Once known for its tranquil neighborhoods filled with brick colonials and pedestrian-friendly streets, Silver Spring is growing into an increasingly urban center with a rich diversity of dining, shopping, entertainment and recreation, as well as tall office buildings, residential high-rises and public transit. The downtown area is a lively scene with shops and restaurants near Veterans Plaza, where there’s likely to be something going on, whether it’s a cultural festival in the summer or outdoor ice-skating in the winter. Arts venues such as The Fillmore and AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, as well as large businesses, governmental agencies and the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center contribute to making Silver Spring a cultural and economic hub.
Quick Facts
- Population
- 81,015
- Education
- High school graduate or higher: 87.1%
- Bachelor’s degree or higher: 59.3%
- Income
- Median household income: $95,213
- Housing
- Median value of owner-occupied housing units: $606,100
- Commute
- Mean travel time to work: 33.5 minutes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
- Mean travel time to work: 33.5 minutes
What locals say:
“I love living in Silver Spring. My favorite spots include Jesup Blair Park for the fields of native spring beauty that come up each year and the hundreds of daffodils that also bloom there each spring. I love living across the street from the Fenton Community Garden. I grow lots of vegetables, cutting flowers and herbs there. It is great to get to know my fellow plot gardeners, many of whom live nearby. Every year, the plot gardeners have an end-of-harvest potluck party where we share what we grew and collect excess produce for the local HarvestShare program.”
—Kathy Jentz, host of the GardenDC podcast and garden communicator (speaker, author and editor)
#2 Best Suburb for Young Professionals in Maryland
Niche 2024
#2 Most Diverse City in America
WalletHub 2024
This story appears in Bethesda Magazine’s 2024-2025 Insider’s Guide.
