Ashton is an unincorporated area

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...

. The commercial center of Ashton lies at the junction of Route 108

Maryland Route 108

Maryland Route 108 is a suburban state highway in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland, starting in Damascus and ending near Columbia.-Route description:...

 (Ashton Road) and New Hampshire Avenue

New Hampshire Avenue

New Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenue, however, is not contiguous...

 (Route 650

Maryland Route 650

Maryland Route 650 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as New Hampshire Avenue for most of its length, the state highway runs from Eastern Avenue at the Washington, D.C. border north to MD 108 in Etchison...

).

The United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

 combines Ashton with the nearby community of Sandy Spring

Sandy Spring, Maryland

Sandy Spring, Maryland is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland.The community was founded by Quakers who arrived in the early 18th century searching for land where they could grow tobacco and corn. One of the very early land owners in the Sandy Spring area was Richard Snowden,...

 to form the Census-Designated Place

Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 of Ashton-Sandy Spring

Ashton-Sandy Spring, Maryland

Ashton-Sandy Spring is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The CDP is designated to include the two unincorporated communities of Ashton and Sandy Spring.-Geography:...

, and all census data are tabulated for this combined entity. The Sandy Spring Museum, located in the heart of Sandy Spring, is a historical museum offering educational displays and programs.
Development=

A new village shopping center was planned to begin construction in 2006 at the corner of Route 108 and New Hampshire Avenue, where the current Sandy Spring Bank offices are located, consisting of about a 7 to 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) plot. It would possibly be anchored with a grocery store, as yet undetermined. Opinions vary on the effects of the plan on Ashton. As of 2011, construction has not begun.