Derwood, Maryland

Derwood was first recognized in the 1880s as a train stop on the B&O Railroad, which is now the intersection of Indianola Drive and Maryland Route 355 in Derwood Station. A second, larger railroad station was built in Derwood from 1886 to 1889. In the early 1900s, a small community grew up around the station. On January 7, 1954, Schwartz Mill caught fire and both it and the Derwood railroad station were destroyed. Derwood station was never rebuilt, since there were not enough passengers traveling through the area. In 1965, the man-made Lake Needwood was created by impounding Rock Creek. In 1974, the Derwood post office relocated to Redland Shopping Center. It kept the name "Derwood Branch," and designated the entire 20855 zip code area as Derwood, greatly increasing its size. The community's population expanded with the establishment of Shady Grove Metro station in 1984. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, Derwood has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Derwood is located in the north central part of Montgomery County, in the Atlantic coastal plain. The community is near the start of the Appalachian highlands. Derwood has a humid subtropical climate similar to nearby Washington D.C. It lies in hardiness zone 7a, with chilly winters, where the daily maximum temperatures are mostly above freezing, and the minimum are generally below freezing. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Derwood had a population of 2,535. The median age was 42.6 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.6 males age 18 and over. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. There were 966 households in Derwood, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.7% were married-couple households, 14.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. ==Economy==

Goodwill Industries is based in Derwood. ==Public schools==

Residents are zoned to Montgomery County Public Schools. Students who are residents of Derwood are either in the Magruder or Richard Montgomery cluster and attend the following schools, some of which are outside of Derwood: • Elementary schools • Washington Grove Elementary School • Mill Creek Towne Elementary School • Sequoyah Elementary School • Candlewood Elementary School • College Gardens Elementary School • Judith A Resnik Elementary School • Middle schools • Redland Middle School • Shady Grove Middle School • Julius West Middle School • High schools • Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School • Richard Montgomery High School ==References==