’s the Pike Central Farm Market open 9-1:30 on Saturdays.

Grocery – Giant, Trader Joes, Balduccis, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods

Fun

Pinstripes – bowling and bocce in Pike & Rose. Strathmore is a music and arts center offering shows and programs.

Kids

Public schools here are top rated, Walter Johnson being the main high school serving North Bethesda.

There are a bunch of neighborhood parks with playgrounds – Stratton Local Park, Fleming Park, Timberlawn, Tilden Woods, Wall Local Park.

There is Little Town Children’s Museum in North Bethesda too.

Nearby in Bethesda you have YMCA, Imagination Stage – dance and theatre classes, My Gym for little kids, Glen Echo Park which offers classes and camps in arts, dance, music and there is also an aquarium, Cabin John Regional Park is one of Bethesda’s most popular parks. The park has plenty of ball parks and courts with summer-time indoor ice skating at the Cabin John Ice Rink! There’s also a great playground for kids and miles of hiking trails and a train to ride. And there’s Bowlero Bethesda with 34 bowling lanes.

Dogs

The Cabin John Park has a dog park.

Or you can head to North Bethesda to Bark Social and get a beer or coffee while your pup plays in the dog park.

There’s also a nearby dog park in Kensington as well as the trails in Rock Creek or the C & O – Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Path along the Potomac River.