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Originally known as Mechanicsville, the village which became Olney was established in 1800. The area was mostly farmland, but it soon began attracting artisans. Early residents Sarah Brooke and Dr. Charles Farquhar were devotees of the English poet William Cowper, and named their home after the poet's hometown. The area was in turn named for their home, which still stands and is known as the Olney House.
The Brooke family held the largest tracts of land in Olney, whose central village was at the intersection of the Rockville to Baltimore road, and the one which connected Washington with Westminster, Maryland to the north. The Quaker community in Sandy Spring thrived just to Olney's east. St. John's Episcopal Church was established in 1842 and survives to this day.
After the siege of Washington by the British in 1814 during the War of 1812, President Madison and his family passed through Olney en route to taking refuge in the neighboring town of Brookeville. Although not as involved in the Civil War as areas of Maryland to the west, Olney residents still experienced the tug-of-war between loyalty to the plantation economy of the South and to the Federal government in Maryland's midst.
Olney's growth was slow through the next hundred years, with the census of 1960 showing only some 1000 residents. During the next four decades though, commuters working in Washington, D.C. and in the high tech industry developing around nearby Rockville began to look toward Olney for homes. Very large tracts of former farmland were redeveloped into large-scale residential developments with mixed single family and townhouses. Large developments began in the 1960s and 1970s with Williamsburg Village, Tanterra, Olney Mill, and Highlands of Olney. It continued into 1980s with Norbeck Hills, Hallowell, Briars Acres, Olney Oaks and culminated in the 1990s and 2000s with Lake Hallowell, James Creek, Barnsley Manor Estates and Norbeck Grove. Coupled with the residential growth of Olney was the expansion of the school system which meant the renovation of most of the areas schools and the construction of several new ones to accommodate the growing town. In only 30 short years, Olney was transformed from a largely agricultural and arts town to a very affluent, highly educated and cultured residential area.
Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olney,_Maryland
County: Olney is located in Montgomery County
Olney Zip Code: 20832
Olney Public Schools:
Elementary School: Olney Elementary; Brooke Grove Elementary; Belmont Elementary
Middle School: Rosa M. Parks Middle; William H. Farquhar Middle
Olney School Information
Olney Population: 24,314
Olney White Population: 18,968
Olney Black Population: 2,315
Olney Hispanic Population: 1,320
Olney Asian Population: 1,972
Olney Hawaiian Population: 12
Olney Indian Population: 66
Olney Other Population: 433
Olney Male Population: 11,700
Olney Female Population: 12,614
Olney Average House Value: $235,000.00
Olney Average Household Income: $91,238.00
Olney Average Persons Per Household: 3.00
Olney Median Age: 36.10
Olney Median Age Male: 35.00
Olney Median Age Female: 37.00
Olney Business Establishments: 537
Olney Employees: 6,459
Olney Total Annual Payroll: $227,233,000.00
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