The early 2000s in Silver Spring brought exciting projects such as the renewed downtown area with a pedestrian plaza on Ellsworth Street and a new downtown mall. In 2024, WalletHub rated Silver Spring as first in the nation in socioeconomic diversity and fourth in cultural diversity. Also in 2024, Fortune Magazine named our city as the number one place to live for families in the USA.
Diversity shows in the local dining and entertainment options. Classic Ethiopian restaurants like Lucy and new Ethiopian coffee houses like Black Lion have continued to thrive. Old favorites such as Quarry House and McGinty's have been joined by new favorites like J Hollingers and Silver Branch Brewing.
Silver Spring is one of the best-connected cities in the DC area. In addition to the DC Metro Red Line, there is Metrobus, Montgomery Country Ride-On, plus Amtrak and Maryland MARC trains. In a few years we'll have the Purple Line, which connects Silver Spring to Bethesda and points east such as College Park.
The new Montgomery County Aquatic Center, just a block from Cameron Hill, opened in 2024. In addition to pools, it offers meeting rooms, party spaces and an exercise center.