Germantown, Maryland

===Economic growth and modern development (1980–present)===
[[File:Wea02110 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg|thumb|[[Seneca Creek State Park]]'s Clopper Lake in October 2002]]
Since the early 1980s, Germantown has experienced rapid economic and population growth, both in the form of townhouses and single-family dwellings, and an urbanized "town center" has been built. Germantown was the fastest growing zip code in the [[Washington metropolitan area]] and Maryland in 1986, and the 1980s saw a population growth of 323.3% for Germantown.<ref>{{cite news|title=Germantown: Zip Code Seeking Identity; Montgomery Community's Dream Is Sidetracked by Economics|last=Meyer|first= Eugene L.|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=March 17, 1987|page=A1|id={{ProQuest|306866256}}}}</ref>

In 2000, the Upcounty Regional Services Center opened in Germantown, and a 16,000 square feet section of the first floor was home to the Germantown Public Library for several years until it moved to a new, 19 million dollar complex in 2007.<ref name="RenamedCenter">{{cite web |url=http://www.gazette.net/article/20130930/NEWS/130939994/1261/germantown-center-renamed-for-former-county-executive&template=gazette |first=Sylvia |last=Carignan |location=9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, Maryland |title=Germantown center renamed for former county executive: Ceremony to be held Sept. 29 |date=September 30, 2013 |work=The Gazette |publisher=Post-Newsweek Media, Inc. |access-date=October 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005153634/http://www.gazette.net/article/20130930/NEWS/130939994/1261/germantown-center-renamed-for-former-county-executive%26template%3Dgazette |archive-date=October 5, 2013 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name="GTPL">{{cite book|last=Coleman|first=Margaret|title=Then & Now: Around Germantown|url=http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=wikipedia&q=isbn%3A9780738554167|access-date=March 8, 2013|year=2008|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|location=Charleston, South Carolina|isbn=978-0-7385-5416-7|page=58|quote=Until recent years, Germantown book lovers went to the library in Gaithersburg or patronized the weekly bookmobile. In the year 2000, the Upcounty Regional Services Center opened and the largest first-floor space became the library. In 2007, the Germantown Public Library moved to its own, separate location. The new library opened at a cost of $19 million. Now library space is enlarged from 16,000 to 44,193 square feet on two levels. There are 180,000 volumes on the shelves, and 37 PCs available for public use.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mont.lib.md.us/gt.html|title=Germantown Community Library|date=November 1996|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970330211323/http://www.mont.lib.md.us/gt.html|archive-date=March 30, 1997|work=Montgomery County Public Libraries|location=Montgomery County, Maryland}}</ref> On September 29, 2013, it was renamed as the Sidney Kramer Upcounty Regional Services Center after Sidney Kramer, Montgomery County executive from 1986 to 1990.<ref name="RenamedCenter"/>

In October 2000, the [[Maryland SoccerPlex]] opened in Germantown.<ref name="History">{{cite web|url=http://www.mdsoccerplex.org/aboutus/mdsoccerplex/857704.html|title=Maryland Soccerplex History|publisher=Maryland Soccer Foundation|date=May 6, 2000|access-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609035021/http://www.mdsoccerplex.org/aboutus/mdsoccerplex/857704.html|archive-date=June 9, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The sports complex includes nineteen natural grass fields, three artificial fields, a 5,200 seat soccer stadium with lighting and press box, eight indoor convertible basketball/volleyball courts.<ref name="Soccerplex Map"/> Two miniature golf courses, a splash park, a driving range, an archery course, community garden, model boat pond, two BMX courses, tennis center, and a swim center are also located within the confines of the complex.<ref name="Soccerplex Map">{{cite web|url=http://www.mdsoccerplex.org/aboutus/mdsoccerplex/857706.html|title=Maryland Soccerplex Map|publisher=Maryland Soccer Foundation|access-date=August 14, 2017|archive-date=August 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825061451/http://www.mdsoccerplex.org/aboutus/mdsoccerplex/857706.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The soccerplex was the home of the [[Washington Spirit]] of the [[National Women's Soccer League]] from 2013 to 2019.<ref name="History"/>

