White Oak’s post office opened in 1871, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #82 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of White Oak was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Rachel Carson House, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 32 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 2000.
Founding year: the first White Oak post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives White Oak’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, White Oak is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #82 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of White Oak’s overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so White Oak’s 19.0 sits above most of its state (74% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 33 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about White Oak’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
On the map
White Oak on the map, 1907 to 1981
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of White Oak. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Laurel sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of White Oak.
The story so far
White Oak, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of White Oak yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
White Oak is a census-designated place and unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 16,347 in 2020. White Oak was known for its Naval Ordnance Laboratory, which was closed in 1994. The headquarters of the Food and Drug Administration now occupies the property, which has been renamed the Federal Research Center at White Oak. According to the United States Census Bureau, the locality has a total area of 3.78 square miles (9.79 km2), all land. White Oak is a diverse neighborhood. The main area of White Oak is from Lockwood Drive starting from New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650) towards Stewart Lane, crossing Columbia Pike (U.S. 29).
Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 17,403 to 16,347 (-6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
White Oak, 1871 to 1991
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The White Oak post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does White Oak rank for history?
White Oak is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #82 of 261 in Maryland. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in White Oak?
Two places: the Rachel Carson House (listed 1991) and the Naval Ordnance Laboratory (2025).
How old are the homes in White Oak?
7% of White Oak’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1974.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
1961
c. 1964
2006
2006