Travilah, Maryland

Geography

As an unincorporated area, Travilah's boundaries are not officially defined. However, the United States Census Bureau began recognizing a Travilah census-designated place (Travilah CDP) in the 2000 Census when the new Travilah CDP was created using portions of the Potomac and North Potomac CDPs. According to the state of Maryland, "The boundaries for CDPs often are defined in partnership with state, local, and/or tribal officials and usually coincide with visible features or the boundary of an adjacent incorporated place or another legal entity."{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-05}} The boundaries of the Travilah CDP are currently those used in the 2010 Census.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-05}} The Travilah CDP is surrounded by the Darnestown CDP, the North Potomac CDP, the city of Rockville, the Potomac CDP, and the Potomac River—and the old crossroads community of Travilah is located in the west central portion of the CDP.

According to the 2000 Census, the Travilah CDP is part rural and part urban. The urban portion had a 2000 population of 6,894 on 11.71 sqmi, while the rural portion has a 2000 population of 548 on a land area of 2.66 sqmi. An additional 1.19 sqmi of non-land is located in the rural section. The 2010 Census shows a total population of 12,159 in 3,950 housing units on a land area of 15.83 sqmi and total area of 17.28 sqmi. Using 2010 Census Data, Travilah has a GIS ID of 303 and a FID of 302. The State FIPS code is 24 and the Place FIPS is 78650. The ANSI Code for Travilah is 02390400 and the Place Identifier is 2478650.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-05}}

The United States Geological Survey lists six features in Montgomery County with Travilah in all or part of their name. The Travilah Census Designated Place has an ID of 2390400 and an elevation of 233 feet. It has a latitude of 390325N and a longitude of 0771445W—a location of . The feature named Travilah, different from the Travilah Census Designated Place, is a populated place and has an elevation of 358 with a latitude of 390457N and a longitude of 0771547W. Other features listed are Travilah Acres, Travilah Elementary School, Travilah Meadows, and Travilah Square Shopping Center.{{#tag:ref|From the USGS web site: Feature Name: Travilah, State: Maryland, County: Montgomery, then click Send Query.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-19}}|group=Note}}

The three ZIP Codes for the Travilah CDP are 20854 (Potomac), 20878 (Gaithersburg/North Potomac), and 20850 (Rockville). A large portion of the territory uses the Potomac ZIP code, but the northern portion uses the Rockville and Gaithersburg codes.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-06}}{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-04}} As an example, Greenbrier Park and Pennyfield Lock have Potomac ZIP Codes of 20854 and are in the Travilah CDP.{{cite web

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Rivers and streams

|access-date=2020-04-05}}{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-05}} The Piney Branch flows on the east edge of the CDP forming part of the eastern border.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-05}}

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, the region close to North Potomac has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-03-14}} There are four distinct seasons, with winters being cold with moderate snowfall, while summers can be warm and humid. July is the warmest month, while January is the coldest. Average monthly precipitation ranges from about 2.5 to. The highest recorded temperature was 105.0 °F and the lowest recorded temperature was -13.0 °F.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-06}} There is a 50 percent probability that the first frost of the season will occur by October 21, and a 50 percent probability that the final frost will occur by April 16.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-18}}

Demographics

2010–2020

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 Census shows Travilah with a population of 12,159 in 3,950 housing units, and a land area of 15.83 sqmi out of a total of 17.28 sqmi. It has an average population density of 768.1 /sqmi, which is much lower than the comparable figure for Maryland's largest city (Baltimore) and Montgomery County's largest city (Rockville)—which are 7,671.9 /sqmi and 4,530.6 /sqmi, respectively. Similarly for housing unit density, Travilah is 249.5 /sqmi while Baltimore and Rockville are 3,665.5 /sqmi and 1,865.2 /sqmi, respectively.

