Where Derwood sits on the map
Derwood is an unincorporated community and census‑designated place tucked into east‑central Montgomery County, Maryland. It sits just north of Rockville, southeast of Gaithersburg, southwest of Olney, and northwest of Greater Silver Spring—close enough to everything, yet easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.
The name has evolved over time: once called “Deer Park,” then “Deer Wood,” the area eventually settled on the name Derwood, a nod to its woodland roots and the region’s early character.
Neighborhoods that define the community
Derwood’s unincorporated footprint stretches across a patchwork of neighborhoods, including Derwood Heights, Derwood Station, Mill Creek Towne, Needwood Estates, Muncaster Manor and Muncaster View, Hollybrooke, Granby Woods, Park Overlook, Preserve at Rock Creek, Redland Crossing, Candlewood Park, Cashell Estates, and the Avery communities (Forest, Lodge, Village).
You’ll also find Bowie Mill Estates and Bowie Mill Park, Winters Run, Redland Station, Rolling Knolls, Emory Grove, and Shady Grove Crossing within the broader community. The official census‑designated place covers a smaller slice of this territory, but the day‑to‑day identity of Derwood is shaped by all of these corners.
Rails, roads, and the growth that followed
Derwood first entered the map in the 1880s as a stop on the B&O Railroad. A larger station followed between 1886 and 1889, and a small town took shape around it in the early 1900s—stores, homes, and the everyday rhythms of a community tied to the rails.
On January 7, 1954, a fire destroyed Schwartz Mill and the Derwood station. With passenger numbers too low to justify rebuilding, the railroad era quietly closed. But Derwood didn’t fade. In 1984, the Shady Grove Metro station opened nearby, catalyzing new growth and connecting residents to the region’s job centers.
Decades later, between 2009 and 2011, the Intercounty Connector (Maryland Route 200) carved a modern transit link through central Derwood, touching areas like Cashell Estates and corridors near Shady Grove Road—another reminder that infrastructure continues to shape the community’s arc.
Lake Needwood: the heart of the outdoors
Created in 1965 by impounding Rock Creek, Lake Needwood anchors local recreation with calm waters and woodland trails. It’s a man‑made lake with a natural feel—one of those places that locals claim for early runs, quiet paddles, and fall color.
How a post office reshaped the map
In 1974, the Derwood post office moved to the Redland Shopping Center and retained the name “Derwood Branch.” With that move, the entire 20855 ZIP code was designated as Derwood, expanding how the area was recognized on mailboxes, maps, and in the minds of residents.
What Derwood means today
Derwood may not shout for attention, but it quietly blends history, neighborhoods, and nature into a community with deep local roots. If you know where to look—between the lake, the rail remnants, and the modern connectors—you see a place that’s been evolving for more than a century, at its own steady pace.