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Germantown's roots reach back to the 1800s, when farming was the way of life where housing developments stand today. According to historian Susan Soderberg, author of "A History of Germantown, Maryland," the not-quite-a-town got its name from the large number of German business owners who settled in the crossroads area of Clopper Road and Route 118 in the 1830s and 1840s. Although most of the area's farmers and landowners were English, travelers and visitors remembered the accents of the shopkeepers, who were a mix of German immigrants and also from German settlements in Pennsylvania, and began to call the area "Germantown."

Since 1974, the Germantown population has been growing by about 2,000 people per year. County planning department figures show Germantown will grow to about 95,000 by 2010.

Civic Organizations
Upcounty Citizens Advisory Board
This board advises the county executive on upcounty needs. It meets once a month, except July and August, at the Upcounty Regional Services Center, 12900 Middlebrook Road, in Germantown.
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/RSC/upcnty/Bdscomm.asp.
240-777-8000

Germantown Citizens Association
301-972-6210

Germantown Alliance
A business, organization and civic group to promote the needs of the community.
301-916-8316
P.O. Box 702
Germantown, MD 20875
www.germantownalliance.org

Local organizations
Art League of Germantown
P.O. Box 855
Germantown, MD 20875
www.alog.org
artists@alog.org
Meets at 7:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month Sept.-May in the second-floor conference room of BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive.

Boys and Girls Club
19910 S. Frederick Road
Germantown, MD 20876
301-353-9600

Gaithersburg/Germantown Jaycees
301-230-4930
www.ggjaycees.org
Meets 7 p.m. the third Monday of December and the fourth Monday of every other month at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg.

Mid-Montgomery County Kiwanis Club
301-279-2540
Meets 6:30 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of the month at Bowl America, 1101 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg.
Upper Montgomery Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol
301-748-7571
Meets 7-9 p.m. Thursdays in the cafeteria of Neelsville Middle School, 11700 Neelsville Church Road.

Germantown Historical Society
P.O. Box 475
Germantown, MD 20875
301-972-2707

Germantown Lions Club
301-540-4726
Meets at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at Germantown Community Center, 18905 Kingsview Road.

Upper Montgomery Rotary Club
Meets 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Café Mileto, 18056 Mateny Road, Germantown.
www.uppermontgomeryrotary.org.

Meals on Wheels
P.O. Box 1765
Germantown, MD 20875
301-251-8885

MOMS Club of Germantown-North
301-528-0370
Meets at 10 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month. Call for information.

Germantown HELP
P.O. Box 608
Germantown, MD 20875
301-482-1320
info@germantownhelp.org
www.germantownhelp.org

Knights of Columbus
19551 Father Hurley Blvd.
Germantown, MD 20874

La Leche League of Upcounty
301-528-1690
Meets at 10 a.m. the third Thursday of each month at Unity Christ Church, 111 Central Ave., Gaithersburg.

MOMS Club of Germantown–Gunners Lake
Jennifer Alahouzos
301-865-8048
Meets at 10 a.m. the fourth Wednesday at OBA Bank Community Room, 20300 Seneca Meadows Parkway, Germantown.

MOMS Club of Great Seneca
greatsenecamomsclub@gmail.com
Meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month at the Germantown Community Center, 18905 Kingsview Road (August and September at Ridge Road Park)

Salvation Army
301-515-5354
20021 Aircraft Drive
Germantown, MD 20874

Town Center Talkers Toastmasters Club
301-540-7670
www.towncentertalkers.org
Meets at 7:15 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at OBA Bank Community Room, 20300 Seneca Meadows Parkway, Germantown.

Local events
Germantown Oktoberfest
The community's biggest community event, featuring games, crafts, live entertainment and food.
240-777-8003
www.germantownoktoberfest.org

Local schools
The Germantown area is served by the Seneca Valley, Northwest, Clarksburg, Quince Orchard, Watkins Mill and Damascus clusters. For a full list of schools, see page 30.

Police
The area is served by the Germantown Police District. For a full list of police stations, see page 11.

Fire services
The Germantown area is served by the Germantown, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg-Washington Grove, Hyattstown and Upper Montgomery volunteer fire departments. For a full list of stations, see page 20.

Libraries
The Germantown Library is part of the county library system. For a list of libraries, see page 22.

Business
Germantown is served by the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce. For a list of chambers, see page 14.