Dictionary.com defines village as “a small community or group of houses” that is “larger than a hamlet and usually smaller than a town.” Chevy Chase Village, just over the Washington border in Maryland, fits that to a T.
With just 720 properties and a population of about 2,000, the village provides a distinct feeling of closeness for most of its residents.
“The people are friendly, I have lovely neighbors and it’s immensely convenient,” said Gail Feldman, who’s lived in the village for more than 30 years. “There may be other places that are just as convenient or just as lovely, but because we have our own government, I think it feeds that sense of community.”
In the early 1950s, Chevy Chase Village became one of the first incorporated municipalities in Montgomery County. It was founded in 1890 and became a special taxing area in 1914. Run by a board of managers, the village has its own police force of 11 and a full-time staff of four, including village manager Shana Davis-Cook.
“We have an old-fashioned sense of community that you typically don’t find in the D.C. area,” she said. “Our residents know they can pick up the phone and we’ll be here.”
The village collects its own trash, plows its own snow and regulates its own building codes, among other things.
“The services are absolutely fabulous,” said Liz Lavette Shorb, a real estate agent with Washington Fine Properties who sells houses in the village where she’s lived for nearly two decades. “You can leave your house keys with the police, and they’ll check on it when you go out of town.”
Other services are, well, leafy.
“The village is extremely proud of its canopy,” Davis-Cook said. “We maintain the trees through pruning, and we ensure that if a resident cuts down a tree, they plant one that will grow to be at least 45 feet.”
Come fall, all those trees produce a whole lot of fallen leaves, but you’d never know it. They’re collected every weekday during the season.
The half-square-mile community has six parks but no retail. The village hall, located just off Connecticut Avenue, is the epicenter of activity. It hosts the board of managers meetings, community events like holiday parties and the annual new-residents social; serves as the police station; and even is home to classes for both adults and children.
Among the current offerings: creative movements and drama for kids, Spanish, and self-defense for teens and adults.
It’s no wonder that many of the families in the village have lived there for three, four and even five generations, according to Davis-Cook.
“It’s definitely a place people come to raise their families,” she said. “A lot of people come and never leave.”
At a glance
December 2009
Average sold price for homes sold in ZIP code 20815: $986,875
Average list price for homes sold in ZIP code 20815: $1,053,993
Average days on market for homes sold: 82
December 2008
Average sold price for homes sold in ZIP code 20815: $937,274
Average list price for homes sold in ZIP code 20815: $1,014,908
Average days on market for homes sold: 61
