Monrovia, Maryland


Monrovia is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Frederick County, in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 416. The ZIP code for the area is 21770.

Geography

The original unincorporated community of Monrovia is located along Maryland Route 75 in southeastern Frederick County, south of New Market. The Monrovia CDP extends south of the original Monrovia as far as Maryland Route 80 and west to include nearly all of Ed McClain Road. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Monrovia CDP has a total area of, all land.

Education

Monrovia is part of the Frederick County public school system. Children from the area attend Green Valley or Kemptown Elementary School, Windsor Knolls Middle School, and Urbana High School or Linganore High School, due to redistricting in the fall of 2010.

Transport

The two major roads in the area are Maryland Route 75 and Maryland Route 80. MD 80 leads west to Urbana and southeast to Damascus, while MD 75 leads north to New Market and south to Hyattstown.

History

Monrovia was the largest community in the New Market election district in 1880. The Monrovia Central Trust Bank closed in 1929. Monrovia's largest employer, a cannery, closed in the 1930s. Another large employer, the Nicodemus Mill, also closed in the 1930s.
The 75-80 dragway opened in 1960. The track closed on October 30, 2005, with no plans to resume races. The closing prompted a significant public response, and renovations to the dragway began in 2007. The track reopened on April 3, 2009. The track closed for the final time on September 28, 2013, and is planned to be replaced by a housing development.
A developer owns land in Monrovia and has proposed building Monrovia Town Center, which was planned to consist of 930 single-family homes, 580 townhomes, and retail. The developer later revised the plan, reserving half of the homes for residents who are at least 55 years old, reducing the number of homes from 1,510 to 1,250, and reducing the size of the development from. Residents have testified at meetings of the Frederick County Planning Commission to voice their disagreement with the proposed development, saying that the development would overburden the area's roads and schools and change the rural character of the area. In 2014, Frederick County's Board of County Commissioners voted to change the area's zoning.