The latest census data for 2018 show a Travilah population of 11,633 with a median household income of $235,669 and a poverty rate of 1.6 percent.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-04}} The number of housing units in Travilah are estimated to be 3,784, and owner–occupied housing units account for 93 percent of housing for workers.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-09}} The median age is 47.3 years, which is higher than the 37.9 median for the United States. Nearly 76 percent of the population is aged 18 or older. The community has slightly more elderly people than the United States average, as 17 percent are aged 65 or older while the United States average is 15 percent.{{cite web

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The racial makeup of Travilah is 56.2 percent White alone, 35.4 percent Asian alone, 3.4 percent Black or African American alone, and a 5 percent total for all other categories. Over half of the Asian population is Chinese, while Asian Indian and Korean ethnic groups also have significant populations.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-04}} English is the only language spoken at home for 55 percent of the population, while 22 percent speak Asian and Pacific Island languages. A total of 45 percent speak a language other than English at home, while the average for the United States is 22 percent. The educational attainment for the community compares favorably to the average for the United States, with 97.3 percent of Travilah residents eligible being a high school graduate or higher, while the same figure for the United States is 87.7 percent. A graduate or professional degree was attained by 53.0 percent.

Government

Citizens of Travilah are part of either District 1 or District 3 in the Montgomery County Council.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-28}} The county council has representatives from each of five districts plus four at-large members. All members are elected at once and serve four-year terms.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-28}}

Economy

In 2011, Potomac (and a portion of Travilah) was described as a place "dotted with massive houses that sit on vast plots of land" or with "jaw dropping houses".{{cite news |access-date=2020-04-12 |access-date=2020-04-12 |access-date=2020-04-12

The median household income in Travilah is $235,669. The median earnings for male full–time, year–round workers is $144,298 based on 2018 data. Median earnings for female full–time, year–round workers is $108,984—more than double the United States average of $41,690. The most common means of transportation to work is driving alone, and 68 percent of the workers do that, while 13 percent carpool. The average commuting time is 34 minutes, higher than the U.S. average of 27 minutes. About 12 percent of Travilah residents work at home. The distance from Travilah to Washington DC is less than 20 mi, and from Travilah to Shady Grove Hospital and Interstate 270 (and its technology corridor) is under 10 mi.{{#tag:ref|Distances are from the Pennyfield Lock in the southwestern corner of the Travilah CDP, so most Travilah mileages will be shorter. The distance from the lock to Washington DC is 18.4 mi.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-12}} The distance from the lock to Interstate 270 is 7.6 mi.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-12}} The distance from the lock to Shady Grove Hospital is 6.5 mi.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-12}} The I-270 Technology Corridor is "one of the top tech/biotech clusters in the United States".{{cite web

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Much of Travilah's wealth has been attributed to "high-paying government and contracting jobs in and around the nation's capital". Of the civilian employed workforce aged 16 or higher, 52 percent are employees of private companies, 21 percent are government workers, and 13 percent are employed in their own business.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-08}} The Professional, Scientific, Management, Administrative, and Waste Management Services category accounts for about 25 percent of employees, while the Educational Services, and Healthcare and Social Assistance category accounts for about 21 percent of employees. Public Administration accounts for an additional 12 percent; and Finance and Insurance, and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing accounts for 11 percent.

Travilah residents are attracted to the area because of its serenity, schools, and proximity to Washington. There are few shopping centers in the area. The Potomac Oak Center is a small shopping center within the Travilah CDP that is a favorite of area cyclists. The Potomac Village Shopping Center is just outside of Travilah on River Road on the west side of the Potomac CDP.{{cite web |access-date=2011-02-18}} North Potomac and Rockville also have shopping and other businesses.{{cite news |access-date=2020-04-13

Transportation

Roads and highways

In northern Travilah, residents can use Piney Meetinghouse Road to connect to Shady Grove Road and then Interstate 270 or Interstate 370 and the Intercounty Connector toll road (MD 200). On the western side of Travilah, Travilah Road connects River Road in the south to Darnestown Road and Shady Grove Road in the north. Maryland's Interstate 270 is a major north–south highway in the area. Interstate 370 and the Intercounty Connector are major east–west highways that connect to Interstate 95.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-16}}

Public transportation

Portions of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (a.k.a. "Metro" or "Metrorail") subway system are located in Montgomery County, and Red Line stations on the west side of the county are closest to Travilah.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-16}} Among those west side Metro stations are Shady Grove (Gaithersburg), Rockville, Twinbrook (south Rockville), North Bethesda, and Grosvenor-Strathmore (North Bethesda).{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-16}} Montgomery County's Ride-On bus route 301 runs from Tobytown Drive (Travilah CDP near River Road) to the Rockville Metro station, and has stops along its route at the intersection of Travilah and Glen Roads (Potomac Oak Shopping Center) through the west side of Travilah.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-12}} This route also has a stop at the Shady Grove Hospital. Ride-On bus route 67 runs from the Universities at Shady Grove (Traville Transit Center) to the Shady Grove Metro station, and has a stop on Piney Meetinghouse Road along a route that proceeds through North Potomac on Travilah Road and Dufief Mill Road.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-19}}

