• Nearest Airport: RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL

• Community Characteristics: Significant Percentage of Family Households, Close to Military Facility(ies), Many Single Family Dwellings

• Population: 51,250

• Income Per Capita: $71,665

• Average Household Expenditure: $109,070

 

Kentlands is a planned community located in Gaithersburg, MD, not far from I-270. It consists of nearly two thousand homes, many of which were specially designed for the neighborhood by both local and national builders. Kentlands’ modest commercial district is home to an art deco cinema, diner, and skating rink as well as a Fresh Fields Whole Foods Market and its own post office, Kentlands Station. The neighborhood also boasts a wildlife sanctuary, in addition to several man-made lakes.

Kentlands was originally the site of a privately owned wheat farm known as Wheatlands. However, by the 1980s it had caught the attention of developers as one of the few remaining undeveloped pieces of land in the Rockville area. The property was purchased in 1988 by Joseph Alfandre, a local developer, who then hired DPZ, the urban planning firm behind one of the nation’s first New Urban communities, Seaside, FL. Together with Gaithersburg’s city officials, DPZ planned and developed the mixed-use neighborhood that would become Kentlands. Today, Kentlands is made up of a number of residential sub-neighborhoods, over one million square feet of commercial space, a burgeoning civic arts center, and a central clubhouse complete with full-time recreation director. The monthly Kentlands Town Crier keeps residents informed of community events like the Kentlands Oktoberfest, Labor Day Bash, and Memorial Day picnic, while an active civic association protects residents’ interests and coordinates community improvements. Read more...

 

Like nearby King Farm, Kentlands is a model of New Urban planning. The neighborhood is pedestrian-friendly, with shops and restaurants within easy walking distance. Streets are leafy and narrow, lined with charming houses that are fronted by tidy gardens. Parks and tot lots, as well as the man-made lakes, are open to the public and enhance the community’s natural beauty. Many of the original buildings have been refurbished and now serve as community centers and meeting areas. These achievements in planning, however, were not predestined. They were the result of not only the vision and hope of the property’s previous owner, Otis Beall Kent, but also the hard work and vigilant advocacy of the community’s residents. That hard work is documented by the Kentlands’ New Urbanism Committee and carried on by the Kentlands’ Citizens Assembly.

Kentlands’ students are served by the Montgomery County Public School System, which is the 17th largest in the nation, and more specifically by the seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools that are located in Gaithersburg. One of these elementary schools, Rachel Carson Elementary School, was envisioned and constructed as part of the Kentlands community. Lakelands Park Middle School is conveniently located in the adjacent sister community of Lakelands. Kentlands also has its own childcare facility, Kentlands Children’s Center.

Kentlands’ look and feel, evocative of a small town of yesteryear, give it a unique appeal. The close-knit community and the quiet streets add to the overall feeling of safety, while the abundance of greenery and the system of lakes suggest a more rural lifestyle. For many looking to avoid the harried demands of city living, Kentlands offers an ideal – and ideally located – escape.

Interested in living in Kentlands? Search for Kentlands homes for sale or other Kentlands real estate now.

Resource: Long & Foster