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108-625: Before 1769 local residents petitioned the colonial government to build a chapel on the river. 39°10′33″N 77°00′20″W  /  39.175940°N 77.005533°W  / 39.175940; -77.005533 This article about a location in Montgomery County, Maryland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Maryland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County

216-498: A charter to the first Lord Baltimore , the head of the Calvert family. The county's creation was a focus of Thomas S. Wootton who, on August 31, 1776, introduced a measure to form a new county from Frederick County, Maryland to aid area residents in simplifying their business affairs. The measure passed, creating the new political entity of Montgomery County in what was then the colonial -era Province of Maryland . According to

324-653: A French population of 2,500; it was located to the west of the Ohio Country and was concentrated around Kaskaskia , Cahokia , and Sainte Genevieve . Enrico Tonti was one of the first explorers to navigate and sail the upper Great Lakes. He also sailed the Illinois and the Mississippi , to its mouth and thereupon claimed the length of the Mississippi for Louis XIV of France . He is credited with founding

432-402: A family was $ 111,737. Males had a median income of $ 71,841 versus $ 55,431 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 47,310. About 4.0% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 United States census , there were 873,058 people living in the county. The racial makeup of

540-625: A huge and distant territory. He therefore offered to sell all of Louisiana for $ 15 million. The United States completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, doubling the size of the nation. Nieuw-Nederland , or New Netherland, was a colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands chartered in 1614, in what became New York, New Jersey , and parts of other neighboring states. The peak population

648-489: A large degree of religious, political, economic, and ethnic diversity. The Dutch colony of New Netherland was taken over by the English and renamed New York. However, large numbers of Dutch remained in the colony, dominating the rural areas between New York City and Albany . Meanwhile, Yankees from New England started moving in, as did immigrants from Germany . New York City attracted a large polyglot population, including

756-476: A new life in a much richer environment. The consensus view among economic historians and economists is that the indentured servitude occurred largely as "an institutional response to a capital market imperfection," but that it "enabled prospective migrants to borrow against their future earnings in order to pay the high cost of passage to America." Between the late 1610s and the American Revolution,

864-673: A new one was issued in 1691 that combined Massachusetts and Plymouth into the Province of Massachusetts Bay . King William III sought to unite the New England colonies militarily by appointing the Earl of Bellomont to three simultaneous governorships and military command over Connecticut and Rhode Island. However, these attempts at unified control failed. The Middle Colonies consisted of the present-day states of New York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania , and Delaware and were characterized by

972-608: A public bi-county water and sewer utility in the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). In October 2020, the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed an ordinance that implemented an LGBTIQ+ bill of rights. Montgomery County is an alcoholic beverage control county. Beer and wine may also be sold in private stores. Until 1964, only three restaurants in the county had liquor licenses to serve liquor by

1080-428: A royally appointed governor. On a more local level, governmental power was invested in county courts, which were self-perpetuating (the incumbents filled any vacancies and there never were popular elections). As cash crop producers, Chesapeake plantations were heavily dependent on trade with England. With easy navigation by river, there were few towns and no cities; planters shipped directly to Britain. High death rates and

1188-495: A second group including Anne Hutchinson established a second settlement on Aquidneck Island , also known as Rhode Island. Other colonists settled to the north, mingling with adventurers and profit-oriented settlers to establish more religiously diverse colonies in New Hampshire and Maine . These small settlements were absorbed by Massachusetts when it made significant land claims in the 1640s and 1650s, but New Hampshire

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1296-425: A single point at Parr's Spring on Parr's Ridge .     Montgomery County lies within the northern portions of the humid subtropical climate . It has four distinct seasons, including hot, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 43 inches (110 cm) of rainfall. Thunderstorms are common during the summer months, and account for

1404-577: A third of the population in the 21st century is descended from the Spanish settlers. Spanish explorers sailed along the coast of present-day California starting with Cabrillo in 1542–43. From 1565 to 1815, Spanish galleons regularly arrived from Manila at Cape Mendocino , about 300 miles (480 km) north of San Francisco or farther south. Then they sailed south along the California coast to Acapulco, Mexico. Often they did not land, because of

1512-788: A variety of social and religious groups, including adventurers, farmers, indentured servants, tradesmen, and a very few from the aristocracy. Settlers included the Dutch of New Netherland , the Swedes and Finns of New Sweden , the English Quakers of the Province of Pennsylvania , the English Puritans of New England , the Virginian Cavaliers, the English Catholics and Protestant Nonconformists of

1620-483: A very young population profile characterized the colony during its first years. Randall Miller points out that "America had no titled aristocracy... although one aristocrat, Lord Thomas Fairfax, did take up residence in Virginia in 1734." Lord Fairfax (1693–1781) was a Scottish baron who came to America permanently to oversee his family's vast land holdings. Historian Arthur Schlesinger says that he "was unique among