Education

|access-date=2020-04-09}}{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-09}}{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-09}}{{#tag:ref|For example: the historic Harrison and Ada Ward Farm address of 13501 Travilah Rd 20878 is in the Wootton High School district with Robert Frost Middle School and Travilah Elementary School, and the old house at the intersection of Travilah and Glen roads with an address of 12601 Glenn Rd 20854 is in the Churchill High School district with Herbert Hoover Middle School and Potomac Elementary School.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-09}}|group=Note}} Churchill High School has been ranked as the top school in Maryland and one of the top 500 in the nation.{{cite news |access-date=2020-04-09

|access-date=2020-04-08}}{{cite web

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|access-date=2020-04-09}} Wootton High School has a Rockville address.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-08}} Area residents have cited the Wootton school cluster as a factor in their home buying decision.{{cite news

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|access-date=2020-04-09}}{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-09}} A small area in the Travilah CDP that is in the Wootton district attends Stone Mill Elementary and Cabin John Middle School.{{cite web

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|access-date=2020-04-09}} Travilah residents that live in the extreme southwest portion of the CDP start at Darnestown Elementary School, then go to Lakelands Park Middle School and Northwest High School.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-04-08}}{{cite web

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|access-date=2020-04-09}} Northwest High School is a "county powerhouse" in football, winning state championships in 2013 and 2014.{{cite news |access-date=2020-04-14 |access-date=2020-04-14 |access-date=2020-04-14

Higher education

|access-date=2020-03-17}} This unique partnership with University System of Maryland universities enables 80 upper-level undergraduate, graduate degree and certificate programs to be made available to about 3,000 students.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-03-19}} Johns Hopkins University has a campus in Rockville located close to the Universities at Shady Grove.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-03-25}} Montgomery College has a campus in Rockville and a training center in Gaithersburg. Three Montgomery College campuses and online classes serve about 54,000 students who can earn an associate degree or advance their education.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-17}}

Public library

Potomac Library, constructed in 1985 by the county as part of the Montgomery County Public Library system, is located in Potomac near the southeast portion of the Travilah CDP. Two more nearby libraries are also in the county library system. The Quince Orchard Library is located on Quince Orchard Road in North Potomac, and Rockville Memorial Library is located two blocks from the Rockville Metro station.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-17}}{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-17}} The Quince Orchard Library began operations around 2000, while the Rockville library began in 1951.{{cite news |access-date=2020-05-20 |access-date=2020-05-22}} The Priddy Library opened in 2007 and is available to the public.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-17}}

History

|access-date=2020-03-26 |access-date=2020-03-31}} A newspaper article discussing Travilah says that "The canal was the main thing that held this together". Using today's roads, the driving distance from the intersection of Glen and Travilah roads to C&O Canal Lockhouse 22 (Pennyfield Lock) is 1.9 mi and the distance to Lockhouse 21 (Swains) is 3.5 mi.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-03-27}}{{cite web

|access-date=2020-03-27}}|group=Note}} The intersecting roads also led to mills that were located within a few miles of the intersection, and many of the area farms produced the wheat used by the mills to make flour.{{#tag:ref|In the 1790s, wheat farms became more common in Montgomery County compared to the tobacco farms of earlier years. The intersecting roads at what became Travilah were parts of routes to "two productive mills". The DuFief Mill, established around 1850, was about 1.7 mi from the Travilah crossroads (using today's roads).{{cite web

|access-date=2020-03-27}} It had the capacity to make 10-12,000 barrels of flour per year. The Glen Mill, built in the early 1800s, was about 3.5 mi away from the crossroads.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-03-27}}|group=Note}}

The community had a general store in 1882 that may have existed as early as the 1840s.{{#tag:ref|Sources do not agree on the beginning date for the general store. One source mentions "the Old Travilah Country Store built in the 1840s", while another source says "Later (in 1882), a store was opened...."{{cite news |access-date=2020-03-28 |access-date=2020-03-30}}|group=Note}} In 1883, the unnamed community was assigned a Post Office. Travilah Clagett was the first postmaster, and the United States Post Office used the name Travilah to identify the unnamed location. The Clagetts were prominent land owners in this portion of Montgomery County.{{#tag:ref|Henry Clagett patented a tract called Quince Orchard in 1766.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-03}} The land was located at the intersection of what is now Quince Orchard Road and Darnestown Road (Maryland 28) in Montgomery County.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-03}} A portion of that land eventually became Gaithersburg's Kentlands neighberhood.{{cite web

