Gaithersburg, Maryland

Gaithersburg, Maryland
City of Gaithersburg
Top to bottom, left to right: the NIST Advanced Measurement Laboratory, the Gaithersburg city hall, a row of Gaithersburg townhouses, the Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church, the John A. Belt Building, and the Washingtonian Waterfront
Nickname: 
"GBurg"
Motto: 
"A Character Counts! city"
Location in Montgomery County and Maryland
Gaithersburg
Location in Maryland
Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg (the United States)
Coordinates: 39°7′55″N 77°13′35″W / 39.13194°N 77.22639°W / 39.13194; -77.22639
Country United States
State Maryland
County Montgomery
Settled (as Log Town)1765
Founded1802
Incorporated (as a town)April 5, 1878
Ascension (to city status)1968
Named afterBenjamin Gaither
Government
  MayorJud Ashman
  Council MembersNeil Harris
Lisa Henderson
Yamil Hernández
Jim McNulty
Robert T. Wu
Area
  Total
10.44 sq mi (27.05 km2)
  Land10.32 sq mi (26.73 km2)
  Water0.12 sq mi (0.32 km2)
Elevation
350 ft (110 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
69,657
  Density6,749.06/sq mi (2,605.78/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Area codes301, 240
FIPS code24-31175
GNIS feature ID2390591
Websitegaithersburgmd.gov

Gaithersburg (/ˈɡθərzbɜːrɡ/ GAY-thərz-burg) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous community in the state. Gaithersburg is located to the northwest of Washington, D.C., and is considered a suburb and a primary city within the Washington metropolitan area. Gaithersburg was incorporated as a town in 1878 and as a city in 1968.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is headquartered in Gaithersburg directly west of I-270. Other major employers in the city include IBM, Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services business area headquarters, AstraZeneca. Gaithersburg is also the location of the garrison of the United States Army Reserve Legal Command.