Hyattsville, Maryland


Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and also a close, urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 17,557 at the 2010 United States Census.

History

The city is named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt, who purchased his first parcel of land in the area in 1845. Hyatt opened a store and began mail delivery, officially naming the nascent community "Hyattsville" in his 1859 application to become postmaster. The community's location at the intersection of the Washington and Baltimore Turnpike and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line made the land attractive for development. In the years following the Civil War, Hyatt and other local landowners subdivided their properties and sold lots, and the population of Hyattsville grew. Hyattsville was incorporated as a city on April 7, 1886.
The historic district of the city is home to a number of Victorian houses built in the late 1880s and Sears bungalows and Arts & Crafts houses built between the wars. Historic Hyattsville is roughly bounded by East West Highway to the north; Route 1 to the east; the 38th Street Neighborhood Park to the south, and Queens Chapel Road to the west.

Town description

The City of Hyattsville consists of six subdivisions; Hyattsville Hills, Downtown Hyattsville, Kirkwood, Queens Chapel Manor, Castle Manor, and University Hills. Historic Hyattsville reportedly consists of the Hyattsville Hills, Downtown Hyattsville, and Castle Manor subdivisions.

Queens Chapel Manor neighborhood

Neighborhood character

The Queens Chapel Manor neighborhood is contained between Ager Road to the south, East West Highway to the north, Queens Chapel Road to the east, and the Northwest Branch Anacostia River to the west. The neighborhood mainly consists of old, small red brick houses. In addition to these small houses, Queens Chapel Manor consists of four main apartment complexes; the Mosaic at Prince George's Plaza Metro Apartments, the Ager Road Station Apartments, Madison Park Apartments, and Hamilton Manor Apartments.

Public transportation

The Queens Chapel Manor neighborhood is primarily served by the Prince George's Plaza Metro station, which is conveniently located inside its neighborhood parameters. Residents also have easy access to the West Hyattsville Metro station in the adjacent Kirkwood neighborhood, right across Ager Road.

Commerce

The neighborhood is primarily served by the Queens Chapel Town Center, as well as the Shoppes at Metro Station, Metropolitan Shops at Prince George's Station, Giant Food, and Home Depot on East West Highway, in terms of commerce. Residents also have additional access to shopping at The Mall at Prince Georges and University Town Center in the adjacent University Hills neighborhood.

Parks and recreation

In terms of recreation, the Queens Chapel Manor neighborhood is served by the Heurich Neighborhood Park. The Northwest Anacostia Trail passes through it. Metro's Green Line tracks go through Heurich Park and the Madison Park Apartments, in the Queens Chapel Manor neighborhood when going between the Prince George's Plaza and West Hyattsville Metro Stations.

Places of worship

Churches include the Redeemer Lutheran Church, First United Church, St. Matthew's Day Parish School, the West Hyattsville Baptist Church, and St. Jerome's Catholic Church.

University Hills neighborhood

Neighborhood character

The University Hills neighborhood is contained between East West Highway to the south, University Boulevard to the north, the Northwest Branch Anacostia River to the west, and Adelphi Road to the east. The University Hills neighborhood is southwest of the University of Maryland, College Park campus, west of University Park, and north of University Town Center and The Mall at Prince Georges, which are often considered part of University Hills. Several large apartment blocks are in the area surrounding the Mall at Prince Georges, most of which are not within the city limits. The Hyattsville Branch Library with its iconic Googie flying saucer entrance and Northwestern High School are also located in University Hills.

Public transportation

University Hills does not have its own metro station. However, residents of the University Hills neighborhood have access to the nearby Prince George's Plaza Metro Station in the adjacent Queens Chapel Manor neighborhood. Fortunately, though, residents of the Highview Apartment Complex, Dean Manor Apartments, Belcrest Plaza Apartments, and University Hills neighborhood, all have unique access to the special Metrobus R4 shuttle that runs from these apartment complexes to the Prince George's Plaza, West Hyattsville, and Brookland-CUA Metro stations. In addition to the R4 Metrobus service, residents also have access to three other Metrobus routes on Adelphi Road, two other Metrobus routes at the corner of University Boulevard and Adelphi Road, and another Metrobus route on Toledo Terrace. Additionally, University of Maryland College Park students and faculty have access to the free UM Shuttle that goes from University Hills to the University of Maryland College Park Campus.

