| @chriskotx: I guess each of these communities has its own story to tell, but I may be able to throw some light on the CDPs in the Washington, DC area. Bethesda, Silver Spring, Germantown, Wheaton and Glenmont are all suburbs of DC. Why are they not incorporated? Well, DC can't expand from its present boundaries, for one. They are primarily located in Montgomery County (pop. just under 1 million), one of the richest counties in the US (wealthy from directly or indirectly feeding off the federal teat). The part of the county close to DC is very urban, and each of the communities tend to run into the next one. It's not like there's a gap between Bethesda and Wheaton, Wheaton and Glenmont, Glenmont and Silver Spring; they all pretty much run together. The county assumes the role of the city. The county government, which is gargantuan, is amply supported by a county income tax and local property taxes. There are some cities in this area, for example, Gaithersburg and Rockville, but they provide no additional service that people who live outside the city in the county don't get too. There's just not much difference being in a "city" or outside of a "city"; being in Montgomery Country is like being in one giant city. I honestly can't think of anything one could imagine a city would do for a community that the county doesn't already do. There's just not much incentive for the CDPs to incorporate or for the existing cities to try to annex them. Instead of a mayor you have a county executive, instead of a city council you have a county council. The situation is similar for Annandale, Burke, Reston, and Dale City in Virginia. Dundalk, Ellicot City, and Towson play a similar role for Baltimore. Columbia is a bedroom community that is midway between DC and Baltimore. |
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