1728-583: Is a nationally accredited U.S. law enforcement agency and acts as the enforcement arm of the courts in the county. All of its deputy sheriffs are fully certified law enforcement officials with full authority of arrest. The office was created in July 1777 and is the oldest law enforcement agency in Montgomery County. It is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland . It was nationally accredited in 1995,

1836-669: Is an important business and research center. It is the epicenter for biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic region. Montgomery County, as third largest biotechnology cluster in the U.S., holds a large cluster and companies of large corporate size within the state. Biomedical research is carried out by institutions including Johns Hopkins University 's Montgomery County Campus (JHU MCC), and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Federal government agencies in Montgomery County engaged in related work include

1944-555: Is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland . As of the 2020 census , the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat is Rockville , and Germantown is the most populous place in the county. The county is adjoined to Washington, D.C. , the nation's capital, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area and the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area . Most of

2052-586: The Mayflower . Upon their arrival, they drew up the Mayflower Compact , by which they bound themselves together as a united community, thus establishing the small Plymouth Colony . William Bradford was their main leader. After its founding, other settlers traveled from England to join the colony. The non-separatist Puritans constituted a much larger group than the Pilgrims, and they established

2160-676: The Ajacán Mission in Virginia (1570–71). The French failed at Parris Island, South Carolina (1562–63), Fort Caroline on Florida's Atlantic coast (1564–65), Saint Croix Island, Maine (1604–05), and Fort Saint Louis, Texas (1685–89). The most notable English failures were the " Lost Colony of Roanoke " (1583–90) in North Carolina and Popham Colony in Maine (1607–08). It was at the Roanoke Colony that Virginia Dare became

2268-480: The American Revolutionary War . The county's nickname of "MoCo" is derived from " Mo ntgomery Co unty", in use as early as 2001. The county's motto, adopted in 1976, is "Gardez Bien", a French phrase meaning "Watch Well". The county's motto is also the motto of its namesake's family. Prior to 1688, the first tract of land in what is now Montgomery County was granted by Charles I in

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2376-530: The Delaware River Valley from 1638 to 1655 and encompassed land in present-day Delaware , southern New Jersey , and southeastern Pennsylvania . The several hundred settlers were centered around the capital of Fort Christina , at the location of what is today the city of Wilmington, Delaware . The colony also had settlements near the present-day location of Salem, New Jersey ( Fort Nya Elfsborg ) and on Tinicum Island, Pennsylvania . The colony

2484-933: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research . Many large firms are based in the county, including Coventry Health Care , Lockheed Martin , Marriott International , Host Hotels & Resorts , Travel Channel , Ritz-Carlton , Robert Louis Johnson Companies ( RLJ Companies ), Choice Hotels , MedImmune , TV One , BAE Systems Inc. , Hughes Network Systems and GEICO . Other U.S. federal government agencies based in

2592-693: The Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 with 400 settlers. They sought to reform the Church of England by creating a new, pure church in the New World. By 1640, 20,000 had arrived ; many died soon after arrival, but the others found a healthy climate and an ample food supply. The Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies together spawned other Puritan colonies in New England, including the New Haven , Saybrook , and Connecticut colonies. During

2700-880: The Mexican–American War (1846–1848), and the Spanish–American War (1898). There were also several Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest , but Spain gave the United States all claims to the Pacific Northwest in the Adams–Onís Treaty. There were several thousand families in New Mexico and California who became American citizens in 1848, plus small numbers in the other colonies. Spain established several small outposts in Florida in

2808-794: The Mississippi River were taken over and most of the inhabitants were assimilated. In Nova Scotia , however, the British expelled the French Acadians , and many relocated to Louisiana. The two chief armed rebellions were short-lived failures in Virginia in 1676 and in New York in 1689–1691 . Some of the colonies developed legalized systems of slavery, centered largely around the Atlantic slave trade . Wars were recurrent between

2916-600: The Northern Mariana Islands ). New Spain encompassed the territory of Louisiana after the Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762) , though Louisiana reverted to France in the 1800 Third Treaty of San Ildefonso . Many territories that had been part of New Spain became part of the United States after 1776 through various wars and treaties, including the Louisiana Purchase (1803), the Adams–Onís Treaty (1819),

3024-827: The Province of Maryland was founded in part to be a haven for Roman Catholics . Several European countries attempted to found colonies in the Americas after 1500. Most of those attempts ended in failure. The colonists themselves faced high rates of death from disease, starvation, inefficient resupply, conflict with Native Americans, attacks by rival European powers, and other causes. Spain had numerous failed attempts, including San Miguel de Gualdape in South Carolina (1526), Pánfilo de Narváez 's expedition to Florida's Gulf coast (1528–36), Pensacola in West Florida (1559–61), Fort San Juan in North Carolina (1567–68), and

