Welcome to Bethesda ...

Bethesda is located in Montgomery County<1>.

The pronunciation of Bethesda: buh-TEZ-duh<2>

Bethesda was established in 1820.

Bethesda is 310 feet [94 m] above sea level.<3>.

Time Zone: Bethesda lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Bethesda: 301, 227 & 240<4>

The ZIP codes for Bethesda: 20810-20811, 20813-20817, 20824-20825, 20827, 20889, 20892, 20894<5>

Communities Also Named Bethesda ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 24 communities that are also named Bethesda - they are located in Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia (3), Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi (2), North Carolina (2), Ohio (2), Ontario (3), Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee (3), Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bethesda.

Websites for Bethesda ...

Chamber of Commerce: www.montgomerycountychamber.com/

Although we don't have any websites that are specific to Bethesda, the following might be of interest:

Communities near Bethesda ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Bethesda.

Arlington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Arlington is located in Arlington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Population from the 2010 Census: 207,627 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arlington <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Arlington
- From Bethesda to Arlington
Alexandria
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Alexandria is located in Alexandria City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexandria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 158,726 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alexandria <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Alexandria
- From Bethesda to Alexandria
Rockville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rockville is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 69,512 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockville <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Rockville
- From Bethesda to Rockville
Gaithersburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gaithersburg is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaithersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 67,741 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaithersburg <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Gaithersburg
- From Bethesda to Gaithersburg
Bowie
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Bowie is located in Prince George's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 58,212 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bowie <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Bowie
- From Bethesda to Bowie
College Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- College Park is located in Prince George's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32,173 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for College Park <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to College Park
- From Bethesda to College Park
Laurel
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel is located in Prince George's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,548 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurel <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Laurel
- From Bethesda to Laurel
Herndon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Herndon is located in Fairfax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,573 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herndon <6>
Fairfax
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fairfax is located in Fairfax City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,429 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairfax <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Fairfax
- From Bethesda to Fairfax
Greenbelt
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Greenbelt is located in Prince George's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbelt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,229 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenbelt <6>

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Bethesda. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Bethesda.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Bethesda. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethesda.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethesda. Our list includes 7 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Bethesda.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Bethesda ...

Looking for more information about Bethesda? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Bethesda, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Bethesda.

Adding Bethesda to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Bethesda in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found (so far) for Bethesda was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Bethesda.

Footnotes ...

<1>	If you're interested in how the shape of Maryland's counties, including Montgomery, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>	The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Bethesda. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
<3>	The elevation is an estimate for the area around Bethesda - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<4>	When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 301 code has been Overlayed with one of the following codes: 227 or 240. New phone numbers in the Bethesda area will be assigned with one of these codes: 301, 227 or 240. As a result, placing a call in the Bethesda area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<5>	ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Bethesda). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Bethesda or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Bethesda includes: 20810, 20813, 20814, 20815, 20816, 20824, 20827, 20889, 20892 & 20894.
<6>	While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.