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609133654/https://kentlandsfoundation.org/home/about/23-2/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |access-date=2020-04-03}} Henry's grandson John H. Clagett, who served as a captain in a Maryland regiment during the War of 1812, bought a farm in what is now Germantown, Maryland, in 1810. He was one of "many of that family living nearby". John Clagett's son, Nathaniel, was a prominent and affluent member of the community and was the father of Travilah Clagett.|group=Note}} Clagett served as postmaster for about half the year, and died from tuberculosis before the year was over.

In addition to the general store, the crossroads had a blacksmith, church, schoolhouse, and town hall. The Travilah Baptist Church was built in 1894 and had over 300 members in 1976.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-30}} It was destroyed by fire in 1980. A Travilah Elementary School exists today at the intersection of Dufief Mill Road and Travilah Road in North Potomac, but it should not be confused with the one-room schoolhouse formerly located at the Travilah crossroads that closed in 1943 (and later burned down). The original schoolhouse was built in 1865.{{#tag:ref|Sources conflict on the build date for the old Travilah schoolhouse—one says 1865 while another says 1886.{{cite web

|access-date=2020-03-30}} However, an 1865 map of Montgomery County by Martenet and Bond shows a schoolhouse (Sch.H.) at the location that became Travilah.{{cite web |access-date=2020-05-05}}|group=Note}} A town hall was built in 1910, and the building still exists today although it is privately owned.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-30}} The general store, which eventually was also a gas station, closed in 1967.

A small corner shopping center, built in 1979, is located at the Travilah Road-Glen Road intersection. The center was originally named Glenvilah Shopping Center, but was renamed Potomac Oak Center in honor of the historic Travilah Oak tree located there close to Travilah Road. Several homes were also located in the area and a large 150-year-old farmhouse remains across from the shopping center.{{cite news

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Historic sites

Montgomery County has a long history that began over 300 years ago.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-14}} The Travilah area has some historic sites, although some are privately owned. For example, the original Travilah Town Hall, built in 1910, still stands—but it is privately owned. The historic Travilah Baptist Church, built in 1894, burned down in 1980.

Harrison and Ada Ward Farm

|access-date=2020-03-30}} The farm's bright red bank barn, which has exceptional architectural detail, is located right next to the road.

Pennyfield Lock House

The Pennyfield Lock House (Lock #22) is located in the western portion of the Travilah CDP in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The lock house was built around 1830, and its lock was completed around 1831.{{#tag:ref|The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was necessary because the Potomac River was not navigable by ships/barges at Great Falls—"a spectacular series of falls and rapids".{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-29}}|group=Note}} John L. DuFief built a mill around 1850 on the Muddy Branch, and it had a road that connected to the Pennyfield Lock. His mill had the capacity to manufacture 10–12,000 barrels of flour per year, and a network of roads grew that enabled farmers to get their crops to the mill and canal. The DuFief Mill was about 1.7 mi from the Travilah crossroads, and an alternative mill (Glen Mill) was 3.3 miles away. The small community of Travilah thrived because of its crossroads location and proximity to the canal. The canal was completed as far north as Cumberland, Maryland, by 1850 (and never did reach the Ohio River), and one fourth of its 185 mi are in Montgomery County. By 1859, about 83 barges per week were using the canal to transport coal, grain, flour, and farm products to Washington and Georgetown.

