Rock Creek Forest

Rock Creek Forest is located at the border of Chevy Chase to the east and Silver Spring to the west, between Maryland Route 410 and the border with Washington D.C. The historically African-American neighborhood of Lyttonsville is to the north, while Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park and the neighborhoods of North Portal Estates / Colonial Village / Shepherd Park are to the south.

First developed in the 1940s by Sam Eig, a Jewish real estate developer, the neighborhood was attractive to Jews from Washington, D.C., because Eig did not use the antisemitic covenants that were common in many Washington, D.C., neighborhoods.[1] Because of antisemitism in Washington, D.C., Eig was denied access to developing homes in some of DC's most desirable neighborhoods. Despite not using antisemitic restrictions, Eig did use anti-Black racial covenants until the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act.[2] Eig referred to Rock Creek Forest, then a whites-only neighborhood, as "ideally located and sensibly restricted."[3] A typical racially restrictive deed in Rock Creek Forest from 1941 states that "No person of any race other than the Caucasian race shall use or occupy any building or any lot, except that this covenant shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of a different race domiciled with an owner or tenant."[4]

The Rock Creek Shopping Center on Grubb Road is the shopping center for the community. The shopping center includes the Parkway Deli (a Jewish-American delicatessen), the Red Dog Cafe, a bicycle store, and a food Co-Op.[5] Rock Creek Forest is home to the Temple Shalom Reform Jewish synagogue, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and Christ the King Catholic Church.

Rock Creek Forest is serviced by Metrobus numbers J1 and J2, as well as by Ride On number 11. Washington Metro service is available on the Red Line in nearby Silver Spring, Forest Glen, and Wheaton. By 2027 or earlier, Purple Line service will be available at the nearby Lyttonsville and 16th Street–Woodside stations.