North Potomac

The region's land was originally used for growing tobacco, which was replaced by wheat and dairy farming after the soil became depleted. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was used by local farmers to ship their grain (or flour made from the grain at the local mills), and two former canal locks are located less than 5 miles (8.0 km) away in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. In addition, infrastructure remains for what was one of the state's leading dairy farms during the first half of the 20th century.

North Potomac did not get an identity of its own until 1989, when the United States Post Office allowed the use of the North Potomac name for what is mostly a collection of housing sub-divisions, farms, and wooded parks. The United States Census Bureau listed a North Potomac in 1970 but not 1980. In 2000, it began recognizing North Potomac as a census designated place. Today, the community benefits from its proximity to workplaces such as the Shady Grove Hospital area and the I-270 Technology Corridor. Washington, D.C. is accessible by automobile or public transportation.