Garrett Park was an early planned community, originally promoted by businessman Henry W. Copp, who purchased the land in 1886. Copp wanted to build a suburban development reminiscent of an English village, and even went so far as to name the streets after locations in the novels of the English author Walter Scott, such as Kenilworth and Strathmore. Copp worked in conjunction with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which in 1893 built a train station. Builders were given reduced rates to transport workers and materials to the town site, and new residents were given free trips to move in. The town lies along the former B&O railway corridor. It was named for John Work Garrett, who had led the B&O for nearly three decades, including the American Civil War. Copp limited commercial development in the community, and even today there is only one store in the town. Garrett Park incorporated as a town in 1898, at which time it had thirty buildings and approximately 100 residents. However, rail suburbs did not catch on, and the community stagnated as automobiles replaced commuter trains and streetcars. In the 1920s, another company built approximately 50 more houses, now including garages. Much of the town is included in the Garrett Park Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Garrett Park Elementary School, designed in 1928 by prominent local architect Howard Wright Cutler, has been designated as an historic site by the Maryland Historical Trust. In May 1982 the townspeople of Garrett Park voted 245 to 46 to ban the production, transportation, storage, processing, disposal, or use of nuclear weapons within the town. This made Garrett Park the first nuclear-weapons free zone in the United States.
Geography
Garrett Park is located at 39°2' North, 77°6' West. It is just west of Kensington, due north of Bethesda, northwest of Silver Spring, and southeast of Rockville. It is approximately halfway between Rockville and Silver Spring. Rock Creek Park is located along the town's southeast borders. Its land area is. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all of it land. Garrett Park is primarily a residential town, with a post office, and a few small businesses. The only road open to automotive traffic into or out of Garrett Park is Maryland State Highway 547. The town is served by the MARC Train Brunswick Line. The town is unusual in that residents pick up their mail at the post office in person, rather than having home delivery.
As of the census of 2010, there were 992 people, 380 households, and 277 families residing in the town. The population density was. There were 401 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 91.6% White, 1.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.5% of the population. There were 380 households, of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.1% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the town was 46.8 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.5% were from 25 to 44; 34.8% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 917 people, 347 households, and 266 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,427.8 people per square mile. There were 356 housing units at an average density of 1,330.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 91.82% White, 0.87% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 3.05% Asian, 1.53% from other races, and 2.51% from two or more races. 2.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 347 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $106,883, and the median income for a family was $126,662. Males had a median income of $96,588 versus $66,563 for females. The per capita income for the town was $50,305. None of the families and 0.8% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under 18 and 2.6% of those over 64.
Law and government
The Garrett Park Chapel was purchased by the town in 1968, and now serves as the Town Hall.
Mayor or City Executive
Recent Mayors of Garrett Park:
Nancy M. Floreen
Peter Benjamin
Carolyn Shawaker
Chris Keller
Peter Benjamin
Kacky Chantry
Council
Garrett Park has a five-member council, elected for two-year terms.
The Washington Japanese Language School, a supplementary weekend Japanese school, has its school office at Quinn Hall of the Holy Cross Church in North Bethesda, adjacent to Garrett Park. The WJLS holds its classes in Bethesda. The institution, giving supplemental education to Japanese-speaking children in the Washington DC area, was founded in 1958, making it the oldest Japanese government-sponsored supplementary school in the U.S.