3132-755: The Province of Maryland , the " worthy poor " of the Province of Georgia , the Germans who settled the mid-Atlantic colonies, and the Ulster Scots of the Appalachian Mountains . These groups all became part of the United States when it gained its independence in 1776. Russian America and parts of New France and New Spain were also incorporated into the United States at later times. The diverse colonists from these various regions built colonies of distinctive social, religious, political, and economic style. Over time, non-British colonies East of

3240-680: The Revolutionary War . In the late 16th century, England , France , Spain , and the Dutch Republic launched major colonization expeditions in North America. The death rate was very high among early immigrants, and some early attempts disappeared altogether, such as the English Lost Colony of Roanoke . Nevertheless, successful colonies were established within several decades. European settlers came from

3348-563: The Seven Years' War . Florida was home to about 3,000 Spaniards at the time, and nearly all quickly left. Britain occupied Florida but did not send many settlers to the area. Dr. Andrew Turnbull 's failed colony at New Smyrna , however, resulted in hundreds of Menorcans, Greeks, and Italians settling in St. Augustine in 1777. During the American Revolution, East and West Florida were Loyalist colonies. Spain regained control of Florida in 1783 by

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3456-531: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 507 square miles (1,310 km ), of which 491 square miles (1,270 km ) is land and 16 square miles (41 km ) (3.1%) is water. Montgomery County lies entirely inside the Piedmont plateau . The topography is generally rolling. Elevations range from a low of near sea level along the Potomac River to about 875 feet in the northernmost portion of

3564-423: The indigenous peoples of California , while protecting historic Spanish claims to the area. The missions introduced European technology, livestock, and crops. The Indian Reductions converted the native peoples into groups of Mission Indians ; they worked as laborers in the missions and the ranchos. In the 1830s the missions were disbanded and the lands sold to Californios. The indigenous Native American population

3672-404: The tenth-highest median household income in the United States, and the second highest in the state after Howard County as of 2011. The median household income in 2007 was $ 89,284 and the median family income was $ 106,093. Males had a median income of $ 66,415 versus $ 52,134 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 43,073. About 3.3% of families and 4.6% of the population were below

3780-454: The 1660s, which meant that the government became a partner with merchants based in England to increase political power and private wealth. This was done to the exclusion of other empires and even other merchants in its own colonies. The government protected its London-based merchants and kept out others by trade barriers, regulations, and subsidies to domestic industries to maximize exports from

3888-556: The 16th century, Spain explored the southwest from Mexico. The first expedition was the Niza expedition in 1538. Francisco Coronado followed with a larger expedition in 1539, throughout modern New Mexico and Arizona, arriving in New Mexico in 1540. The Spanish moved north from Mexico, settling villages in the upper valley of the Rio Grande, including much of the western half of the present-day state of New Mexico. The capital of Santa Fe

3996-543: The 1783 Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. would acquire another portion of French territory with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The remainder of New France became part of Canada, with the exception of the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon . The first French colonial empire stretched to over 10,000,000 km (3,900,000 sq mi) at its peak in 1710, which was the second largest colonial empire in

4104-659: The 17th century, the New Haven and Saybrook colonies were absorbed by Connecticut. The Puritans created a deeply religious, socially tight-knit, and politically innovative culture that still influences the modern United States. They hoped that this new land would serve as a " redeemer nation ". They fled England and attempted to create a "nation of saints" or a " City upon a Hill " in America: an intensely religious, thoroughly righteous community designed to be an example for all of Europe. Economically, Puritan New England fulfilled

4212-548: The 19th century was marked by the Puerto Rican struggle for sovereignty . A census conducted in 1860 revealed a population of 583,308. Of these, 300,406 (51.5%) were white and 282,775 (48.5%) were persons of color, the latter including people of primarily African heritage, mulattos and mestizos . The majority of the population in Puerto Rico was illiterate (83.7%) and lived in poverty, and the agricultural industry—at

4320-432: The 2009–2010 season. Since the 1970s, the county has had in place a Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) zoning plan that requires developers to include affordable housing in any new residential developments that they construct in the county. The goal is to create socioeconomically mixed neighborhoods and schools so the rich and poor are not isolated in separate parts of the county. Developers who provide for more than

4428-669: The Baptist . The first European colony, Caparra , was founded on August 8, 1508, by Juan Ponce de León , a lieutenant under Columbus, who was greeted by the Taíno Cacique Agüeybaná and who later became the first governor of the island. Ponce de Leon was actively involved in the Higuey massacre of 1503 in Puerto Rico. In 1508, Sir Ponce de Leon was chosen by the Spanish Crown to lead the conquest and enslavement of

