4347 Morningwood Dr, Olney, MD 20832

Money magazine ranked Olney as 17 (the highest ranked town in Maryland) out of 100 in its "America's Best Places To Live" edition Originally known as Mechanicsville, the village which became Olney was established in 1800. The area was mostly farmland, but it soon began attracting artisans. Olney's growth was slow through the next hundred years, with the census of 1960 showing only some 1000 residents. During the next four decades though, commuters working in Washington, D.C., and in the high tech industry developing around nearby Rockville began to look toward Olney for homes. Very large tracts of former farmland were redeveloped into large-scale residential developments with mixed single family and townhouses. Large developments began in the 1960s and 1970s with Williamsburg Village, Tanterra, Olney Mill and Highlands of Olney. It continued into 1980s with Norbeck Hills, Hallowell, Briars Acres and Olney Oaks, culminating in the 1990s and 2000s with Lake Hallowell, James Creek, Barnsley Manor Estates and Norbeck Grove. Coupled with the residential growth of Olney was the expansion of the school system which meant the renovation of most of the area's schools and the construction of several new ones to accommodate the growing town. In only 30 years, Olney was transformed from a largely agricultural and arts town to a very affluent, highly educated and cultured residential area