White Oak, Maryland

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White Oak, Maryland
census-designated place
Aerial view of White Oak, Maryland, in January 2007.
Aerial view of White Oak, Maryland, in January 2007.
Location of White Oak, Maryland
Location of White Oak, Maryland
Coordinates: 39°02′23″N 76°59′35″W / 39.039832°N 76.993032°W / 39.039832; -76.993032 (White Oak)Coordinates: 39°02′23″N 76°59′35″W / 39.039832°N 76.993032°W / 39.039832; -76.993032 (White Oak)[1]
Country United States
State Maryland
County Montgomery
Area
 • Total3.78 sq mi (9.790155 km2)
 • Land3.78 sq mi (9.790155 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
387[1] ft (118[1] m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total16,347
 • Density4,300/sq mi (1,700/km2)
Time zoneUTC-05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
FIPS code24-84375[1][2]
GNIS feature ID0591544[1]

White Oak is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 16,347 in 2020.[3]

White Oak was known for its Naval Ordnance Laboratory, which was closed in 1994. The headquarters of the Food and Drug Administration now occupies the property, which has been renamed the Federal Research Center at White Oak. According to the United States Census Bureau, the locality has a total area of 3.78 square miles (9.79 km2), all land.[2]

White Oak is a diverse neighborhood. The main area of White Oak is from Lockwood Drive starting from New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650) towards Stewart Lane, crossing Columbia Pike (U.S. 29).

Geography[edit]

As an unincorporated area, White Oak's boundaries are not officially defined by either a municipal government or by the government of Montgomery County. Boundaries for the White Oak census-designated place have been established by the United States Census Bureau, while the United States Geological Survey recognizes White Oak to be a populated place located at 39°02′23″N 76°59′35″W / 39.039832°N 76.993032°W / 39.039832; -76.993032 (39.039832, –76.993032).[1] Many of its residents consider themselves to be residents of the White Oak neighborhood of Silver Spring, similar to how large cities have different neighborhoods within their borders.

Quaint Acres[edit]

"Quaint Acres" is a subdivision of White Oak just north of modern Route 29 and west of New Hampshire Avenue. The subdivision was named after the house [4] of Altus Lacy Quaintance, a State Entomologist of Maryland who worked at the Maryland Agricultural College and later at the USDA.[5]

On 26 May 1945, a TB-25D 'Mitchell' bomber en route from Biloxi to Bolling Field crashed near Quaint Acres, killing all four aboard.[6] The bomber was piloted by Dudley M. Outcalt [7] who flew in the 94th Aero Squadron during World War I.[8]

After the war, the Quaint Acres subdivision was home to famed naturalist Rachel Carson and where she wrote Silent Spring in 1962, the book that facilitated the ban of the pesticide DDT in the United States. She built the ranch house at 11701 Berwick Rd. in 1956, and lived there until her death in 1964. The house is a National Historic Landmark, but not open to the public.[9]

Quaint Acres was also the Washington area home to Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to be elected to both the U.S. House and the Senate.[10]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
200020,973—
201017,403−17.0%
202016,347−6.1%
[11]
2010–2020[3]

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,403 people, 6,520 households, and 4,227 families residing in the White Oak area.[2][12] The population density was 4,605.2 people per square mile (11,927.4/km2).[2] There were 6,865 housing units at an average density of 1,816.1 per square mile (701.2/km2).[12] The racial makeup of the area was 27.7% White, 49.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 8.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.1% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races.[12] Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.4% of the population.[12] 6% of White Oak's residents were White Hispanics/Latinos, 21.6% were Hispanics/Latinos from some other race, and 1.5% were Afro-Latinos.[12] 21.6% of the population were non-Hispanic whites, 47.8% were non-Hispanic blacks, and 8.9% were non-Hispanic Asians.[12]

The largest ancestry groups by race, according to current estimates, were:[13]

White Oak is home to a large population Orthodox and Conservative Jews. The Silver Spring Eruv Association includes parts of White Oak and the nearby neighborhoods of Kemp Mill and Colesville. An earlier eruv existed around the White Oak Apartments, until the larger eruv was constructed.[14] White Oak is home to an Orthodox synagogue, the Southeast Hebrew Congregation. Southeast Hebrew was originally founded by Orthodox Eastern European immigrants in 1909 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Many Jews began to move out of Southeast Washington beginning in the 1930s and Southeast Hebrew was relocated to White Oak in 1971. Between 1965 and 2011, White Oak was home to Shaare Tefila Congregation, a Conservative synagogue. Shaare Tefila was originally founded in Riggs Park, a historically Jewish neighborhood in Washington, D.C once known as DC's "Little Tel Aviv." Founded in 1951, Shaare Tefila was relocated to White Oak in 1965. In 2011, Shaare Tefila was relocated again, moving to Olney where many young members now reside.[15][16][17]

Education[edit]

Depending on how White Oak is geographically defined, students attend Cresthaven, Jackson Road and Burnt Mills Elementary Schools, which feed into White Oak and Francis Scott Key Middle School. Eighth-grade students have the option of choosing between the three Northeast Consortium schools, Blake High School, Paint Branch High School, and Springbrook High School.

Springbrook is located in the White Oak CDP.[18]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "White Oak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1979-09-12. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  2. ^ a b c d "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: White Oak CDP, Maryland". Census Bureau QuickFacts. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  3. ^ a b "QuickFacts: White Oak CDP, Maryland". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Garden Center Idea Spreads As Means of Diffusing Ideas", The Washington Post, July 28, 1935.
  5. ^ "Microsoft Word - HistoryBissell.doc" (PDF). Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Plane Blown To Bits With 4 Near D.C.," The Washington Post, May 27, 1945 page M1
  7. ^ "May 1945 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports". www.aviationarchaeology.com.
  8. ^ "1st Pursuit Group Records - 1918 - November and December". Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Museums". Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  10. ^ Ruben, Barbara (26 May 2007). "Chirp and Kwirr In Quaint Acres". Retrieved 24 October 2016 – via washingtonpost.com.
  11. ^ Boundaries reduced from 2000-2010
  12. ^ a b c d e f "White CDP, Maryland — Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 — 2010 — Demographic Profile Data — Table Viewer — American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  13. ^ "The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas". statisticalatlas.com. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  14. ^ "An Imaginary Wall Encloses Community of Orthodox Jews". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  15. ^ "SOUTHEAST HEBREW CONGREGATION". Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  16. ^ "SHAARE TEFILA CONGREGATION". Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  17. ^ "Making the Rounds". Orthodox Union. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  18. ^ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: White Oak CDP, MD" (Archive). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on June 22, 2015.
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