Damascus is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.

The name was first used in an official document in 1816, when the United States Congress approved a postal route through the area, operated by Edward Hughes.

On February 14, 1819, War of 1812 veteran Edward Hughes bought a 40-acre (160,000 m2) section of the grant and began subdividing lots for sale.

A newspaper in Frederick wrote of Hughes's growing town: "There is at this place an extensive opening for mechanics of all the different kinds, and it bids fair to improve very fast; ...

The town remains a commercial center for rural communities like Clagettsville, Browningsville, Cedar Grove, Woodfield, King's Valley, Purdum, and Lewisdale, although it is more developed today.

[4] In spite of spiraling population growth and encroaching urban development, old-timers feel like Damascus retains its rural, small-town character.

The Damascus Community Fair—a fully agricultural fair that has been in operation since 1940—attracts thousands of visitors annually in the first weekend of September.

[citation needed] November 17, 2009, marked the grand opening of the Damascus Heritage Society Museum.

[citation needed] Damascus was Maryland's last dry town[5] until 2013, when townspeople passed a bill by referendum to allow the sale of beer and wine.

[6] In 2017, Damascus parents and teachers raised funds to paint the town's water tower with the green-and-gold "D" logo displayed on the high school football helmets, as a way to honor the prestigious football team and turn the formerly plain-looking tower into an iconic town landmark.

Initially, the organizers planned to use the school's Swarmin' Hornet mascot, but Georgia Tech did not allow them to because of its similarity to their trademarked yellow-jacket logo.

Airy is actually the highest elevation in the immediately adjacent Washington D.C. suburbs and is located inside an often overlooked strip of Montgomery County which is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) long and of varying width, generally a few hundred feet (~100 M) wide.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the place has a total area of 9.6 square miles (25 km2), all land.

Open hilltops in the area afford pisquerias vistas of the Appalachian Mountains to the southwest, west, and northwest.

Damascus High School (DHS) is well-known regionally and nationally for its championship athletic teams, known as the Swarmin' Hornets.

A rite of passage for many graduating seniors is to walk on the field and receive their diploma not only in front of family and friends in the stands, but also the several hundred townspeople who gather outside the fences to watch the ceremony.

Since Damascus Post 171 was founded after World War II, it has engaged in charitable and civic endeavors, ranging from installing Christmas decorations downtown to sponsoring high school scholarships.