On October 14, 2002, the [[D.C. sniper attacks|D.C. snipers]] briefly stopped at Milestone Shopping center in Germantown.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7sSzi4c_Fc&list=PLOYjsh73gPKRoMOpdsZwLm_ny3cNyoSgy&index=21&ab_channel=FOX5WashingtonDC | title=Call Me God - Episode 6 &#124; Three Weeks of Hell: The DC Snipers Podcast | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref>

In 2003, one of Germantown's trailer parks, the Cider Barrel Mobile Home Park, closed after decades of operation, having been in business since at least the 1970s.<ref name=last2close>{{cite news |url=http://www.gazette.net/stories/112807/germnew201732_32363.shtml |title=County's last trailer park to close |newspaper=The Gazette |date=November 28, 2007 |access-date=July 19, 2018 |first=Meghan |last=Tierney |archive-date=July 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719113716/http://www.gazette.net/stories/112807/germnew201732_32363.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://insidemc.montgomerycollege.edu/details.php?id=41472 |title=William E. Cross Foundation Awards $20,000 to Support Montgomery College Students |publisher=Montgomery College |date=December 3, 2012 |access-date=July 19, 2018 |quote=The Cross family established the Cider Barrel Mobile Home Park on Route 355 in Germantown, Md., not far from the College's Germantown Campus. }}</ref> Despite this closure, the Barrel building itself was preserved, with a cluster of [[apartment#Garden apartment (US)|garden apartments]] erected near it.<ref name=last2close />

On August 14, 2011, a [[7-Eleven]] convenience store in downtown Germantown fell victim to a [[flash rob|flash mob robbery]] of nearly forty people.<ref name="FlashMobRob"/> The incident garnered widespread attention in the United States and internationally.<ref name="FlashMobRob">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/possible-flash-mob-robbery-in-germantown/2011/08/15/gIQAmZFvGJ_blog.html#pagebreak|title=Police probe Germantown flash-mob thefts|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 15, 2011|access-date=March 10, 2013|author=Justin Jouvenal and Dan Morse}}</ref>

Holy Cross Health opened a {{convert|237000|sqft|adj=on}} hospital on the campus of Montgomery College in October 2014, becoming the first hospital in the U.S. to be built on a community college campus.<ref name="HCH">{{cite web|url=http://www.holycrosshealth.org/about-holycrossgermantown|title=About Holy Cross Health – Germantown|publisher=Holy Cross Health|access-date=September 19, 2017}}</ref> The opening of the new 93-bed hospital strengthened the college's medical program by giving students the opportunity for hands-on work and access to more advanced medical technology.<ref name="HCH"/> The hospital was projected to eventually bring 5,000 new jobs to the area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.holycrosshealth.org/hcgh |title=Holy Cross Germantown Hospital |publisher=Holy Cross Health |access-date=May 11, 2014 }}</ref>

In August 2017, Brandi Edinger initiated efforts to [[crowdfund]] the repurposing of the historic Cider Barrel as a bakery via [[Kickstarter]], but failed to meet the $80,000 goal set.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zimmermann |first1=Joe |title=Germantown Resident Hopes to Resurrect Cider Barrel as Bakery |url=https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/dine/germantown-resident-hopes-to-resurrect-cider-barrel-as-bakery/ |website=Bethesda Magazine |access-date=2 January 2020 |date=10 August 2017}}</ref> On January 1, 2020, it was reported that plans are underway to reopen the Barrel in the spring of that year after it was closed for nearly two decades.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tsironis |first1=Alex |title=The Cider Barrel to Reopen This Spring |url=https://www.mocoshow.com/blog/the-cider-barrel-is-coming-back/ |website=The MoCoShow |access-date=2 January 2020 |date=1 January 2020}}</ref> However, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] it had been delayed indefinitely.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pekow |first1=Charles |title=Will the Cider Barrel ever reopen? |url=https://www.montgomerymag.com/will-the-cider-barrel-ever-reopen/ |website=Montgomery Magazine |access-date=6 July 2022 |date=6 April 2022}}</ref>