Where to Buy Cheap Gas in Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County, Maryland is a Washington, D.C. suburb, which is noted for mass affluence. The U.S. Census calculates 2007 median household income at $91,440 for Montgomery and the locale is a permanent stalwart atop the top-ten wealthiest municipalities in the Nation.

Of course, high gas prices relative to the Baltimore - Washington region will arrive part and parcel with said wealth. Marylanders must note that gasoline costs spike amidst the most exclusive environs of Montgomery County.

The Montgomery County price action mirrors that of Washington, D.C., which registers a $2.489 per gallon reading at the time of this writing. This estimate arrives largely in line with the July 30, 2009 U.S. Department of Energy $2.463 National reading for regular grade fuel.

DC, Maryland, and Virginia gas prices are adversely affected by the dearth of industrial capacity within the region. In fact, the closest oil refinery facilities to Washington are located at Yorktown, VA and Wilmington, DE.

Gasoline taxes at the municipal level set the table for interstate price variance.

Although the separate jurisdictions offer disparate gas tax policies, Maryland drivers will note that DC - MD gasoline operations "melt" into each other at the border, with no significant change in price.

Although Northern Virginia does sport the lowest prices in the DMV, Montgomery drivers must make the call to determine whether braving the I-495 American Legion Bridge bottleneck is worth the trouble to save three bucks.

For the most part, Montgomery County motorists are better served to "grin and bear" it and locate pockets of cheap gas within the Free State. Pun intended.

This guide explores the cheap gas proposal from both ends of the equation. We will begin by exposing the most expensive sections of Montgomery County to purchase gas, prior to closing with our presentation of viable alternatives to said establishments.

Buying cheap gas is a possibility from all sides of Montgomery County.

Where NOT to Buy Gas in Montgomery County, Maryland

Avoid buying gas west of MD 97 / Georgia Avenue.

Specifically gas prices surge at the I-495 / Capital Beltway exits and along the I-270 / 355 - Rockville Pike Technology Corridor. These Montgomery County death traps for expensive gas include Bethesda, Potomac, Glen Echo, and large swaths of Rockville and Gaithersburg. We recognize that this mandate eliminates the majority of the county from the cheap gas proposal.

Sigh.

Gas prices are controlled by the "wealth effect" of transacting business within economically vibrant zones, alongside "one-way out" access to critical conduits of traffic. Certainly, Washingtonians will recognize 270, Rockville Pike - Wisconsin Avenue, and the Capital Beltway west of Georgia Avenue as wretched bottlenecks that happen to slice through Maryland's most exclusive real estate.

MD 185 / Connecticut Avenue, Wisconsin, Old Georgetown Road, River Road, and MacArthur Boulevard form a phalanx of expensive gas that radiates from the DC border deep into suburban Maryland.

Exxon mans the intersection of Goldsboro and MacArthur in Cabin John to peddle high-priced fare at $2.89, while another Exxon franchisee flashes $2.79 off Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.

Prices do dissipate heading north into Rockville and Gaithersburg. However, gasoline costs surge towards $2.60 at most 270 interchanges and select locations along The Pike. For example, Shell is hawking 87-octane for $2.59 at 600 Quince Orchard Road - immediately west of 270.

$2.59 is not considered cheap for Montgomery County at the time of this writing.

Mid County commuters, employees, and interstate traffic will buy cheap gas at the Rockville Freestate. Maryland favorite Freestate is undercutting the competition for $2.35 at Route 355 (510 Hungerford Drive).

Marylanders will exit 270 at 28 Montgomery Avenue and head east, before turning left at Washington Street for Hungerford Drive. Hungerford identifies the stretch of MD 355 that is directly to the north of downtown Rockville.

Where to Buy Cheap Gas in Montgomery County, Maryland

Gas prices, like all things Maryland, plunge at MD 97 / Georgia Avenue. Georgia historically marks the dividing line separating the uber wealthy sections of Montgomery from the mildly wealthy sections of the county!

Indeed, even downtown Silver Spring has undergone a Renaissance, and the only addresses of Montgomery County that fit the description of predominantly "working class" would be Takoma Park and particular segments of Wheaton.

Gas prices immediately break the $2.40 floor at Georgia Avenue.

Inside the Beltway, Exxon, Sunoco, and Shell all hawk cheap, $2.35 gas along Piney Branch Road and University Boulevard between Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

Of course, buying cheap gas at Freestate remains a Maryland tradition.

Freestate Oil strategically peddles affordable fare from all angles in Montgomery County. This gasoline wholesaler serves the critical 270, Georgia Avenue, and Route 29 corridors, which are the most vital roadways into the county besides the Beltway.

Freestate gas stations are located at 510 Hungerford Drive (MD 355) in Rockville, 11295 Veirs Mill Road (MD 586) in Wheaton, 12401 Georgia Avenue (MD 97) in Glenmont, and 15411 Old Columbia Pike (MD 198) in Burtonsville.

The Burtonsville location moves cheap gas for $2.31 and has been patronized by generations of Silver Spring residents making the trek up Route 29.

Freestate stores are typically the last to modernize, so remember to carry cash as a precaution for transacting business with these throwbacks.

Happy Trails.

Where to Buy Cheap Gas in Montgomery County, Maryland, Sources:

Kofi Bofah, Where to Buy Cheap Gas in Washington, D.C., http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1867159/where_to_buy_cheap_gas_in_washington.html?cat=27

The State of Maryland, http://www.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Montgomery County, http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/

Maryland Gas Prices, http://www.marylandgasprices.com/