Parks and recreation

For recreation, University Hills has the Duck Pond Neighborhood Park. The park consists of a medium-sized pond facing University Boulevard as well as a small playground. The park is also connected by the Northwest Branch Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, which connects this park to the bigger Lake Manor Park across the Anacostia River in the neighborhood of Lewisdale.

Historic house

Hitching Post Hill ; listed on National Register of Historic Places on September 16, 1977

Kirkwood neighborhood

Kirkwood is a tiny neighborhood contained between the Northwest Branch Anacostia River to the south and west, Queens Chapel Road to the east, and Ager Road to the north. It neighbors the communities of Avondale, Green Meadows, and Queens Chapel Manor. The Kirkwood neighborhood is mainly occupied by the Kirkwood Apartment Complex, Kirkwood Neighborhood Park, and West Hyattsville Metro Station.

Parks and recreation

The Kirkwood neighborhood has two trails that go through the Kirkwood neighborhood park; the Northwest Branch trail and Sligo Creek Trail. The Kirkwood Neighborhood Park, itself, consists of a small basketball court, big soccer field, a picnic area, and small playground.

Historic Hyattsville

Neighborhood character

Historic Hyattsville consists of the four main/ oldest subdivisions that made up the original Hyattsville; Downtown Hyattsville, Ellaville, Hyattsville Hills, and Castle Manor. This neighborhood mainly features small one to two story houses as well as several apartment complexes; such as the Queensbury Park Apartments, Oliver Gardens Apartments, Courtyard Park Apartments, Hyattsville House Apartments, Park Place Apartments, Castle Manor Apartments, Prince Georges Apartments, Top of the Park Apartments, The Oglethorpe A Condominiums, and the newly constructed Hyattsville Arts District Apartments. Historic Hyattsville also uniquely features the Independent Court Assisted Living Homes on Queens Chapel Road for the elderly and disabled to live and be taken care of. Historic Hyattsville also features a courthouse on Rhode Island Avenue.

Commerce

Many residents of the Historic Hyattsville neighborhood shop in the Hyattsville Arts District located in Downtown Hyattsville on Route 1. The Hyattsville Arts district was built in late 2011 and consists of a Yes! Organic Grocery Store, Busboys & Poets Restaurant, Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurant, and Hair Cuttery. Behind Route 1 in Downtown Hyattsville are where the former B&O Railroad tracks are located. These tracks in Hyattsville were once part of the B&O Hyattsville Rail Station. The station was eventually destroyed and those tracks were used by the historic 82 streetcar line, which traveled from West Potomac Park to Branchville. Now, the train tracks are used by cargo trains. Next to the Hyattsville Arts District is where the longtime Franklin's Restaurant, Bar and General Store is located.
The Bestway Supermarket took over the former Safeway Food & Drug store's spot on Hamilton Street when it closed its doors on February 4, 2012. The Safeway Food & Drug Store had reportedly been operating in Historic Hyattsville for nearly a century. Lastly, if residents want to shop at a much larger shopping mall, they have access to the Prince George's Plaza Shopping Center in the University Hills neighborhood.

Public transportation

The nearest metro stations are the Prince George's Plaza Metro station in the Queens Chapel Manor neighborhood and the West Hyattsville Metro station in the Kirkwood neighborhood; the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station is also relatively close by. In addition to Metrorail service, residents of Historic Hyattsville have access to the nearby Riverdale MARC commuter train station, as well as a few Metrobus and "The Bus" routes. Students and staff at the University of Maryland, College Park have access to the free Shuttle UM Bus that goes from Historic Hyattsville to the University of Maryland, College Park Campus.

Parks and recreation

In terms of recreation, Historic Hyattsville has five neighborhood parks; Deitz Park, Hyatt Park, Robert J. Memorial Park, the 38th Avenue Neighborhood Park, Melrose Park, and Magruder Park. Magruder Park is Historic Hyattsville's main park. It consists of a recreation center, pool, playground, basketball courts, and soccer field.

Geography

Hyattsville is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Climate

Typical of central Maryland, Hyattsville lies within the humid subtropical climate zone, characterized by hot humid summers and generally cool to mild winters, with high annual precipitation. Hyattsville lies within USDA plant hardiness zone 7a.

