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Bethesda Vacations, Travel Packages and Bethesda Tours
Bethesda is an unincorporated area in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, just Northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, built in 1820 and rebuilt in 1850, which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda. (In Aramaic, beth hesda means "house of mercy".) It is one of the most affluent and highly educated locales in the country, placing eleventh (four places behind less urban, but even more exclusive Potomac, MD) on CNNMoney.com's list of top-earning American towns.
As an unincorporated area, Bethesda has no official boundaries. The United States Census Bureau defines a Census-Designated Place named Bethesda whose center in Maryland. As of 2000, the Census-defined community had a total population of 55,277.
Bethesda History
Bethesda is situated along a major thoroughfare that was originally the route of an ancient Native American trail. Between 1805 and 1820, it was developed into a toll road to carry tobacco and other products between Georgetown and Frederick. Starting around 1920, various sections of the road were paved and widened. The route is now known as Wisconsin Avenue, becoming Rockville Pike just north of the Bethesda town center.[citation needed]
The community of Bethesda took its name from the Bethesda Meeting House, a Presbyterian church built in 1820 on the present site of the Cemetery of the Bethesda Meeting House, located now at 9400 Rockville Pike. The church burnt in 1850 and was rebuilt the same year about 100 yards south at its present site. In 1871, the local post office adopted the name "Bethesda" from the church and in due course the surrounding area generally took on the name.
www.wikipedia.com
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