It was the first county established by elected representatives. Born in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland, General Montgomery died leading Continental forces against Quebec. Since Montgomery County lies next to Washington DC, many people who live in the county work for the federal government. The federal government also has agencies in Montgomery County. Some of those are the National Institutes of Health, the National Bureal of Standards and the Department of Energy.
Many private businesses specialize in space and computer science and technology.
Click on the picture to see larger version. General Montgomery never spent a minute in the county that was named for him. In fact, he was dead by the time Montgomery County was established. The county was the first one in Maryland named after someone who was not a European prince, duke, or lord. It was the first county in the United States to be named after a high-ranking officer who died in the American Revolution.