This article is about the various neighboring areas in Maryland that share the name "Chevy Chase". For other uses, see Chevy Chase (disambiguation).
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Various neighboring areas
Coordinates38°58′16″N 77°04′35″W
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CountyMontgomery
Established1890 (age 136)

Chevy Chase (/ˈtʃɛviːtʃeɪs/) is the colloquial name of an area that includes a town, several incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjoining neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. Most of these derive from a late-19th-century effort to create a new suburb that its developer dubbed Chevy Chase after a colonial land patent.

Primarily residential, Chevy Chase adjoins Friendship Heights, a popular shopping district. It is the home of the Chevy Chase Club and Columbia Country Club, private clubs whose members include many prominent politicians and Washingtonians.[1]

The name is derived from Cheivy Chace, the name of the land patented to Colonel Joseph Belt from Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, on July 10, 1725. It has historic associations with a 1388 chevauchée, a French word describing a border raid, fought by Lord Percy of England and Earl Douglas of Scotland over hunting grounds, or a "chace", in the Cheviot Hills of Northumberland and Otterburn.[2] The battle was memorialized in "The Ballad of Chevy Chase".

Elements

The area known as Chevy Chase includes several entities in southern Montgomery County:

It also includes the neighborhood of Chevy Chase in Northwest Washington, D.C.

The United States Postal Service also uses "Chevy Chase" for some postal addresses that lie outside these areas: the town of Somerset, the Village of Friendship Heights, and the part of the Rock Creek Forest neighborhood that lies east of Jones Mill Road and Beach Drive and west of Grubb Road.[3]

History

19th century

In the 1880s, Senator Francis G. Newlands of Nevada and his partners began acquiring farmland in unincorporated areas of Maryland and just inside the District of Columbia, for the purpose of developing a residential streetcar suburb for Washington, D.C., during the expansion of the Washington streetcars system. Newlands and his partners founded The Chevy Chase Land Company in 1890, and its holdings of more than 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) eventually extended along the present-day Connecticut Avenue from Florida Avenue north to Jones Bridge Road.

Newlands, an avowed white supremacist, and his development company took steps to ensure that residents of its new suburbs would be wealthy and white;[4] for example, "requiring, in the deed to the land, that only a single-family detached house costing a large amount of money could be constructed. The Chevy Chase Land Company did not include explicit bars against non-white people, known as racial covenants, but the mandated cost of the house made it impractical for all but the wealthiest non-white people to buy the land." Houses were required to cost $5,000 and up on Connecticut Avenue and $3,000 and up on side streets.[5] The company banned commerce from the residential neighborhoods.[6]

Leon E. Dessez was Chevy Chase's first resident. He and Lindley Johnson of Philadelphia designed the first four houses in the area.[7]

Toward the northern end of its holdings, the Land Company dammed Coquelin Run, a stream that crossed its land, to create the manmade Chevy Chase Lake. The body of water furnished water to the coal-fired generators that powered the streetcars of the Land Company's Rock Creek Railway. The streetcar soon became vital to the community; it connected workers to the city, and even ran errands for residents.

The lake was also the centerpiece of the Land Company's Chevy Chase Lake trolley park, a venue for boating, swimming, and other activities meant to draw city dwellers to the new suburb.[8] Similar considerations led the Land Company to build a hotel at 7100 Connecticut Avenue; it opened it in 1894 as the Chevy Chase Spring Hotel and was later renamed the Chevy Chase Inn. "The hotel failed to attract sufficient patrons, especially during the winter months," wrote the Chevy Chase Historical Society, and in 1895, the Land Company leased the property for a year to the Young Ladies Seminary.[9]

Part of the original Cheivy Chace patent had been sold to Abraham Bradley, who built an estate known as the Bradley Farm.[10] In 1887, Bradley's son Joseph sold the farm, by then named "Chevy Chase" to J. Hite Miller.[11] In 1892, Newlands and other members of the Metropolitan Club of Washington, D.C., founded a hunt club called Chevy Chase Hunt, which would later become Chevy Chase Club. In 1894, the club located itself on the former Bradley Farm property under a lease from its owners. The club introduced a six-hole golf course to its members in 1895, and purchased the 9.36-acre Bradley Farm tract in 1897.[12][10][13]

20th century

In 1906, the Chevy Chase Land Company blocked a proposed subdivision called Belmont after they learned its Black developers aimed to sell house lots to other African Americans. In subsequent litigation, the company and its affiliates argued that those developers had committed fraud by proposing "to sell lots...to negroes."[14]

By the 1920s, restrictive covenants were added to Chevy Chase real estate deeds. Some prohibited both the sale or rental of homes to "a Negro or one of the African race." Others prohibited sales or rentals to "any persons of the Semetic [sic] race"—i.e., Jews.[14]

By World War II, such restrictive language had largely disappeared from real estate transactions, and all were voided by the 1948 Supreme Court decision in Shelley v. Kraemer.

