White Oak is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...
and an unincorporated area in
Montgomery County,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
, United States. It had a population of 16,347 in 2020.
White Oak was known for its
Naval Ordnance Laboratory, which was closed in 1994. The headquarters of the
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...
now occupies the property, which has been renamed the Federal Research Center at White Oak.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the locality has a total area of square miles ( km), all land.
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
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
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...
have been established by the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, while the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
recognizes White Oak to be a populated place located at (39.039832, –76.993032).
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
"Quaint Acres" is a subdivision of White Oak just north of modern
Route 29 and west of
New Hampshire Avenue
New Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles (8 km) and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenue ...
. The subdivision was named after the house of
Altus Lacy Quaintance
Altus Lacy Quaintance (December 19, 1870 – August 7, 1958) was an American entomologist who specialized in the study of insect pests of fruit trees. He was recognized as an expert on Aleyrodidae, a family of white flies that are major pests of ...
, a State Entomologist of Maryland who worked at the
Maryland Agricultural College and later at the
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
.
On 26 May 1945, a
TB-25D 'Mitchell' bomber en route from Biloxi to
Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling:
English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking".
German (Bölling): from ...
crashed near Quaint Acres, killing all four aboard. The bomber was piloted by Dudley M. Outcalt who flew in the
94th Aero Squadron during World War I.
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.
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.
Demographics
2020 census
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''
2010 Census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2010, there were people, households, and families residing in the White Oak area.
The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was people per square mile (/km).
There were housing units at an average density of per square mile (/km).
The racial makeup of the area was 27.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 49.4%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 8.9%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 9.1% from
other races, and 4.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 18.4% of the population.
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.
21.6% of the population were
non-Hispanic whites, 47.8% were non-Hispanic blacks, and 8.9% were non-Hispanic Asians.
The largest ancestry groups by race, according to current estimates, were:
* 53.2% African, Afro-Caribbean, or African American (12.5% other
Sub-Saharan African
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African co ...
, 4.1%
Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
, 1.8%
Haitian, 1.4%
Jamaican, 0.7%
Kenyan)
* 17.6% White (3.2%
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 2.9%
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
, 2.4%
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
, 2.3%
Irish, 1.6%
Italian, 0.9%
Polish)
* 19.1% Hispanic or Latino (9.4%
Salvadoran, 2.69%
Dominican, 1.38%
Guatemalan, 1.27%
Mexican, 1.26%
Puerto Rican)
* 7.1% Asian (2.49%
Vietnamese, 1.66%
Korean, 1.11%
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
, 0.83%
Chinese)
White Oak is home to a large population
Orthodox and
Conservative Jews
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...
. The Silver Spring Eruv Association includes parts of White Oak and the nearby neighborhoods of
Kemp Mill and
Colesville. An earlier
eruv
An eruv (; he, עירוב, , also transliterated as eiruv or erub, plural: eruvin or eruvim) is a ritual halakhic enclosure made for the purpose of allowing activities which are normally prohibited on Shabbat (due to the prohibition of '' h ...
existed around the White Oak Apartments, until the larger eruv was constructed. White Oak is home to an Orthodox synagogue, the Southeast Hebrew Congregation. Southeast Hebrew was originally founded by Orthodox
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...
an 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
Riggs Park, also known as ''"Lamond Riggs"'', is a residential neighborhood in Ward 4 of Northeast Washington, D.C. Riggs Park is contained between Eastern Avenue N.E. to the east, Riggs Road N.E. to the south, North Capitol Street N.W. to the ...
, 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.
Education
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 The Northeast Consortium is a group of high schools in northeast Montgomery County, Maryland, composed of James Hubert Blake High School, Paint Branch High School and Springbrook High School. Each school in the consortium is part of a "signature pr ...
schools,
Blake High School,
Paint Branch High School, and
Springbrook High School
Springbrook High School is an American public high school, located in Montgomery County, Maryland, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is located within the White Oak census-designated place, and has a Silver Spring mailing address. I ...
.
Springbrook is located in the White Oak CDP.
[2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: White Oak CDP, MD]
Archive
. U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Retrieved on June 22, 2015.
External links
*
References
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Maryland
Census-designated places in Montgomery County, Maryland
Conservative Judaism in Maryland
Jews and Judaism in Silver Spring, Maryland
Orthodox Jewish communities
Orthodox Judaism in Maryland