Hiking (or at least brisk walking) through local parks, day trips to Washington, D.C.’s museums and monuments, exercise classes, and lifelong learning classes — these are just a few of the social opportunities available to the fast-growing Montgomery County senior population.
Each provides a unique chance for seniors to make new friends and enjoy experiences together across Montgomery County, both indoors and outdoors.
Many are sponsored by Montgomery County agencies and departments. Others take place throughout the many senior living centers and neighborhoods that are becoming more popular with retirees, from the Chevy Chase House senior living center on Connecticut Avenue, a short walk from the District of Columbia line, to the increasingly popular up-county retirement haven of Clarksburg, north of Germantown.
The senior activities are a natural fit for Maryland’s most populous county. At just over a million people, Montgomery County’s ongoing resident growth is due in no small part to its robust senior population. The Montgomery County population of 65 and older grew from 12.3% in 2010 to 17.2% in 2022, per the Census Bureau. It’s expected to reach 20% in 2020.
Montgomery County government is a leader in offering social opportunities to seniors, including weekly lunches at the East County Community Center in Silver Spring. The Tuesday noon to 1 p.m. events offer an open invitation to anybody age 60 and older. “Enjoy a healthy, tasty meal (vegetarian options available),” says the Montgomery County seniors activities website. “Come with a friend or come alone! Meet new friends! No charge for
meals; donations welcome.”
Sometimes it’s important to just have a place to congregate and talk with other seniors. Montgomery County Recreation provides spaces for this across eight senior centers. Each “offer many programs, activities, classes, and events for you to choose from,” Montgomery County Recreation’s website informs seniors. “Our centers have diverse amenities that may include fitness rooms, social halls, meeting spaces, classrooms, billiards, and game rooms.”
The Montgomery County seniors centers are geographically spread out to make sure all residents and those age 55 and older have access, ranging from the upper Montgomery County community of Damascus to four in the population center of Silver Spring. Montgomery County Recreation senior centers also are located in North Potomac, Wheaton and White Oak.
Montgomery County further offers practical advice to seniors on the financial and health logistics of navigating residents’ later years. Covering how to apply for the senior tax credit offered in Montgomery County since 2007 to online (and in-print) literature on often-sensitive topics, like “Taking Charge of Your Health Care, Housing, Legal, and Financial Matters.”
Keeping active is a major theme of Montgomery County’s offerings for seniors. Some start participating even before reaching retirement age. “The 50+ Volunteer Network actively recruits professionals who are retired or considering retirement, empty nesters, and others age 50 and older who want to make a significant contribution of time and talent to serve the community,” according to the county government website.
Another way for seniors to get out and about is the county’s Senior Connection, serving residents 60-plus. “From transportation services to grocery shopping assistance, we proudly have helped our neighbors for over 20 years and counting,” notes the website of Senior Connection, which is funded by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging and Disability, along with private foundation, faith communities, corporations, and individuals.
One of the biggest benefits of activities for seniors is the chance to socialize outdoors, weather permitting. That’s where the Montgomery Parks department comes in.
Its Montgomery Explorers program offers organized walking tours each Monday during fall, spring and summer. These walks, of up to three miles, cover some of Montgomery County’s most scenic and serene parts, including Burnt Mills West Special Park in Silver Spring.
Many of Montgomery County’s other municipalities offer senior services, too. A popular draw is Rockville’s Senior Center. It’s a central gathering point for residents age 60 and older in and around Rockville, which at nearly 70,000 people is the fourth-most populous incorporated city in Maryland (after the behemoth of approximately 559,000-person Baltimore and the cities of Frederick and Gaithersburg, which are not far ahead in population from Rockville).
Rockville’s senior center offers “nutritious meals, educational classes and workshops, arts programs, fitness and much more,” its website explains. Along with “a computer lab, fitness room, library, community garden plots, woodworking studio, and plenty of rooms” to host events.
Beyond public services, senior living homes across Montgomery County have their own social activities for residents. Chevy Chase House’s fitness classes offer seniors a plethora of exercise options. Also popular are the building’s regular outings to D.C. landmarks like the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian museums, U.S. Botanical Garden, and more.
A 22-mile drive north, senior living is becoming an important part of the Clarksburg area.
Once a destination for young families seeking to stretch housing dollars further than the closer-in-to-Washington suburbs of Montgomery County, the approximately 30,000-person city of Clarksburg’s senior population is now about 8.8% (counted as those 65
or older).
It’s easy to see what draws them. Clarksburg is located a short drive to the Frederick County countryside, but still within easy reach of the Washington, D.C., area. So, those with an affinity for nature have access to plenty of outdoor recreation, including the 3,700-acre Little Bennett Regional Park. Shopping opportunities also beckon, at the nearby Clarksburg Premium Outlets.
There are plenty more senior living homes in between Montgomery County’s upper and lower tiers. Each have their own appeal to seniors, whether the emphasis is more on staying physically active or focusing on the life of the mind, with lifelong learning sessions taught by the many Washington, D.C.-area denizens who are experts in their fields, having spent careers in government agencies, journalism, academia, and other realms.
Expect Montgomery County senior opportunities to only grow over the coming years — and social opportunities to multiply. Based on current senior population trends in the county and statewide, there will be a heavy demand.
