Editing North Bethesda, Maryland (section)

==History==
North Bethesda shares a common history with most of its [[Montgomery County, Maryland|Montgomery County]] neighbors. Archaeological evidence suggests that Paleo, Archaic, and Woodland Native Americans lived nearby, along the banks of the [[Potomac River]]. These peoples traveled along an ancient route known as the [[Seneca Trail]] (which is today approximately followed in North Bethesda by Old Georgetown Road). Like many ancient roads, the Seneca Trail followed a ridge line – in this case, the high ground between the [[Potomac River]] and [[Rock Creek (Potomac River)|Rock Creek]]. Much later, development would spring up along this route.

The recorded history of the area commences with the colonial era. Settlements formed along Rock Creek and the [[Seneca Trail]] in the 17th century, with recorded land grants in this area known originally as “Dan” and “Leeke Forest.” The far southern edge of the North Bethesda CDP was originally the country estate of the [[Grosvenor family]], whose lineage includes [[Alexander Graham Bell]] and a former President of the [[National Geographic Society]]. That region continues to bear the family's name, and is the location of the headquarters of the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation. Also in the southern sector of the census designated area, located in the triangle between the two limbs of I-270 and I-495, is a business district that includes several corporate and government agency headquarters.

[[File:Uncle toms cabin1.jpg|thumb|200px|The Riley plantation house and kitchen, located in the Tilden Woods neighborhood on Old Georgetown Road]]
In the early 19th century, much of the area was part of a {{convert|3700|acre|km2|adj=on}} tobacco plantation owned by a slaveowning family with the surname of Riley. One of the Rileys' slaves, [[Josiah Henson]], is thought by historians to be the inspiration for [[Harriet Beecher Stowe]]'s ''[[Uncle Tom's Cabin]].'' In 1806, the [[List of turnpikes in Maryland|Washington Turnpike Company]] was chartered to improve the old Seneca route, by then known as the Georgetown-Frederick Road. The road was opened in 1828, but had nearly washed away by 1848. The [[Riley-Bolten House|Riley plantation house]] was located on this road, and the plantation house's kitchen (in which Henson is known to have slept) still stands near the course of this road.

By the late 19th century, the area was privileged with stops along a train route, and by the early 20th century with its own trolley tracks on the line connecting Georgetown and Rockville (along current-day Fleming Avenue). During this time, development bloomed around train and trolley stops, and a number of wealthy families, including those of Captain [[James F. Oyster]] and [[Charles I. Corby]] (who developed methods that revolutionized the baking industry), lived or summered in the area. Nonetheless, the area remained sparsely populated through the 1920s.

The arrival of the automobile eventually transformed the area into a commuter suburb of [[Washington, D.C.]] By the 1950s, the area had sprouted a number of developer-conceived neighborhoods with tract houses for the middle-class.

While some traditional neighborhoods remain, other areas have struggled with issues related to [[suburban sprawl]].{{clarify|date=September 2016|reason=In what way are only some of the neighborhoods traditional, and what are the issues related to suburban sprawl with which other areas struggle?}} Like most other suburbs in Montgomery County, the [[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]] (M-NCPPC) engages in master planning for all development. The White Flint Master Plan is designed to alleviate negative aspects of future high-density development in North Bethesda.<ref name="White Flint Master Plan">{{cite web |title = White Flint - North Bethesda Master Plan|url = http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/whiteflint/|publisher  = [[Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission]]
|access-date = 2012-05-01}}</ref>