Bethesda, Maryland

Bethesda is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is northwest of Washington, D.C. The National Institutes of Health main campus and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center are in Bethesda. There are also corporate and government headquarters.

Bethesda, Maryland
Census-designated place
From top: Bethesda Meeting House, Bethesda's Madonna of the Trail statue, the National Institutes of Health, downtown Bethesda near the Bethesda Metro station, Bethesda Avenue at night, Bethesda Theatre, and the Connie Morella Library.
Boundaries of Bethesda CDP from U.S. Census Bureau
Location of Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland
Coordinates: 38°59′5″N 77°6′47″W
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Montgomery
Area [1]
• Total	13.33 sq mi (34.52 km2)
• Land	13.26 sq mi (34.35 km2)
• Water	0.07 sq mi (0.17 km2)
Elevation	318 ft (97 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	68,056
• Density	5,131.65/sq mi (1,981.30/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	20800–20899
Area codes	301, 240
FIPS code	24-07125
GNIS feature ID	0583184

In April 2009, Forbes put Bethesda second on its list of "America's Most Livable Cities."^[2]

Bethesda is an unincorporated area. It has no official boundaries. The United States Census Bureau says the center is at 38°59' North, 77°7' West. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020, Bethesda had 68,056 people.^[3]