Frederick combines a lively urban environment downtown, situated around a historic main street, with quiet suburban living on the outskirts of town. This growing city is home to many DC and Baltimore commuters, many families, and a small population of retirees. The diverse demographics and strong community identity have created an area where there's something for everyone, no matter what season or time of day it is.
Frederick is close to Fort Detrick, so many residents provide services to the U.S. Military in the area. Additionally, this fort also has a massive research campus that is home to many other federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services. Frederick County Public Schools is the next largest employer in the area, with 5,650 employers. This high-quality school district spans throughout the area and offers positions for many professions. The Frederick Memorial Hospital provides jobs for 2,232 people in the healthcare industry, with other medical employment opportunities through Leidos Biomedical Research, United Health Care, and AstraZeneca. Wegman's, one of the region's highly regarded supermarket chains, also has a presence in Frederick. Finally, large companies such as Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and State Farm Insurance Corporation have headquarters in the area. If residents don't work with any of these companies, or one of the 600 locally owned businesses in Frederick, job opportunities are available in DC, Baltimore, Central Maryland cities such as Bethesda, and other locations that are conveniently located near Frederick.
Enjoying a healthy lifestyle in Frederick is an easy task with their seasonal farmer markets and nearby farms. You can get farm fresh produce, meat, and many other food options when these farmer's markets are going strong. Since they can't go year round, you have many health focused grocery stores available, with specialty markets helping you keep up with your lifestyle. There's also Wegman's, which brings in locally grown products alongside sustainable and environmentally friendly options. Farm to fork culture has a lot of traction in this area, so you can find many events, learning opportunities, and restaurants focused around this concept. An event called Farm to Fork Frederick involves many area restaurants that pledge to create their dishes with a minimum of 70 percent of local ingredients.
Entertainment in Frederick centers around two primary areas: shopping and the arts. The historic downtown area provides you with a shopping district with unique and enticing stores, instead of presenting you with the same old options that every other DC Suburb offers. Instead, you can buy tea from a small tea room that stocks hundreds of aromatic options, get a fresh baked doughnut to wake yourself up with, and find completely unique fashion from the boutiques in the area. Antique stores are also very popular, which isn't surprising given how much the residents love their local history.
There are several performing arts centers and artist studios throughout Frederick, such as the Weinberg Center for the Arts, the Rebecca Pearl Gallery, and the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, and the Maryland Ensemble Theater. The amount of shows you can experience are extensive, and while Frederick doesn't have the biggest nightlife scene, it's perfect if you want to catch a concert or play at night. Nearby wine bars let you catch some dessert and tasty wines once you're done with the show.
Frederick has been a crossroads area for centuries, starting with several Native American tribes. In the 1700s, European settlers also chose this area to put their roots down into. Because of the long lived history of this area, you see significant variety in the home styles available in Frederick. The area is growing so new style single family homes and townhouses are going up throughout the area, mostly in the more suburban parts of town outside of the downtown area. These new homes focus on colonial, craftsmen, and cape cod styles, although many architectural choices are available. The most prominent older homes in the area are the townhouses available in and around the 40 block historic district. These charming homes have a lot of character and put residents in the middle of all the Frederick action. Other styles of older homes in the Frederick area include restored ranchers, mid-century modern designs, and bungalows. Some properties are on the historic register, so if you're looking to buy a piece of historic property in this area you can usually find a handful for sale.
Frederick has easy access to federal and state parkland, as well as many greenspaces spread throughout the city. Bike lanes are your first indication that this city is fitness-minded, and it doesn't take long before you see the many other ways that it accomplishes this objective as well. The Gambrill State Park and Frederick Municipal Forest are two close options, as well as small neighborhood parks such as the Rose Hill Manor Park and the Monocracy Village Park. No matter where you settle in Frederick, you're going to have a park to visit and enjoy yourself. The area also takes advantage of its scenic outdoor areas to offer many well respected golf courses. Bicycle tours and multiple hiking trails let you see Frederick up close and personal, with many adventures taking you through and outside the city. Many of the nearby historic sites also offer hiking trails and outdoor recreation opportunities. If you aren't the biggest fan of outdoor options for your fitness, there are many gyms, yoga studios, pools, recreation centers, and other options.
