Кемп Милл: История и современность пригорода Мэриленда

Kemp Mill is a census designated place and an unincorporated census area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13,378 at the 2020 census. Kemp Mill census area consists of the separate communities of Kemp Mill Estates and Kemp Mill Farms.

Historically, Kemp Mill was named for a mill used in the area continuously from 1745 to 1920. The first subdivisions in the greater Kemp Mill area broke ground in 1931. During this era, historical Washington suburbs were known for being sundown towns, including Silver Spring. The racial covenants that governed some may have extended to the area contemporaneously known as Kemp Mill. Kemp Mill Farms and Estates was first developed in the late 1950s, approximately a decade after the 1948 Supreme Court Shelley v Kraemer decision. The neighborhood was among several communities in Montgomery County's Silver Spring area that were built by Jewish real estate developers catering to Jews moving to the suburbs from Washington, D. C. The majority of residences in Kemp Mill are single family homes dating to the 1950s, although newer homes were built in the 1980s and 1990s on Yeatman, Bromley, and Kersey roads. Kemp Mill Estates was developed by Jack Kay and Harold Greenberg of the Kay Construction Company, the son and son in law of real estate developer Abraham S. Kay. At the time of its development, it was located outside of an area of Silver Spring that had been historically closed to Jews. In the late 1970s, the average price of a home in Kemp Mill was between $85,000 and $90,000. In 1978, a black DC school official living in Kemp Mill was the target of a hate crime when the N word and "KKK" were painted on her house and her tires were slashed. Orthodox Jews began moving to Kemp Mill in 1961, when the Young Israel Shomrai Emunah synagogue relocated from Washington, D. C. In 1989, 25% of the 2,000 families in Kemp Mill were Orthodox Jews. A 2005 Washington Post article stated that half of the community's 10,000 residents were Orthodox Jews. In June 2022, shortly before the Shavuot holiday, antisemitic fliers advertising neo Nazi websites were placed at several locations in Kemp Mill, including at a bus shelter located in front of the Young Israel Shomrai Emunah synagogue and on an ice chest outside of the Shalom Kosher grocery store. One flier said "Love Your Race" while another flier used an antisemitic slur, denied the Holocaust, and called for genocide.

As an unincorporated area, Kemp Mill does not have officially defined boundaries. However, Kemp Mill is recognized by the United States Census Bureau and by the United States Geological Survey as a census designated place. According to the United States Census Bureau, the neighborhood has a total area of 2.54 square miles (6.2 km2), all land. Kemp Mill is considered by many of its residents, particularly those members of the Orthodox Jewish community, to be part of unincorporated Silver Spring. It is served by the Wheaton Post Office.

Kemp Mill is home to the largest Orthodox Jewish community on the East Coast between Baltimore and Miami. Kemp Mill hosts a number of synagogues serving Orthodox Jews (Modern Orthodox, Hasidic, and Yeshivish) including Young Israel Shomrai Emunah, Silver Spring Jewish Center, Kemp Mill Synagogue, the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, Chabad of Silver Spring, Kehillas Ohr Hatorah and Minchas Yitzhak. Additionally, there are many smaller Orthodox Jewish minyanim (prayer groups) throughout the neighborhood including a Sephardic Minyan that meets at Shomrai Emunah and the Lower Lamberton Minyan. There are also many in the area who are served by Conservative synagogues, such as Har Tzeon Agudath Achim, and other branches of Judaism. Several Jewish and Catholic parochial schools are also located there including the boys division of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, Silver Spring Learning Center, and the Jewish Montessori School. Two public schools are also situated in the area, including Kemp Mill Elementary and Odessa Shannon Middle School (Renamed from Colonel E. Brooke Lee Middle School in July 2021). The former Spring Mill Elementary school is now an administrative office. Kemp Mill Shopping Center is the commerce hub of the neighborhood. A Kemp Mill Village is being formed to serve the needs of elderly and disabled residents. Montgomery County has established the position of Village Coordinator to assist communities with establishing villages.

The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission's Kemp Mill Recreation Center offers users a baseball diamond, basketball and tennis courts, a meeting space, and a playground. Sligo Creek rises in Kemp Mill, and the hiker biker trail that runs alongside the creek from Wheaton Regional Park to the Anacostia River passes through the community. The eastern end of Kemp Mill is bounded by the Northwest Branch, which also flows south to the Anacostia and is a popular hiking trail to Route 29 Colesville Road or Brookside Gardens. Deer are a frequent sight in the neighborhood, along with red foxes and raccoons. Numerous bird species nest in the CDP and along the Northwest Branch, including red shouldered hawks, owls, northern cardinals, blue jays, American robins, northern mockingbirds, gray catbirds, Carolina chickadees, Carolina wrens, white breasted nuthatches, tufted titmouses, and northern flickers. American crows and turkey vultures are also present. Kemp Mill Urban Park, centrally located on Arcola Avenue, provides a meeting place and playground. The park was closed in February 2016 for renovations and reopened in May 2017. Two private swimming pools, Parkland Pool and Kemp Mill Swim Club, serve the community.

Kemp Mill is serviced by Ride On bus numbers 8, 9 and during rush hours, number 31, as well as Metrobus numbers C2 and C4. Washington Metro service on the Red Line is also available in nearby Wheaton and Silver Spring.

Montgomery County Public Schools operates public schools. Kemp Mill Elementary, Odessa Shannon Middle School and Northwood High School are all within the Kemp Mill CDP.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,564 people and 4,430 households residing in the area. The population density was The racial makeup of the area was 61.7% White, 19.5% African American, 1% Native American, 5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 3.7% of mixed race. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 18.6% of the population. Non Hispanic whites were 54.8% of the population. There were 3,386 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.22. Twenty seven percent of Kemp Mill residents hold a graduate degree. In the area, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $89,294, and the median income for a family was $111,985. Males had a median income of $52,244 versus $41,285 for females. The per capita income for the area was $34,570. About 2.3% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over. A large number of Russian Jewish immigrants have settled in Kemp Mill, particularly since the 1980s. Due to the large Ethiopian and Jewish populations in Silver Spring and Washington, D. C., Kemp Mill is home to a sizeable community of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews).