Silver Spring

Silver Spring is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is considered to be an "edge city". It sits next door to Washington, DC, and had about 82,000 residents in 2018. It has redeveloped its downtown district with an outdoor shopping plaza called "Downtown Silver Spring", and is criss-crossed by four creeks that are the basis for parks offering hiking trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, and tennis courts.

Understand
Silver Spring is just across the northeast border of Washington D.C. at Eastern Ave.

As the story goes, Silver Spring was named after a spring with flecks of mica that was discovered in 1840. Francis Preston Blair, one of the organizers of the Republican Party, discovered the spring and owned most of the land that now comprises Silver Spring. He named his mansion Silver Spring after the spring. The spring is said to have been located in what is now on East-West Highway.

From other points in Montgomery County

 * Ride-on-Bus operates service between downtown Silver Spring and other locations in Montgomery County, including Rockville, Bethesda, and Wheaton.

By foot
The entire downtown is very compact and easily traversed by foot.

By bus
Van Go Shuttle is a free purple bus that offers frequent service around Silver Spring M-Th from 7AM-midnight and F Sa from 7AM-2AM.

Metrobus and Ride-on-Bus operate service around Silver Spring.

By bicycle
For information on bike-sharing programs in the Washington, DC area, see Washington DC.

Eat
In addition, Downtown Silver Spring, near Ellsworth Street and Fenton Street, has many chain restaurants such as Chipotle, Panera Bread, and Jimmy John's.

Go next

 * Bethesda
 * Takoma Park
 * College Park
 * Washington, D.C.