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4536-734: The Beltway and I-270 , and they assist county and city police in investigation of some major crimes. Montgomery County has a budget of $ 2.3 billion. Approximately $ 1.48 billion are invested in Montgomery County Public Schools and $ 128 million in Montgomery College . Montgomery and Prince George's counties share a bi-county planning and parks agency in the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and

4644-692: The British shipped an estimated 50,000 to 120,000 convicts to its American colonies. Alexander Hamilton (1712–1756) was a Scottish-born doctor and writer who lived and worked in Annapolis, Maryland . Leo Lemay says that his 1744 travel diary Gentleman's Progress: The Itinerarium of Dr. Alexander Hamilton is "the best single portrait of men and manners, of rural and urban life, of the wide range of society and scenery in colonial America." His diary has been widely used by scholars, and covers his travels from Maryland to Maine. Biographer Elaine Breslaw says that he encountered: The first successful English colony

4752-543: The British. By 1773, the population of Detroit was 1,400. At the end of the War for Independence in 1783, the region south of the Great Lakes formally became part of the United States. The Italian explorer Enrico Tonti , together with the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , explored the Great Lakes region. Enrico Tonti founded the first European settlement in Illinois in 1679 and in Arkansas in 1683, known as Poste de Arkansea , making him "The Father of Arkansas". The Illinois Country by 1752 had

4860-433: The Daguao and Macao rivers in 1514 and again in 1521 but each time they were easily repelled by the superior Spanish firepower. However, these would not be the last attempts at control of Puerto Rico. The European powers quickly realized the potential of the lands not yet colonized by Europeans and attempted to gain control of them. Nonetheless, Puerto Rico remained a Spanish possession until the 19th century. The last half of

4968-438: The French and the British during the French and Indian Wars . By 1760, France was defeated and its colonies were seized by Britain. On the eastern seaboard, the four distinct English regions were New England , the Middle Colonies , the Chesapeake Bay Colonies (Upper South), and the Southern Colonies (Lower South). Some historians add a fifth region of the "Frontier", which was never separately organized. The colonization of

5076-448: The Maryland Constitutional Convention, to create lower Frederick County as Montgomery County. The name, Montgomery County, along with the founding of Washington County, Maryland, after George Washington , was the first time in American history that counties and provinces in the Thirteen Colonies were not named after British referents. The name use of Montgomery and Washington County were seen as further defiance to Great Britain during

5184-430: The Peace of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War. Spain sent no more settlers or missionaries to Florida during the Second Spanish Period. The inhabitants of West Florida revolted against the Spanish in 1810 and formed the Republic of West Florida , which was quickly annexed by the United States. The United States took possession of East Florida in 1821 according to the terms of the Adams–Onís Treaty . Throughout

5292-420: The Spanish government had begun to offer asylum to slaves from British colonies, and the Spanish Crown officially proclaimed in 1693 that runaway slaves would find freedom in Florida in return for converting to Catholicism and four years of military service to the Spanish Crown. In effect, Spaniards created a maroon settlement in Florida as a front-line defense against English attacks from the north. This settlement

5400-456: The Taíno Indians for gold mining operations. The following year, the colony was abandoned in favor of a nearby island on the coast, named Puerto Rico (Rich Port), which had a suitable harbor. In 1511, a second settlement, San Germán was established in the southwestern part of the island. During the 1520s, the island took the name of Puerto Rico while the port became San Juan . As part of the colonization process, African slaves were brought to

5508-424: The U.S. purchased Alaska , and nearly all Russians abandoned the area except a few missionaries of the Russian Orthodox Church working among the natives. England made its first successful efforts at the start of the 17th century for several reasons. During this era, English proto-nationalism and national assertiveness blossomed under the threat of Spanish invasion, assisted by a degree of Protestant militarism and

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5616-451: The United States resulted in a large decline of the Native American population primarily because of newly introduced diseases . A significant percentage of the Native Americans living in the eastern region had been ravaged by disease before 1620, possibly introduced to them decades before by explorers and sailors (although no conclusive cause has been established). Mercantilism was the basic policy imposed by Britain on its colonies from

5724-407: The age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.4% were non-families, and 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.22. The median age was 38.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 93,373 and the median income for

5832-515: The coast from Lower California to Mendocino and some inland areas and recommended Monterey for settlement. The King agreed, but the settlement project was diverted to areas off Japan. No settlements were established until 1769. From 1769 until the independence of Mexico in 1820, Spain sent missionaries and soldiers to Alta California who created a series of missions operated by Franciscan priests. They also operated presidios (forts), pueblos (settlements), and ranchos (land grant ranches), along

