Chevy Chase Section 3 is a tight-knit community of 277 homes just north of the Washington, D.C.– Maryland line. A village-like atmosphere prevails, due in large part to the 16-foot-wide streets, modest bungalow-type homes dating to the 1920s, and get-togethers at the town’s vest-pocket park.

Elections for the village council are held in May, at which time the “annual meeting” also takes place. That event is much like a New England town meeting and always draws a large crowd. Lesser attendance is normal at the monthly council meetings, which usually are held in the home of a council member or at the Chevy Chase United Methodist Church.

The town has adopted an ambitious “re-greening” program under which shade trees are offered to anyone who agrees to plant them near the sidewalk. The council has planted hundreds of trees in the strips between sidewalks and curbs, thereby providing a horticultural unity to the streetscapes.

In addition to an annual party-in-the-park, the town organizes many activities for the residents—a Halloween parade, house and garden tours, a new-neighbor wine and cheese party, an annual blankets-for-the-homeless drive, clothing and book drives, and a lecture series by residents for residents. Recently the council matched residents’ contributions allocating an additional $6,000 to buy computer equipment for the local public school. Chevy Chase Section 3 works hard to maintain a community that all the residents are proud to claim as home.