North Potomac v. Gaithersburg - What is the Big Deal??

[Anonymous]

I was reading one of the previous posts where someone asked about the area of North Potomac and some of the posters were arguing that North Potomac was really Gaithersburg and that when people say they live in "North Potomac" they are just being pretentious. But when you google North Potomac, it is actually a city and has been around for some twenty odd years. Gaithersburg has some really nice areas and some parts are beautiful and quite often if someone didn't tell me, I would not be able to tell which part of that area was Gaithersburg or North Potomac. So, if you like your house/neighborhood/school, etc. why does it bother you so much that someone lives in North Potomac? The Census Bureau recognizes it, the post office recognizes it as do the state and the county - why can't you?

[Anonymous]

For many, it's a matter of which school cluster their home falls into (Quince Orchard vs. Wootton), and that of course affects home pricing.

[Anonymous]

I don't know. I live right at the Rockville/North Potomac/Gaithersburg corner. They told me my city and zip code when I moved in, and that was that. There's no clear demarcation where any of it ends or begins. All the houses are pretty much the same. To me it's not a big deal. If it's Gaithersburg natives who have lived here 20+ years, I can kind of get it. But to me it's really not worth haggling about.

[Anonymous]

I know Wootton is a great school but I thought Quince Orchard was pretty good too?

[Anonymous]

10:39 again. I'm zoned in Wootton and honestly I'd prefer Quince Orchard. Since I'm right on the line, there's always the shot the zoning will change by the time my kids are in high school. But yes, both are really good schools. Wootton test scores are better, and if that's what you go by, you've got your answer. The cultures of the two schools, however, are significantly different.

[Anonymous]

PP could you explain how the cultures differ between Quince Orchard and Wootton? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Hey, I don't have a pony in this race. It's not a big deal.

but as someone who lives nowhere near there, I do want to point out that the name recently picked for that unincorporated area strikes some of us as "striving." aka, piggybacking on a well-known, extremely affluent area.

Instead of just-as-logically piggybacking on a well-known moderate income area.

Why is it never South Germantown? Why not South Rockville instead of "North Bethesda"? How about that nether area zip code along University Blvd. that people insist is "Kensington" and NOT "Wheaton"?

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I find the whole "North Bethesda" thing hysterical and ridiculous! North Potomac might be an actual place now, but if you grew up around here and remember when it was just Gaithersburg (and I'm just 32 yrs old), you can't help but roll your eyes.

I grew up in the slums of Silver Spring, aka, East Potomac.

[Anonymous]

My question---is saying Darnestown at all pretentious since it doesn't have its own zip? Or should the 20878 part say Gaithersburg and the 20874 part say Germantown?

FYI-Darnestown has been a recognized place since at least the Civil War, if you are a student of history, go back at look.

Another tidbit, I think originally using the word Wheaton was pretentious, why didn't they say Silver Spring?

BTW, Gaithersburg stretches all of the way to practically Olney, so why not say North Potomac to be more specific? I live at least 15 miles from where Fieldcrest Rd. meets Rt. 108 (the outer edge of Gaithersburg).

[Anonymous]

Wootton = Competing against child produced by Chinese Tiger Mothers.

[Anonymous]

I agree PP - it helps to be specific. 32 years ago the population in that area was not as large as it is now. Guess what? More people moved out that way, the area expanded to accomodate newcomers and new cities/neighborhoods were born. That's how life goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wootton = Competing against child produced by Chinese Tiger Mothers.

too funny! spat out my coffee on that one.

[Anonymous]

Oh puuuleeease! The locals like to try to play know it all by pretending to not distinguish "what used to be" from "the here and now". They are living in the past and do NOT like change. It is true of many parts of NOVA that used to be rural, especially. Ignore, ignore, ignore the attitude. They need to get out of the equivalent of their mommy's basement. An area has a new name, get over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Oh puuuleeease! The locals like to try to play know it all by pretending to not distinguish "what used to be" from "the here and now". They are living in the past and do NOT like change. It is true of many parts of NOVA that used to be rural, especially. Ignore, ignore, ignore the attitude. They need to get out of the equivalent of their mommy's basement. An area has a new name, get over it.

OP here - agree with your statement. It seems weird to fight an actual FACT. A city exists and you don't agree with its existence?? It is plain dumb.

[Anonymous]

OP here - agree with your statement. It seems weird to fight an actual FACT. A city exists and you don't agree with its existence?? It is plain dumb.

Sure, it does exist as a unincorporated Census area. No use denying that.

What's telling is that when it came time to pick a name in 1988, the founding suburban fathers went with North POTOMAC, rather than South Gaithersburg or South Germantown. It also shares zip codes with Rockville. What was wrong with West Rockville? Frankly, why not a whole new name since the sky was the limit back in 1988? Something like "Dufief Mill"?

No, see, it's the glomming on to Potomac, that suburb with $10 million estate homes, that's the eye-roller.