Talk:Chevy Chase, Maryland

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Origin of the name

Chevy Chase, Maryland, is not named after the actor, but I thought it was until I followed the story. Someone deleted my contribution about this.Calypsos 00:29, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

I've heard a different story behind the origin of the name Chevy Chase. I've heard that "Chevy" meant merry and "Chase" was a hunt, and the land, since it was originally used primarily as a hunting grounds, was thus called Chevy Chase, for the merry hunts it provided.

Was actor Chevy Chase named after this town?

I heard that a 'chase' is another name for a brook or stream, and Chevy Chase comes from Chevy's Chase. Who or what Chevy is I do not know. If you look up Chevy and Chase at www.dictionary.com, both seem to mean the same thing - a hunt or a pursuit. Tkessler 05:05, 14 January 2006 (UTC)

No, but I think in arriving at a stage name, he opportunistically seized upon that. In any event Chevy Chase, which includes a portion of the District of Columbia around Friendship Heights, precedes this individual by decades and is a very upscale area of Greater Washington akin to areas like Marin County, even Beverly Hills. It would be good if Wikipedia did a "disambiguation" page that prevented those from seeking information about Chevy Chase, the place, being directly routed to that person.Tom Cod 05:56, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

Documented in the Chevy Chase entry:

"The name Chevy was actually a nickname ... Being a descendant of the Scottish Douglases, who repelled an English invasion at the Battle of Cheviot Hills ("Chevy Chase") in 1436, the name "Chevy" seemed appropriate." 65.96.134.101 11:53, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

The neighborhood bounded on the west by Meadowbrook Ln and east by Grubb Rd (Meadowbrook Stables, Rock Creek Forest ES) contains addresses which are Chevy Chase, yet they are not included in the image on the page for the CDP or elsewhere. A curious resident wants to know- what is their status? 208.59.171.97 19:29, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

In a Reddit AMA on Dec 8, Chevy Chase replied to a question asking if the city of Chevy Chase, MD ever gave him the keys to the city. He replied with, "Actually they did, back in 1976 or 1977? They gave me the keys and re-named the city after me. A big proclamation, signed....That's when I was coming off of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and was quite famous, at that time, you know. It was fun." It is presumed that he is being facetious, but maybe this could be included on the main page in a new "In Pop Culture" section? Gtwy (talk) 03:33, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

I dunno. It's a one-off joke and only mildly amusing. Plus ""in pop culture" sections are, or often become, havens for trivia. I would be inclined to let it pass. Thanks for noticing it though! JohnInDC (talk) 04:19, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

J.R.McNeill

I recently added the name of JR McNeill to the notable residents section, but he seems to have been deleted, and I can't figure out why. He seems to satisfy the Notability guidelines... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.191.190.158 (talk) 20:41, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

I took him out because the DC area is crawling with successful, often "Wikipedia notable" people, and if the article listed everyone in Chevy Chase who met the notability guidelines, the article could go on for pages. The notability guidelines are designed, I think, for helping decide whether someone warrants a Wikipedia article of their own. That is a different question than whether a particular article *not* about that person is improved by including them in a list such as this. (Probably the list should be captioned "famous or notorious residents" rather than "notable", which is a bit confusing.) JohnInDC (talk) 23:47, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

chevauchee

Isn't chevauchee a French word?

Yes, "chevauchée" is a French word (still exists in modern French). It comes from the word "cheval", which means "horse", and means roughly "a fast ride on a horse" (horseback ride). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 172.188.67.164 (talk) 05:23, 1 May 2007 (UTC).

