In April 2009, Forbes put Bethesda second on its list of "America's Most Livable Cities."[2]
Bethesda is an unincorporated area. It has no official boundaries. The United States Census Bureau says the center is at 38°59' North, 77°7' West. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020, Bethesda had 68,056 people.[3]
The District of Columbia itself, and Virginia's incorporated cities, are county equivalents. Virginia's incorporated cities are listed under their surrounding county. The incorporated cities bordering more than one county (Alexandria, Falls Church and Fredericksburg) are listed under the county they were part of before incorporation as a city. Some unincorporated areas and census-designated places like Silver Spring and Bethesda in Maryland, Reston in Virginia, as well as the County of Arlington in Virginia are also treated as city-like entities (or principal cities) even though they have not been legally incorporated as such.