5940-429: The colony in 1674 and renamed it New York . However the Dutch landholdings remained, and the Hudson River Valley maintained a traditional Dutch character until the 1820s. Traces of Dutch influence remain in present-day northern New Jersey and southeastern New York State, such as homes, family surnames, and the names of roads and whole towns. New Sweden ( Swedish : Nya Sverige ) was a Swedish colony that existed along

6048-462: The council are Democrats. The council meets weekly at the county seat of Rockville—the 6th Floor of the Stella B. Werner Council Office Building. The members of the County Council as of 2023 are: The most recent Republican serving on the Montgomery County Council, Howard A. Denis of District 1 (Potomac/Bethesda), lost re-election in 2006. Since then, all Council members have been Democrats. The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) provides

6156-418: The county has several U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses. The Maryland state legislature named Montgomery County after Richard Montgomery ; the county was created from lands that had at one point or another been part of Frederick County . On September 6, 1776, Thomas Sprigg Wootton from Rockville, Maryland, introduced legislation, while serving at

6264-415: The county include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring are the largest urban business hubs in

6372-404: The county north of Damascus. Relief between valley bottoms and hilltops is several hundred feet. Earthquakes are rare; the most recent one, on June 24, 2024, had a 1.8 magnitude and was centered near Spencerville, Maryland . When Montgomery County was created in 1776, its boundaries were defined as "beginning at the east side of the mouth of Rock Creek on Potomac river [sic], and running with

6480-561: The county was 65.0% white, 15.1% Black or African American, 11.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 5.0% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 11.5% of the population. There were 324,565 households, of which 35% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. Of all households, 24.4% were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who

6588-435: The county's population. Over 52,000 people of Salvadoran descent lived in Montgomery County, with Salvadoran Americans comprising approximately 32% of the county's Hispanic and Latino population. People of South American descent make up 3.8% of the county, with Peruvian Americans being the largest South American community, constituting 1.2% of the county's population. Of the 357,086 households, 35.7% had children under

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6696-430: The county's residents are affiliated with a religion . Montgomery County was named the most religiously diverse county in the United States in 2023 by the Public Religion Research Institute 's census. Counties were given a diversity index between 0 and 1, with 0 signifying no diversity, and 1 signifying complete diversity. Montgomery County earned a .886, higher than the national average of .615. Montgomery County has

6804-423: The county's residents live in Silver Spring , Bethesda , Germantown , and the incorporated cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg . The average household income in Montgomery County is the 20th-highest among U.S. counties as of 2020. The county has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate degrees . Like other counties in the Washington metropolitan area,

6912-470: The county; combined, they rival many major city cores. According to the county's comprehensive annual financial reports , the top employers by number of employees in the county are the following. "NR" indicates the employer was not ranked among the top ten employers that year. Montgomery County was granted a charter form of government in 1948. The present County Executive / County Council form of government of Montgomery County dates to November 1968 when

7020-411: The drink. The county stopped issuing liquor licenses to all other restaurants under a law that had existed since Prohibition . Colonial history of the United States The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the early 16th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States in 1776 during

7128-499: The early 16th century. The most important of these was St. Augustine , founded alongside Mission Nombre de Dios in 1565 but repeatedly attacked and burned by pirates, privateers, and English forces, and nearly all the Spanish left after the Treaty of Paris (1763) ceded Florida to Great Britain. Certain First Spanish Period structures remain today, especially those made of coquina , a limestone quarried nearby. The British attacked Spanish Florida during numerous wars. As early as 1687,

7236-530: The energy of Queen Elizabeth . At this time, however, there was no official attempt by the English government to create a colonial empire. Rather the motivation behind the founding of colonies was piecemeal and variable. Practical considerations played their parts, such as commercial enterprise , over-crowding, and the desire for freedom of religion. The main waves of settlement came in the 17th century. After 1700, most immigrants to Colonial America arrived as indentured servants , young unmarried men and women seeking

7344-481: The expectations of its founders. The Puritan economy was based on the efforts of self-supporting farmsteads that traded only for goods which they could not produce themselves, unlike the cash crop-oriented plantations of the Chesapeake region. There was a generally higher economic standing and standard of living in New England than in the Chesapeake. New England became an important mercantile and shipbuilding center, along with agriculture, fishing, and logging, serving as

7452-418: The explosion of USS Maine in Havana Harbor . The U.S. defeated Spain by the end of the year, and won control of Puerto Rico in the ensuing peace treaty. In the Foraker Act of 1900, the U.S. Congress established Puerto Rico's status as an unincorporated territory . New France was the vast area centered on the Saint Lawrence River , Great Lakes , Mississippi River , and other major tributary rivers that

