A
neighborhood /
community in the state of
Maryland,
USA, which borders on
Washington, D.C. Technically, Silver Spring isn't an actual
town or
city; it's an
unincorporated urban district within
Montgomery County, Maryland. As such, Silver Spring doesn't have a
mayor, a
city council, or a
police department, but rather is governed by the
Montgomery County Council, headed by the
County Executive.
Silver Spring, not being an
incorporated city and all,
doesn't really have an offical
boundary. Not really a big deal, but it's possible to live in a house in
Wheaton,
Maryland, have a Silver Spring,
Maryland mailing address, and a
Kensington,
Maryland phone number.
Confused? Welcome to
Maryland.
In 1842, while
horseback riding through the area, a
newspaper publisher named
Francis Preston Blair came upon a
sparkling spring (sparkling, because the water contained
mica), and decided to build a summer home on that spot. Blair called his house "Silver Spring," and the name stuck.
Silver Spring is also the home of the original
Tastee Diner.