Senator Jamie Raskin

Takoma Park

The city of Takoma Park, Maryland is located in Montgomery County and was founded in 1883 by Benjamin Franklin Gilbert. Sharing a border with Washington D.C., Takoma Park is governed by the City Council, which includes the Mayor and six Council Members.

The 17,229 residents of Takoma Park possess a vast diversity in age, ethnicity, language, and economic conditions. Many writers, artists, and musicians call Takoma Park their home.

Takoma Park is home to a wide range of religious institutions, neighborhood associations, civic groups, and arts organizations, as well as over seven hundred businesses and non-profit organizations.

Widely known as Azalea City, Takoma Park is a sanctuary city, an official “Tree City, USA,” and is a nuclear free zone. The city permits residents who are not yet U.S. citizens to cast ballots in local elections and to hold office.

The Mayor of Takoma Park is Kathy Porter. The six Council Members are Joy Austin-Lane (Ward 1), Colleen Clay (Ward 2), Bruce Williams (Ward 3), Terry Seamens (Ward 4), Reuben Snipper (Ward 5), and Doug Barry (Ward 6).

Silver Spring

Just north of Washington D.C., Silver Spring, Maryland is named for a spring discovered by 19th-century journalist and politician Francis Preston Blair. Silver Spring is unique in that it is not a planned community or a municipality, and the unincorporated zone does not have a mayor or single elected official.

Located in Montgomery County, the city is one of the region’s fastest growing business and residential centers. The community of Silver Spring possesses remarkable diversity among its 76,540 residents, enabled by its surging Hispanic and African immigrant populations.

Silver Spring is home to a vast array of religious institutions, civic groups, open area parks, and businesses. Downtown Silver Spring hosts the American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Culture Center, the headquarters of Discovery Communications, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Silver Spring is also home to the Round House Theatre and its acclaimed resident theater company. In 2006, local leaders and community activists announced that the famed Birchmere Music Hall would be relocating in downtown Silver Spring.

Silver Spring was designated as an Art & Entertainment District by the State of Maryland in January of 2002. This makes Silver Spring the only A & E District in Montgomery County, allowing the city to attract numerous art entertainment venues.