7560-417: The first English child born in America; her fate is unknown. Starting in the 16th century, Spain built a colonial empire in the Americas consisting of New Spain and other vice-royalties. New Spain included territories in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, much of the United States west of the Mississippi River , parts of Latin America (including Puerto Rico), and the Spanish East Indies (including Guam and

7668-540: The first county sheriff's office in Maryland to be so. The MCSO has authorized over 165 employees consisting of sworn law enforcement officers and civilian support staff. The office is headed by the sheriff, who has been elected every four years since the 1920s. The current Sheriff is Maxwell C. Uy (D), elected in 2022. Uy is the 62nd Sheriff and the first Asian American to hold that office. Several cities including Rockville and Gaithersburg maintain their own police departments to complement MCPD. Maryland State Police patrol

7776-469: The fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. The office of the county executive was established in 1970. The first executive was James P. Gleason. The current executive is Marc Elrich, who was sworn in for his first term on December 3, 2018. The County Council is the legislative branch of Montgomery County. It has eleven members who serve four-year terms. All are elected at the same time by the voters of Montgomery County. As of January 2023, all 11 members on

7884-768: The full spectrum of policing services to the entire county. It was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland . It consists of around 1,300 sworn officers and 650 support personnel, split into 6 districts throughout the county. The department also provides assistance to other nearby departments, such as the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and the Prince George's County Police Department , if requested. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCSO)

7992-522: The goal was to enrich the mother country. The prospect of religious persecution by authorities of the crown and the Church of England prompted a significant number of colonization efforts. The Pilgrims were separatist Puritans who fled persecution in England, first to the Netherlands and ultimately to Plymouth Plantation in 1620. Over the following 20 years, people fleeing persecution from King Charles I settled most of New England . Similarly,

8100-737: The hub for trading between the southern colonies and Europe. Providence Plantation was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams on land provided by Narragansett sachem Canonicus . Williams was a Puritan who preached religious tolerance , separation of Church and State , and a complete break with the Church of England. He was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony over theological disagreements, and he and other settlers founded Providence Plantation based on an egalitarian constitution providing for majority rule "in civil things" and "liberty of conscience" in religious matters. In 1637,

8208-519: The island in 1513. Following the decline of the Taíno population, more slaves were brought to Puerto Rico; however, the number of slaves on the island paled in comparison to those in neighboring islands. Also, early in the colonization of Puerto Rico, attempts were made to wrest control of Puerto Rico from Spain. The Caribs, a raiding tribe of the Caribbean, attacked Spanish settlements along the banks of

8316-528: The largest Jewish population in the state of Maryland, accounting for 45% of Maryland Jews. According to the Berman Jewish DataBank , Montgomery County has a Jewish population of 105,400 people, around 10% of the county's population. The Washington metropolitan area , with 295,500 Jews, has become the third-largest Jewish population in the United States. As of 2020, Montgomery County is home to 776 religious congregations. Montgomery County

8424-446: The late 17th century, Virginia's export economy was largely based on tobacco, and new, richer settlers came in to take up large portions of land, build large plantations and import indentured servants and slaves. In 1676, Bacon's Rebellion occurred, but was suppressed by royal officials. After Bacon's Rebellion, African slaves rapidly replaced indentured servants as Virginia's main labor force. The colonial assembly shared power with

8532-560: The lower Delaware River Valley region derive their names from the Swedes. Russia explored the area that became Alaska, starting with the Second Kamchatka expedition in the 1730s and early 1740s. Their first settlement was founded in 1784 by Grigory Shelikhov . The Russian-American Company was formed in 1799 with the influence of Nikolay Rezanov , for the purpose of buying sea otters for their fur from native hunters. In 1867,

8640-749: The majority of the average 35 days with thunder per year. Heavy precipitation is most common in summer thunderstorms, but drought periods are more likely during these months because summer precipitation is more variable than winter. The mean annual temperature is 55 °F (13 °C). The average summer (June–July–August) afternoon maximum is about 85 °F (29 °C) while the morning minimums average 66 °F (19 °C). In winter (December–January–February), these averages are 44 °F (7 °C) and 28 °F (−2 °C). Extreme heat waves can raise readings to around and slightly above 100 °F (38 °C), and arctic blasts can drop lows to −10 °F (−23 °C) to 0 °F (−18 °C). For Rockville ,

8748-420: The minimum amount of MPDUs are rewarded with permission to increase the density of their developments, which allows them to build more housing and generate more revenue . Montgomery County was one of the first counties in the U.S. to adopt such a plan, but many other areas have since followed suit. Montgomery County is by far one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse counties in the United States; four of

