Potomac



Potomac is an unincorporated district in Montgomery County, Maryland and a suburb of Washington DC.

Understand
According the U.S. Census Bureau, Potomac has a population of 44,965 and a median household income of $181,385, one of the highest median incomes in the United States.

The area got its name in 1881 and was named after the nearby Potomac River. European settlements date back to 1714, when Lord Baltimore granted to Edward Offutt most of the land comprising Potomac.

By car
The principal routes leading northwest into Potomac from D.C. are River Rd and the Clara Barton Pkwy (which runs parallel to the smaller MacArthur Blvd). From Bethesda, take either River Rd or Democracy Blvd (from Old Georgetown Rd). From Rockville, the main route is MD-189 Great Falls Rd. From Virginia, bridges across the Potomac River are very few—you will almost certainly need to take the Beltway to the Clara Barton Pkwy, River Rd, or Democracy Blvd exits (for Democracy Blvd, head towards I-270 instead of continuing on I-495 at the split).

By bus
Potomac is not very public transport-friendly, but there are a couple bus routes worth noting:


 * Metrobus #T2 runs every half hour throughout the day along River Rd and Falls Rd between the Friendship Heights and Rockville Metro stations.
 * Ride on Bus #29 goes from the Bethesda and Friendship Heights Metro stations to Glen Echo Park (see below).

Get around
The region, like many American suburbs, is highly dependent on the car, with the infrastructure (and lack of infrastructure) to match.

Glen Echo


Glen Echo is a small town founded in 1889 next to Potomac.

Glen Echo Park was an operating amusement park from 1899 until 1960. In 1971, it was salvaged by the National Park Service and converted into an arts and educational center.

Concerts, art exhibits, dramatic performances, puppet shows, ballroom dancing in the historic Spanish Ballroom, and a whole host of educational programs (mostly related to the arts) are in full force throughout the summer, when you can also avail yourself of the still-operating, 1921 antique dentzel carousel ($1.25 per ride). The contra dances held there on Friday nights are very beginner-friendly, featuring a free lesson at the start of the evening and live music.

The Spanish Ballroom Cafe is open from the beginning of March through the end of October. Praline is a bakery on the premises.

To get here by car, take the Clara Barton/Cabin John Pkwy exit west from the Beltway. Go 2.5 miles and take the MacArthur Blvd/Glen Echo exit (this is a left exit). Turn left onto MacArthur Blvd. For the park, go two blocks to Oxford Rd (just past the Glen Echo shopping center) and turn left into the parking lot. Ride On Bus #29 runs a route every half hour between the Bethesda and Friendship Heights metro stations, with a stop in Glen Echo, running roughly every half hour M-Sa. On Sundays, the bus runs only between Friendship Heights Metro and Glen Echo, with no stop in Bethesda.