Wheaton

Wheaton is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a suburb of Washington D.C.

Understand
Wheaton, with a population of just under 50,000 people (2010), is known locally for its ethnic dining scene. Many ethnic restaurants in Wheaton have received awards for best-in-class food in the Washington D.C. area.

History
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the area was settled by the Piscataway. Wheaton got its name from the Wheaton Post Office, which was named after Union General Frank Wheaton, who defended Washington, D.C., from invading forces during the Civil War in July 1864.

Wheaton developed from a business district called Mitchell's Crossroads, named after Mitchell's Tavern. The business district developed at the junction of three roads, which are now called Georgia Avenue, Veirs Mill Road, and University Boulevard.

Before 1947, only 29,000 people were living in Wheaton, mostly on farms and large estates. By 1960, the population had grown tremendously, which led to the widening of Georgia Ave, also known as the "Avenue of Progress". Since then, many businesses have opened including the Wheaton Plaza Shopping Center (now Westfield Wheaton), built in 1959. Wheaton Regional Park was established in 1958.

By Metrorail


Coming out of the Wheaton Metrorail station on the Red Line, admire that escalator—it's the longest in the Western Hemisphere, and takes almost 3 minutes to ascend!

By car
The main streets running through the downtown are Georgia Avenue, Veirs Mill Road, and University Boulevard. The area where they converge is the center of commercial activity and great inexpensive restaurants.

By foot
Downtown Wheaton is very compact and dense with shops and restaurants. It is easy to walk around from the Metrorail station.

By bus
Metrobus and Ride-on-Bus operate service around Wheaton and to other points in Montgomery County.

Parks and gardens




Drink
Most restaurants serve alcohol.

Try the various exotic drinks at international restaurants and markets. The Asian markets usually carry great loose-leaf teas at bargain prices; Thai restaurants serve Thai iced coffee and tea; the Latino places have tasty tamarindo juice, horchata, and even delicious atoles, the fabled warm, thick corn drink of the Mayas; the Ethiopian restaurants have honey wine and great coffee; Middle Eastern markets have great Turkish and Iraqi pomegranate juice; etc.



Sleep
Wheaton does not have any hotels. There are many hotels in downtown Silver Spring, just two stations away on Metrorail's Red Line.

Go next

 * Glenmont
 * Silver Spring
 * Washington D.C.