8856-613: The newly independent United States stretched to the Mississippi River. The United States reached an agreement with Spain for navigation rights on the river and was content to let the "feeble" colonial power stay in control of the area. The situation changed when Napoleon forced Spain to return Louisiana to France in 1802 and threatened to close the river to American vessels. Alarmed, the United States offered to buy New Orleans. Napoleon needed funds to wage another war with Great Britain, and he doubted that France could defend such

8964-461: The only minority-majority state on the East Coast. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 971,777 people, 357,086 households, and 244,898 families living in the county. The population density was 1,978.2 inhabitants per square mile (763.8/km ). There were 375,905 housing units at an average density of 765.2 per square mile (295.4/km ). The racial makeup of the county

9072-499: The permanent comers in bearing so high a rank as baron." He was a patron of George Washington and was not disturbed during the war. The Pilgrims were a small group of Puritan separatists who felt that they needed to physically distance themselves from the Church of England . They initially moved to the Netherlands, then decided to re-establish themselves in America. The initial Pilgrim settlers sailed to North America in 1620 on

9180-507: The population. The 1689 Boston revolt was inspired by England's Glorious Revolution against James II and led to the arrest of Andros, Boston Anglicans, and senior dominion officials by the Massachusetts militia. Andros was jailed for several months, then returned to England. The Dominion of New England was dissolved and governments resumed under their earlier charters. However, the Massachusetts charter had been revoked in 1684, and

9288-486: The poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over. Of Montgomery County's residents, 14% are Catholic , 5% are Baptist , 3% are Methodist , 1% are Presbyterian , 1% are Episcopalian , 1% are part of the Latter Day Saint movement , 1% are Lutheran , 6% are of another Christian faith, 3% are Jewish , 1% follows Islam , and 1% are of an eastern faith . Overall, 41% of

9396-484: The realm and minimize imports. The government also fought smuggling, and this became a direct source of controversy with North American merchants when their normal business activities became reclassified as "smuggling" by the Navigation Acts . This included activities that had been ordinary business dealings previously, such as direct trade with the French, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese. The goal of mercantilism

9504-440: The record high is 105 °F (41 °C) in 1954, while the record low is −13 °F (−25 °C). Lower elevations in the south, such as Silver Spring , receive an average of 17.5 inches (44 cm) of snowfall per year. Higher elevations in the north, such as Damascus , receive an average of 21.3 inches (54 cm) of snowfall per year. During a particularly snowy winter, Damascus received 79 inches (200 cm) during

9612-554: The rugged, foggy coast. Spain wanted a safe harbor for galleons. They did not find San Francisco Bay , perhaps because of fog hiding the entrance. In 1585 Gali charted the coast just south of San Francisco Bay, and in 1587 Unamuno explored Monterey Bay. In 1594 Soromenho explored and was shipwrecked in Drake's Bay just north of San Francisco Bay, then went south in a small boat past Half Moon Bay and Monterey Bay. They traded with Native Americans for food. In 1602 Vizcaino charted

9720-583: The said river to the mouth of Monocacy , then with a straight line to Par's spring, from thence with the lines of the county to the beginning". The county's boundary forms a sliver of land at the far northern tip of the county that is several miles long and averages less than 200 yards wide. In fact, a single house on Lakeview Drive and its yard is sectioned by this sliver into three portions, each separately contained within Montgomery, Frederick and Howard counties. These jurisdictions and Carroll County meet at

9828-571: The settlement that would become Peoria, Illinois . French claims to French Louisiana stretched thousands of miles from modern Louisiana north to the largely unexplored Midwest , and west to the Rocky Mountains . It was generally divided into Upper and Lower Louisiana . This vast tract was first settled at Mobile and Biloxi around 1700, and continued to grow reaching 7,000 French immigrants. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Enrico Tonti founded New Orleans , and Enrico Tonti

9936-419: The southern and central coast of California. Father Junípero Serra , founded the first missions in Spanish upper Las Californias , starting with Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769. Through the Spanish and Mexican eras they eventually comprised a series of 21 missions to spread Roman Catholicism among the local Native Americans, linked by El Camino Real ("The Royal Road"). They were established to convert

10044-491: The ten most culturally diverse cities and towns in the U.S. are in Montgomery County: Gaithersburg , ranking second; Germantown , ranking third; Silver Spring , ranking fourth; and Rockville , ranking ninth. Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Silver Spring all rank as more culturally diverse than New York City , San Jose , and Oakland . Maryland overall is one of six minority-majority states, and

10152-412: The time, the main source of income—was hampered by lack of road infrastructure, adequate tools and equipment, and natural disasters, including hurricanes and droughts. The economy also suffered from increasing tariffs and taxes imposed by the Spanish Crown. Furthermore, Spain had begun to exile or jail any person who called for liberal reforms. The Spanish–American War broke out in 1898, in the aftermath of

