Wheaton, Maryland | |
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Census-designated place | |
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Location of Wheaton, Maryland | |
Coordinates: 39°02′57″N 77°03′26″W / 39.04917°N 77.05722°WCoordinates: 39°02′57″N 77°03′26″W / 39.04917°N 77.05722°W | |
Country | United States of America |
State | Maryland |
County | Montgomery |
Area | |
• Land | 6.90 sq mi (17.9 km2) |
Elevation | 387 ft (118 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 48,284 |
• Density | 6,997.7/sq mi (2,701.8/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
FIPS code | 24-83775 |
GNIS feature ID | 2652342 |
Wheaton is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, north of Washington, D.C., northwest of Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton (1833–1903), a career officer in the United States Army and volunteer from Rhode Island in the Union Army who rose to the rank of major-general while serving before, during, and after the American Civil War.
Wheaton was split into its own CDP by the United States Census Bureau for the 2010 Census, which found its population to be 48,284. The United States Postal Service has assigned ZIP code 20902 to Wheaton, but the Wheaton Post Office is part of the Silver Spring area. Downtown Wheaton can be found at the intersections of Veirs Mill Road (Md. Rt. 586), University Boulevard (Md. Rt. 193), and Georgia Avenue (Md. Rt. 97).
Wheaton developed from Leesborough (named in 1826), a small business district which popped near the junction of three major roads: The first is Brookeville Pike (also known as the "Washington-Brookeville Pike" and later as the "Union Turnpike", now MD Route 97, Georgia Ave) a north/south toll thoroughfare running from Washington, DC to Brookeville, Maryland and eventually to Baltimore, Maryland.