Population: 129,785 Central Bethesda: 85,000 Potomac: 44,785 Office Market: 30 msf First Settled: 1812 Incorporated: Never Total Land Area: 46.2 sq miles Distance From DC: 7.6 miles Government: County

Bethesda sits in lower Montgomery County near the border with DC. It anchors both the upper end of the Northwest Washington corridor and the lower end of the I-270 corridor, and its office market is the largest in Maryland. It’s home to the power-elite of suburban Maryland, and in terms of suburban urbanity is rivaled in its state only by Silver Spring. Locally Bethesda is famous for two things: It’s the best restaurant spot in the region, with almost 200 eateries in downtown alone; and it’s the health capital of the country, home to the National Institute of Health, the National Naval Medical Center and countless biotechnology companies.

Downtown Bethesda is striking. It’s dense, pedestrian friendly, has a good mix of uses and architecture, and an active street life during both the day and evening. It's hands-down one of the finest examples of successful Transit Oriented Development anywhere in the country. For BeyondDC's money, it’s the cream of the DC region's crop of secondary activity centers.