10260-406: The voters changed the form of government from a County Commission / County Manager system, as provided in the original 1948 home rule Charter. The County Commission/County Manager system was seen as inadequate for the growing population of the county who wanted more services assistance and accountability from the government. The Montgomery County government had a surplus of $ 654   million for

10368-673: The world, after the Spanish Empire . By 1660, French fur trappers, missionaries, and military detachments based in Montreal pushed west along the Great Lakes upriver into the Pays d'en Haut and founded outposts at Green Bay , Fort de Buade and Saint Ignace (both at Michilimackinac ), Sault Sainte Marie , Vincennes , and Detroit in 1701. During the French and Indian War (1754–1763) many of these settlements became occupied by

10476-486: Was Jamestown , established May 14, 1607, near Chesapeake Bay . The business venture was financed and coordinated by the London Virginia Company , a joint-stock company looking for gold. Its first years were extremely difficult, with very high death rates from disease and starvation, wars with local Amerindians, and little gold. The colony survived and flourished by turning to tobacco as a cash crop . By

10584-542: Was 57.5% White, 17.2% Black or African American, 13.9% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 7.0% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 17.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 10.7% were German , 9.6% were Irish , 7.9% were English , 4.9% were Italian , 3.5% were Russian , 3.1% were Polish , 2.9% were American and 2% were French . People of Central American descent made up 8.1% of Montgomery County, with Salvadoran Americans constituting 5.4% of

10692-522: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.19. 25.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males. In 2000, there were 334,632 housing units at an average density of 675 per square mile (261/km ). Montgomery County has

10800-461: Was around 150,000; the Californios (Mexican era Californians) around 10,000; including immigrant Americans and other nationalities involved in trade and business in California. In September 1493, Christopher Columbus set sail on his second voyage with 17 ships from Cádiz . On November 19, 1493, he landed on the island of Puerto Rico, naming it San Juan Bautista in honor of Saint John

10908-485: Was captured by the Dutch in 1655 and merged into New Netherland , with most of the colonists remaining. Years later, the entire New Netherland colony was incorporated into England's colonial holdings. The colony of New Sweden introduced Lutheranism to America in the form of some of the continent's oldest European churches. The colonists also introduced the log cabin to America, and numerous rivers, towns, and families in

11016-400: Was centered at Fort Mose . Spain also intended to destabilize the plantation economy of the British colonies by creating a free black community to attract slaves. Notable British raids on St. Augustine were James Moore's 1702 raid and James Oglethorpe 's 1740 siege. In 1763, Spain traded Florida to Great Britain in exchange for control of Havana, Cuba , which the British had captured during

11124-563: Was eventually given a separate charter in 1679. Maine remained a part of Massachusetts until achieving statehood in 1820. Under King James II of England , the New England colonies, New York, and the Jerseys were briefly united as the Dominion of New England (1686–1689). The administration was eventually led by Governor Sir Edmund Andros and seized colonial charters, revoked land titles, and ruled without local assemblies, causing anger among

11232-521: Was explored and claimed by France starting in the early 17th century. It was composed of several colonies: Acadia , Canada , Newfoundland , Louisiana , Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island ), and Île Saint Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island ). These colonies came under British or Spanish control after the French and Indian War , though France briefly re-acquired a portion of Louisiana in 1800. The United States would gain much of New France in

11340-473: Was governor of the Louisiana Territory for the next 20 years. Settlement proceeded very slowly; New Orleans became an important port as the gateway to the Mississippi River, but there was little other economic development because the city lacked a prosperous hinterland. In 1763, Louisiana was ceded to Spain around New Orleans and west of the Mississippi River. In the 1780s, the western border of

11448-424: Was less than 10,000. The Dutch established a patroon system with feudal-like rights given to a few powerful landholders; they also established religious tolerance and free trade. The colony's capital of New Amsterdam was founded in 1625 and located at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan , which grew to become a major world city. The city was captured by the English in 1664; they took complete control of

11556-593: Was settled in 1610 and remains one of the oldest continually European-inhabited settlements in the United States. Local Indians expelled the Spanish for 12 years following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680; they returned in 1692 in the bloodless reoccupation of Santa Fe. Control was by Spain (223 years) and Mexico (25 years) until 1846, when the American Army of the West took over in the Mexican–American War . About

11664-664: Was to run trade surpluses so that gold and silver would pour into London. The government took its share through duties and taxes, with the remainder going to merchants in Britain. The government spent much of its revenue on the Royal Navy, which protected the British colonies and also threatened the colonies of the other empires, sometimes even seizing them. Thus, the British Navy captured New Amsterdam (New York) in 1664. The colonies were captive markets for British industry, and

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