Germantown Real Estate > Germantown Community Info

The first residents to establish a town at the crossroads of Route 118 and Clopper Road were primarily of German origin. Some came directly from Europe, while others were immigrants from the Pennsylvania Dutch country to the north. These early settlers were simple, hard-working farmers, craftsmen and merchants. When the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad was completed from Washington to Point-of-Rocks, Maryland, the community experienced a population boom.

The area also experienced a surge of growth when I-270 was built in the 1960s. Shopping centers, office buildings, a hotel, schools and a community college accompanied an explosion of home building. Germantown has never been incorporated nor had any form of city government; yet, its population grows by more than 2,000 every year.

While residents are only 30 minutes away from Washington, D.C.'s famous landmarks, there are many recreational resources in and around the Germantown area. There are two lakes in Germantown, and nearby parks include Black Hills Regional Park and Seneca Creek State Park. Local recreation programs include the Germantown Masters Swim Team, the Seneca Sports Association and the Upper Montgomery Athletic Club.

Today, you can still visit some of the remnants of Germantown's past, which remind residents of their heritage: the train station and surrounding historic district that was once Germantown Station; the log cabin on Clopper Road, which was one of the first houses in Germantown; Neelsville Presbyterian Church at the intersection of Rt. 118 and Rt. 355; and the old one-room schoolhouse on Rt. 118 next to Blackrock Road.