S R
F
EC
ED
T I E O R N I C H K E C
A O
D U
ER
N T \ Y
\ T O W N S \\
/ / F R E D E R I / C / K S E C C O T U I N
O T N Y H T E O A W
D N
ER
S
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID S. SPENCE/SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHICS
W
hen it comes to growth, you’d be hard-pressed to find an area of Frederick County that
has grown more than Urbana. In 2000, the U.S. Census reported the unincorporated
town had just more than 600 residents. Ten years later, the number would increase to more
than 9,000 residents and is still climbing.
Nestled in the southeastern section of the county near major
arteries such as Interstate 270 and Md. Routes 355 and 80, Urbana
has become a haven for Montgomery County residents looking
to move north and Frederick or Pennsylvania folks aiming to be
closer to Washington, D.C., yet still live in a quiet, country setting.
Villages of Urbana and Urbana Highlands subdivisions comprise
the largest communities.
URBANA EXPANDS,
thanks to large growth in
population, business
BY GINA GALLUCCI-WHITE
68
thefrederickguide.com
Urbana’s most historic structure is The Landon House, located off
Urbana Pike (Md. Route 355). Originally built in 1754 in Virginia,
the structure was used as a silk mill before it was moved to Urbana
in the 1840s. The 12,500 square-foot building served as a school
for girls and a military academy before infamously hosting the
Sabers and Roses Ball in 1862, just before the Civil War’s Battle
of Antietam. The site later served as a hospital for injured Civil
War soldiers. It hosted weddings as well as ghost tours until its
sale in 2013. The building was named to the National Register of
Historic Places in 1975.
Summer 2017 // FREDERICK COUNTY GUIDE
69