Swain's Lock House

Swains Lock House (Lock #21) is located in the eastern portion of the Travilah CDP in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The lock and lock house were built in 1831. The house is one of the largest canal lock houses, and made from oversized sandstone bricks. Jesse Swain was lock keeper beginning in 1907, and had been a canal boatman. His father (John) had helped with the canal construction, and his grandson (Fred) has lived in the house and operated an onsite concession stand into the 21st century. At least two Swain children, and a cousin, were born in the house. The family lived in the house until 2006, when the National Park Service took over maintenance.{{cite news |access-date=2020-04-20 |access-date=2020-04-20}}

Tobytown cemetery

The Tobytown Cemetery, which is located off River Road near the Pennyfield Lock, is the only remaining relic associated with the Black community of Tobytown that was established in 1875 by formerly enslaved people.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-30}} The community was established by William Davis, Ailsie Martin, and Emory Genus, and is believed to be named for Ailsie Martin's son—Tobias Martin. The cemetery contains about 25 gravestones for early settlers and family members. Most of the stones are unmarked, which is typical for early African American cemeteries.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-28}}

Travilah Oak

The Travilah Oak, a white oak tree estimated to be 275 to 300 years old, is located at the intersection of Travilah and Glen roads in Maryland. In 2006, the tree was listed as having a height of 98 ft, a crown spread of approximately 100 ft, and a circumference of 17.5 ft. A small park, open to the public, surrounds the huge tree. The crossroads was once the community of Travilah, and consisted of a general store, a town hall, a few homes, and a church.

Travilah Town Hall

The Travilah Town Hall was built around 1910, and the building was used for meetings and entertainment. The corporation formed to construct the building defaulted on its mortgage in 1918, and it became privately owned although it continued to be used for community purposes. Although the building has historical significance, it is currently privately–owned.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-29}}

• Travilah Historic District
• Travilah Hall (Travilah Town Hall)
• Tobytown Cemetery
• Pennyfield Lock, Lockhouse, & Store Building{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-30}} --

Culture, recreation, and wildlife

Travilah has been called one of the best places to live in Maryland by multiple sources.{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-19}}{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-19}}{{cite news |access-date=2020-03-18

Parks

• Adventure Conservation Park – undeveloped 14 acre{{cite web

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• Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park – historic canal 184.5 mi with falls, trails, campgrounds{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-14}}
• Glen Hills Local Park – 25.2 acre sports and picnic area{{cite web

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• Greenbrier Local Park – 25 acre playground, sports and picnic area{{cite web

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• Muddy Branch Stream Valley Park – 876 acre and 9 mi of trails{{cite web

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• Pennyfield Lock Neighborhood Conservation Area – 1.9 acre with boat ramp{{cite web

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• Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park – 350 acre horseback limited to park edge{{cite web

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• Tobytown Neighborhood Park – playground, tennis, basketball{{cite web

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• Watts Branch Stream Valley Park – 438 acre undeveloped{{cite web

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Wildlife

The Travilah area has a population of white-tailed deer that is managed by Montgomery County.{{cite news |access-date=2020-04-14

|access-date=2020-04-19}} The county has Canada geese, hawks, owls, woodpeckers, blue jays, crows, and other birds that stay year-round.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-16}} Birds such as the Carolina wren, house finch, American goldfinch, eastern bluebird, and northern cardinal can be found at bird feeders.{{cite web |access-date=2020-03-12}}{{cite web |access-date=2020-04-14}}

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

• {{Cite book |access-date=2020-03-28}}
• {{Cite book |access-date=2020-03-26
• {{Cite book
• {{Cite book |access-date=2020-03-15}}
• {{Cite book |access-date=2020-04-04}}
• {{Cite book |access-date=2020-03-15}}
• {{Cite book |access-date=2020-03-26}}
• {{Cite book
• {{Cite book

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2390400
3. "QuickFacts: Travliah CDP, Maryland". United States Census Bureau.
4. {{harvnb. U.S. Census Bureau. 2003
5. {{harvnb. U.S. Census Bureau. 2003
6. {{harvnb. U.S. Census Bureau. 2012
7. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Travilah CDP, Maryland".
8. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Travilah CDP, Maryland".
9. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Travilah CDP, Maryland".
10. {{harvnb. U.S. Census Bureau. 2012
11. {{harvnb. U.S. Department of Transportation. Maryland Department of Transportation. 2002
12. {{harvnb. Welles. 2019
13. {{harvnb. Zdravkovska. 2011
14. {{harvnb. MacMaster. Hiebert. 1994
15. {{harvnb. Kelly. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 2011
16. {{harvnb. Kelly. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 2011
17. {{harvnb. Kelly. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 2011
18. {{harvnb. United States Post Office Department. 1886
19. {{harvnb. Kelly. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 2011
20. {{harvnb. Dwyer. 2006
21. {{harvnb. Kelly. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 2011
22. {{harvnb. Kelly. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 2011
23. {{harvnb. Kelly. Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 2011