In 1964, Arthur Krock wrote an article for The New York Times alleging that the Chevy Chase Country Club barred "Negroes" and "one ethnic group of Caucasians" from membership. In response, Club president Randall H. Hagnar denied that the club excluded Black or Jewish people; he said that no members were African-Americans but that several were Jewish.[15]

In 1903, Lea M. Bouligny bought the old Chevy Chase Inn and founded the Chevy Chase College and Seminary.[9] The name was changed to Chevy Chase Junior College in 1927. The National 4-H Club Foundation purchased the property in 1951,[16] turning it into the group's Youth Conference Center. For decades, the center hosted the National 4-H Conference, an event for 4-Hers throughout the nation to attend, and the annual National Science Bowl in late April or early May.[17]

21st century

Financially undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic[18], the National 4-H Club Foundation sold the center in 2021 for $40 million; as of 2025, it is to be replaced by a senior living development.[19][20]

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Chevy Chase had a population of 10,176. The median age was 46.3 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.5 males age 18 and over.[21][22]

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.[23]

There were 3,897 households in Chevy Chase, of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 60.8% were married-couple households, 11.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[21]

There were 4,282 housing units, of which 9.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 19.6%.[21]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[22]
RaceNumberPercent
White7,62374.9%
Black or African American7087.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native250.2%
Asian6025.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander100.1%
Some other race1771.7%
Two or more races1,03110.1%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)7837.7%

Education

Chevy Chase is served by the Montgomery County Public Schools. Residents of Chevy Chase are zoned to Somerset, Chevy Chase or North Chevy Chase Elementary School, which feed into Silver Creek Middle School, Westland Middle School and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Private schools in Chevy Chase include Concord Hill School, Oneness-Family School, and Blessed Sacrament School.

Rochambeau French International School formerly had a campus in Chevy Chase.[24]

Notable people

Current residents

Former residents

See also

References

  1. ^ "Obama to Join Maryland Country Club". Washingtonian. 2017-10-06. Archived 2020-05-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  2. ^ "The Naming of Chevy Chase". Chevy Chase Historical Society. Archived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  3. ^ Lublin, David (2014-02-14). "The Mini Munis of Chevy Chase". Seventh State. Archived 2024-02-24 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  4. ^ Flanagan, Neil (2017-11-02). "The Battle of Fort Reno". Washington City Paper. Archived 2022-05-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  5. ^ Ohmann, Richard Malin (1996). Selling Culture: Magazines, Markets, and Class at the Turn of the Century. Verso.
  6. ^ Dryden, Steve (1999). "The History of Chevy Chase and Friendship Heights". Bethesda Magazine. Archived 2013-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  7. ^ Benedetto, Robert; Donovan, Jane; Vall, Kathleen Du (2003). Historical Dictionary of Washington. Scarecrow Press. p. 53. ISBN 9780810840942.
  8. ^ "The History of Chevy Chase and Friendship Heights". Bethesda Magazine. September 27, 2010. Archived October 24, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "Fashionable Suburban Location | Chevy Chase Historical Society". chevychasehistory.org. Archived 2024-01-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  10. ^ "The Naming of Chevy Chase | Chevy Chase Historical Society". www.chevychasehistory.org. Archived 2018-10-24 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  11. ^ "Sale of "Chevy Chase"". The (Frederick, Maryland) News. 1887-01-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  12. ^ Early Days at the Chevy Chase Club Archived 2018-10-24 at the Wayback Machine, The Montgomery County Story, Montgomery County Historical Society, November 2001
  13. ^ "Chevy Chase Club - Club History". www.chevychaseclub.org. Archived 2018-10-24 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  14. ^ Fisher, Marc (February 15, 1999). "Chevy Chase, 1916: For Everyman, a New Lot in Life". The Washington Post. Archived July 6, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  15. ^ "Chevy Chase Country Club Denies Excluding Jews from Membership". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived 2023-06-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  16. ^ "The Schools of Section Four - Chevy Chase Historical Society". Chevy Chase Historical Society. Archived 2017-05-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  17. ^ "U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy, National Science Bowl®". United States Department of Energy. Archived 2017-08-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  18. ^ Ryle, Bo (June 2021). "The National 4-H Conference Center - Another COVID-19 Victim". The Bridge. 10 (2): 1. National 4-H History Preservation Team.
  19. ^ Schere, Dan (2021-12-21). "Sale of 4-H site in Chevy Chase finalized for $40 million". Bethesda Magazine. Archived 2022-05-24 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  20. ^ "Permit Apps Filed to Start Development of Chevy Chase 4-H Site". www.bldup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  21. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  22. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  23. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  24. ^ "Contacts". Rochambeau French International School. Archived 2000-01-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  25. ^ Neate, Rupert (December 4, 2015). "Chevy Chase, Maryland: the super-rich town that has it all – except diversity". The Guardian. Archived May 27, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  26. ^ Hull, Steve (July 23, 2018). "Washington Capitals' John Carlson Buys Home in Chevy Chase". Bethesda Magazine. Archived April 3, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  27. ^ Pollak, Suzanne (2023-01-12). "Chevy Chase's Wu Named Secretary of Labor for Moore Administration". Montgomery Community Media. Archived 2023-03-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  28. ^ "Bethesda, Chevy Chase Homes of The Rich and Famous". Bethesda Magazine. October 10, 2012. Archived November 7, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  29. ^ Elfin, David (July 6, 2015). "Q&A with the Owners of the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils and Washington Kastles". MoCo360. Archived March 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  30. ^ Arsenault, Raymond (2006), Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780199755813, archived 2024-02-25 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2020-10-25
  31. ^ "Maj. Gen. W. S. Matthews Dies". The Washington Post. 30 March 1981. Archived 27 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  32. ^ "Hilary Rhoda - Fashion Model - Profile on New York Magazine". New York. Archived 2016-11-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  33. ^ Richards, Chris (May 31, 2013). "Peter Rosenberg: From Montgomery County to top of the hip-hop heap". The Washington Post. Archived October 17, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  34. ^ Giannotto, Mark (February 4, 2011). "Danny Rubin goes from Landon to Boston College walk-on to ACC starter". The Washington Post. Archived April 3, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  35. ^ DJL (September 1990). "Obituary, Royal B. Lord". Assembly. pp. 85–88. – via Google Books
  36. ^ "Obituaries: Maj. Gen. Karl Truesdell". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. July 18, 1955. p. F6. Archived April 23, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 23, 2022. – via Newspapers.com