Notable residents list

The separate linked list of "famous people" / "notable residents" may well be the more appropriate place to warehouse all the famous folks from Chevy Chase and elsewhere in the DC region, but that list and this list aren't identical and until that is the case, the "local" list should stay. I'll be happy to undertake the conforming exercise when I find time (but I won't be offended if someone eager to clean things up would like to do it in my place before then). JohnInDC (talk) 17:02, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

When you simply reverted, you added a redundancy, keeping the list along with the link to the separate list under 'see also'. These lists are highly prone to vandalism and all sorts miscreants wanting to add themselves and others that aren't really notable to the list. It's far easier to manage if you combine it and keep them all in one place. And WP:CITIES' US city guideline recommends keeping it in a separately linked list as well. So I've reverted your reversion, and updated the linked list to match the list that you added back. Dr. Cash (talk) 21:57, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. If the information is going to be lodged in one place, it should at least consolidate what previously existed in the two places. JohnInDC (talk) 22:14, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Restrictive covenants

(Moved from User_talk:JohnInDC#Your_edits_to_Chevy_Chase..)

While I realize citing one article may not be enough to state "restrictions in most deeds," there is no other reasonable option. I do have 320 deeds which include these covenants if you would like me to post all of those. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.195.16.211 (talk) 15:35, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

If you can find a reliable source or sources that says "most", then by all means cite to it and make the change. Your 320 deeds are certainly a lot, but the inferences you draw from them constitute original research, which cannot form the basis for Wikipedia entries. It's also hard to say on that information alone whether it's more fairly described as "most" or merely "some". How many lots are there in Chevy Chase, do you suppose? JohnInDC (talk) 15:44, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

At the times of the covenants the population never exceeded more than around 650. These deeds are from 1906-1930. These are all deeds from Harry M. Martin, who was the main landowner from 1910-1930 in Chevy Chase. As the official landowner for the Village, he distributed all deeds. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.195.16.211 (talk) 16:10, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Interesting. Still, the one source says "some", and your "many" amounts to original research. Please find a reliable source to support your phrasing! (I'm going to move this exchange to the Chevy Chase Talk page, where it more appropriately belongs.) JohnInDC (talk) 16:25, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

This argument is silly. Why don't you both just drop the amount and leave it as "deeds"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.100.151.205 (talk) 20:16, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Fine with me - JohnInDC (talk) 20:32, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Restrictive covenants / racial makeup, etc.

There's a lot of activity lately from newly-created accounts re historical exclusionary practices in Chevy Chase. The entries are by and large accurate and well documented. I've been editing them, however, to ensure that they are presented in full context and that inferences drawn from them do not go beyond the facts.

By "context" I mean, for example, that restrictive covenants were exceedingly common in suburban communities throughout the United States during the nineteen teens, twenties and thirties. There is no escaping Chevy Chase's past in this regard but it is important to avoid the implication that Chevy Chase was exceptional. (Considering for example that the adjoining District of Columbia was *officially* segregated until 1964.) By "avoiding inferences beyond the facts", I mean avoiding language that implies that Chevy Chase's early segregationist practices in some fashion still insulate the community today. The *facts* are clear (Chevy Chase's current black population of 3.6% is low compared with the black population in the region) but the reasons less so. JohnInDC (talk) 15:54, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

could we perhaps move the percentage to another place? Many town articles provide a racial demographic at the top right of the page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.195.16.211 (talk) 17:07, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

As best I can tell, the 3.6% figure for black population (which I just removed) referred to Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland, which as the map on that page shows, is not coterminous with the subject of this article. This Census link shows the databases for all Maryland locations with the name "Chevy Chase". [1] They are, specifically, Chevy Chase CDP, Chevy Chase Section Five, Chevy Chase Section Three, Chevy Chase View, Chevy Chase Village, and Chevy Chase town. The correct figure for this article would, I think, need to tally them all up and calculate a percentage that way. (North Chevy Chase might have to be in the mix as well.) JohnInDC (talk) 17:08, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Martin's Additions, too. JohnInDC (talk) 17:13, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Maybe you're talking about those infoboxes that accompany articles about cities, towns, etc. -- the problem here is that this article isn't about an actual town, or any area that's recognized by the Census. An infobox probably isn't appropriate under these circumstances, and even if an infobox were okay, I wouldn't want to include in it a figure that is simply an editorial invention. For what it's worth, if you look at the individual pages of the other "Chevy Chase"s, you'll see that demographics make up a very large part of the articles; I suppose because other than that, there is very little to say about them. JohnInDC (talk) 17:28, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Chevy Chase, MD zip codes?

What are the zip codes for all areas of "Chevy Chase"?

20815, 20895, 20814?

Please include list of zip codes in the article. Thanks.

NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.171.176.103 (talk) 09:11, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by GeoFan49 (talk • contribs) 01:36, 21 April 2010 (UTC) 

Scope

Is the scope all of Chevy Chase, both the Maryland and Washington parts, or just the Maryland part? Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 16:30, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

As the title indicates, this article is about Chevy Chase, Maryland. There's another page, Chevy Chase (Washington, D.C.), for the part in DC. JohnInDC (talk) 16:36, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

Do we have an article for Chevy Chase overall, rather then just the Maryland or Washington part? Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 17:27, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't think so. This article lists other Chevy Chase MD articles, and shows Chevy Chase DC as a see also. I can't guarantee that those listings are exhaustive but if there were a global article then I'd expect to see it there somewhere. JohnInDC (talk) 17:39, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

Part of the reason for that may be that while there are several political subdivisions in Maryland formally bearing the name "Chevy Chase" (i.e. they're incorporated as such), Chevy Chase DC is just a name for a neighborhood. Indeed in my experience it's pretty rare in conversation for someone to say simply "Chevy Chase" in referring to the DC neighborhood - in those cases they'll almost always add a (disambiguating) "DC". "Maryland" by contrast is almost never added in descriptions of the Maryland side unless the speaker is discussing "Chevy Chase" with someone who doesn't know there's a place in Maryland by that name. JohnInDC (talk) 17:50, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

I've started a draft at User:Emmette Hernandez Coleman/Chevy Chase, Maryland and DC. I'm importing content from this article and Chevy Chase (Washington, D.C.) which describes Chevy Chase overall, reather then the DC or Maryland side specifiably. The DC article does a pretty good job of describing the DC side specifiably, but this article seems to describe Chevy Chase overall as much as, if not more so then, the Maryland side specifiably. This article really should focus on the Maryland side. Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 22:00, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

It's a little hard to figure how to caption all this suitably - or too whether it makes sense to lump the two Chevy Chases together. While Chevy Chase, DC, shares history with Chevy Chase, Maryland, by far the greater part of Chevy Chase today lies in Maryland. In addition, "Chevy Chase DC" is just a neighborhood, a series of areas that abuts Chevy Chase Maryland, in contrast to the Maryland Chevy Chase entities which consist almost entirely of separate, formal political subdivisions. Finally I think (but don't know for sure) that parts of what people describe as "Chevy Chase DC" were not in fact part of the original Chevy Chase Land Co development. Finally finally, "Chevy Chase, DC and Maryland" is not a term used or recognized by anyone. The best title would probably be just "Chevy Chase" but that's been taken by the actor. JohnInDC (talk) 10:20, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Also, looking back over this article, and comparing it to Chevy_Chase,_Washington,_D.C., I think this article concentrates on the Maryland side about the same as the DC article focuses on the DC side. The two areas share a history with the Chevy Chase Land Co, and that information is common to both articles, but this article barely mentions DC otherwise. What specifically did you have in mind? The more I look at this the more I am thinking the articles are just about right. JohnInDC (talk) 10:43, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

As for the title, it's per WP:USPLACE, like Glenrio, New Mexico and Texas. Why would the pest of your points make it not make sense to lump the two Chevy Chases together, the article itself says "This community [...] also includes a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., called Chevy Chase". Why would it matter if the DC side doesn't have any formal political subdivisions? Chevy Chase itself is not a formal political subdivision, and not counting the CDP most of the Maryland side doesn't have formal political subdivisions. Besides, this souce, which we use in this article says "Chevy Chase, on both the D.C. and Maryland sides of the boundary [...]".

It's not so much that the article includes too much DC-specific info, it's that it seems to have too much info about Chevy Chase in general and too little about the Maryland side specifiably. The entire lead sub-section of the History section (with the possible exception of the last sentence) is about Chevy Chase in general, and possibly the Exclusivity sub-section too. The lead section's first paragraph is pretty much about about Chevy Chase in general, but this is understandable sense the only division of Chevy Chase outside of the Maryland is the neighborhood.

Somehow I was thinking that the lead's second paragraph was Chevy Chase in general, but now that I talk a better like I see it's mostly Maryland-specific. With that in mind, my big question is: is the Exclusivity sub-section Maryland-specific? Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 01:03, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

I am not persuaded by the Glenrio example. It's a small, unincorporated community that appears to lie equally on both sides of a border. And who knows what they call it locally. Indeed USPLACES notes that names in that form are reserved for "A small number of unincorporated communities bear two states' names due to their peculiar locations across state lines (e.g., Glenrio, New Mexico and Texas)." Chevy Chase does not fit the bill. Indeed I am not sure what you mean by saying that "Chevy Chase is not a formal political subdivision" or that "most of the Maryland side doesn't have formal political subdivisions". Chevy Chase is the formal name of an incorporated town in Maryland (Chevy Chase (town), Maryland), it is part of the name of another town, Chevy Chase Village, and is part of the name of three additional incorporated villages, Chevy Chase Section Three, Maryland, Chevy Chase Section Five, Maryland, and North Chevy Chase, Maryland. Each of these formal political subdivisions has its own government, its own taxing authority, and their residents are separately tallied in the U.S. census. None of these things are true for Chevy Chase DC, which is a description of a neighborhood of not-quite-determinate boundaries within the only formal political entity, the District of Columbia. I'm making several points. The first is that, their original, century-old overlapping development history and common name aside, Chevy Chase Maryland (and its many variations), and Chevy Chase DC are different places with different things to be said about them. They are formally different and they are colloquially different. Not surprisingly, therefore, the current articles about the DC and Maryland sides are quite different except for one or two paragraphs about their common history that are (appropriately) repeated or paraphrased in both. Moving those two or three paragraphs off to an article entitled "Chevy Chase (Maryland and DC)" - a place that does not exist in law or in common parlance - will not aid the curious reader in learning more about the area, or make information any easier to find, because once the two or three paragraphs of common text is set forth (text which - again - is brief and suitable for both articles), the article will fork off to the separate articles largely as they exist now. And conversely someone coming directly into "Chevy Chase Maryland" or "Chevy Chase DC" will have to click back to your separate, three-paragraph article to learn the history of either. Right now the articles, and their titles, are entirely unambiguous. The articles correctly refer to the places they describe and, in a couple of places, repeat a small amount of common information. You're suggesting to create ambiguity where right now there is none, and it is not a good idea. (I don't know BTW whether the Exclusivity part refers to DC, Maryland, or both. My recollection is that the original, offline sources described only deeds in Maryland, but of course that may simply reflect what was on hand. And I could be misremembering too.) JohnInDC (talk) 02:11, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

The source I gave you, (Historical Dictionary of Washington, Part 3) has an entry on Chevy Chase (p. 52), and clearly considers it to extend into Maryland. This article, by stating that "This community [...] also includes a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., called Chevy Chase" is clearly saying that Chevy Chase extended into DC. These sources state that a single Chevy Chase is on both sides of the border (tough I don't know how reliable they are, and I would question the reliably of retailers): beyonddc.com, Long & Foster [2], Coldwell Banker [3].

This is not to say that Chevy Chase, MD and Chevy Chase, DC are not different places with different things to be said about them. Chevy Chase Village and North Chevy Chase are also different places, yet they are both part of Chevy Chase. The Long & Foster page says "The area known as Chevy Chase bisects the Washington DC- Maryland border; each side – Chevy Chase DC and Chevy Chase MD – is characterized by a unique identity." (emphasis mine), which comferms your statement about them being different.

As for what I said about Chevy Chase is not being formal political subdivision: Chevy Chase has formal political subdivisions within it. Most of tease divisions are named "Chevy Chase" or include "Chevy Chase" in their name (similar to New York and New York City and New York County), but Chevy Chase itself is not a formal political subdivision just as New York is not a city or a county. Somehow, I was thinking that the Maryland side's incorporated part was quite a bit smaller then it is, the incorporated and unincorporated parts look about the same size.

My impression of this article not focusing on the Maryland side was based largely on my mistaken immersion of the lead's second paragraph (this is a pretty short article). I'm not saying that the History section necessarily ought to be moved off this article, but I think it should focus more on the Maryland side. Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 14:23, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Unincorporated area vs unincorporated community

I changed Unincorporated area in the infobox to "Unincorporated community". Largs parts of Chevy Chase are incorporated, however it does meet the first deffination of "Unincorporated community" listed under Unincorporated area#United_States: "a neighborhood or other community existing within one or across multiple existing incorporated areas (i.e., cities or towns). In this sense, a community is part of a municipal government, but not separately incorporated from it. For example, Hyannis, Massachusetts, is an unincorporated village within the town of Barnstable." — Preceding unsigned comment added by Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk • contribs) 22:12, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't object to the change but I think you have it backwards. Unlike the unincorporated village of Hyannis within the incorporated town of Barnstable, all the villages in Chevy Chase are incorporated and exist (in part) within or alongside an unincorporated community. JohnInDC (talk) 22:26, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

That's correct, Chevy Chase isn't like Hyannis. Hyannis is within one incorporated area, Chevy Chase is across multiple incorporated areas, and one unincorporated area (the Chevy Chase CDP). Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 13:55, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Contradicts Chevy Chase (actor page) RE nickname source

This page states:

Chevy Chase, the actor, whose real name is Cornelius Crane Chase, was nicknamed after the community.

Chevy Chase (actor page) states:

Chase was named for his adoptive grandfather Cornelius, while the nickname "Chevy" was bestowed by his grandmother, derived from the medieval English Ballad of Chevy Chase.

--Billybass (talk) 10:25, 9 January 2018 (UTC)

The claim here is sourced - not richly, and I personally am a bit skeptical, but the source is reliable. I can't see inside the ref on the other page - I wonder if it's more definitive on the subject? JohnInDC (talk) 16:14, 10 January 2018 (UTC)

History

Just updated the history to include that Chevy Chase was made for affluent residents, and some information about the Chevy Chase Club. Thuguely (talk) 04:02, 24 October 2018 (UTC)

Thanks for the edits. They do drop in a few concepts a bit out of the blue (the Olmstead connection for example) and I'll clean it up a bit. Also I removed the parts about the "affluent" nature of the suburb. That characterization isn't in the sources. Chevy Chase was planned as "residential" and "non-commercial", but that's not the same as "wealthy". JohnInDC (talk) 11:01, 24 October 2018 (UTC)

In going through the material I found another source re the Chevy Chase Club and was able to straighten out the history a bit. They started out on the Bradley Farm property, which they leased from private owners (not the Land Co.); later, they were able to purchase it outright. I took out the Olmstead reference, because it's just a passing reference in the source and it's hard to tell whether the connection between Olmstead and the Land Co. was an actual one, or an inference drawn by the article's author. JohnInDC (talk) 13:51, 24 October 2018 (UTC)

Scope of this article, revisited

This page's name says it's about Maryland places but its lead says it's about Maryland and DC places. Should this article be about only the Maryland places or should it include the DC neighborhood as well? Put another way, do we need a page about all the Chevy Chase places, or shall we divide them by state/district? The 2013 discussion above does not appear to have arrived at a consensus. I'd suggest we either 1) keep the name and change the lead, in which case we should also discuss whether an overall Chevy Chase page is needed; or 2) change the name to "Chevy Chase (place)" and write through the article so that it is not so Maryland-centric. Thoughts? PRRfan (talk) 19:57, 5 June 2023 (UTC)