Demographics

Hyattsville has attracted a significant gay and lesbian population. In 2000, same-sex couples accounted for 1.3 percent of households, more than double the national average.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,557 people, 6,324 households, and 3,724 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 6,837 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 33.2% White, 35.6% African American, 0.8% Native American, 4.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 21.4% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.0% of the population.
There were 6,324 households, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.1% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.39.
The median age in the city was 32.1 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 34.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.2% were from 45 to 64; and 7.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,733 people, 5,540 households, and 3,368 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,885.9 people per square mile. There were 5,795 housing units at an average density of 2,708.5 per square mile. The ethnic makeup of the city was 41.03% African American, 39.53% White, 18.14% Hispanic or Latino 0.50% Native American, 4.02% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 10.91% from other races, and 3.98% from two or more races.
There were 5,540 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,355, and the median income for a family was $51,625. Males had a median income of $33,163 versus $31,088 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,152. About 7.9% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Historic sites

The following is a list of historic sites in Hyattsville identified by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission: In 1982, a portion of the city was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Hyattsville Historic District; the district was extended in late 2004.
Site NameImageLocationM-NCPPC Inventory NumberComment
1Dorr House4525 Buchanan Street68-077
2Edgewood4115 Hamilton Street68-010-65
3Fox's Barn5011 42nd Avenue68-010-74
4Hitching Post Hill 3308 Rosemary Lane68-001Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, September 16, 1977
5Frederick Holden House4110 Gallatin Street68-010-17
6Lewis Holden House4112 Gallatin Street68-010-02
7Hyattsville Armory5340 Baltimore Avenue68-041-09Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, March 27, 1980
8Hyattsville Post Office4325 Gallatin Street68-041-40Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, July 24, 1986
9W.G. Lown House4107 Gallatin Street68-010-35
10Marché House4200 Crittenden Street68-010-62
11McEwen House4106 Gallatin Street68-010-16
12Paxton House122 42nd Avenue68-076
13Poppleton-Roberts House5104 Emerson Street68-079-01
14Prince George's Bank5214 Baltimore Avenue68-041-02
15Professional Building5200 Baltimore Avenue68-041-01
16Harriet Ralston House4206 Decatur Street68-010-25
17William Shepherd House5108 42nd Avenue68-010-73
18Benjamin Smith House5104 42nd Avenue68-010-34
19Welsh House4200 Farragut Street68-010-01
20Wheelock House4100 Crittenden Street68-010-31
21Wilson-Ferrier-Windsor House4106 Crittenden Street68-010-80

Arts District

Downtown Hyattsville is also undergoing revitalization as part of the , in the form of the Arts District Hyattsville private development project, which includes townhomes, live-work units, and retail space. The master developer of the 25-acre neighborhood is Bethesda-based EYA. The "economic development town center" of the arts district, the development is being constructed by EYA, Pulte Homes, StreetSense, and Bozzuto Homes. A Busboys and Poets restaurant opened in July 2011; other retail offerings include Yes! Organic Market, Elevation Burger, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Spice 6 Modern Indian, and Tara Thai. In the winter of 2015, a traveling exhibition platform Visual Collaborative collaborated with the Arts District Hyattsville Master Association, utilizing the Lustine Center to host a group exhibition themed Vanity.

Government

When first incorporated, Hyattsville was run by a Board of Commissioners; in May 1900, it switched to a mayor and common council system. Today, the city government consists of a popularly elected mayor and a ten-person city council. Each of the five wards in the city are represented by two popularly elected councilmen.
In January 2015, the Hyattsville Council passed a charter amendment to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in city elections, making Hyattsville one of the few jurisdictions in the United States that has done so. In December 2016, the city expanded voting rights again, granting non-citizen residents the right to vote in municipal elections.

Presidents of the Board of Commissioners

Since 2000, the city has undergone a major redevelopment, including significant residential and retail development in the Arts District Hyattsville, and the area surrounding the Prince George's Plaza Metro station and The Mall at Prince Georges. In the later area, University Town Center contains residential condos, student housing, office buildings, a public plaza, and retail space, including a 14-screen movie theater and several restaurants, as well as a campus of Prince George's Community College., additional residential and retail development is underway near the West Hyattsville Metro station, among other locations in the city. Along Route 1, craft brewers and distillers have played a notable role in revitalizing old commercial properties.

County government

District 1 Station in Hyattsville serves areas outside of the city that are not located in an incorporated municipality that maintains its own police department.

Federal government

The United States Postal Service operates Hyattsville Post Office, the West Hyattsville Post Office, and the Prince Georges Plaza Post Office. The Calvert Carrier Annex has a Hyattsville address but is physically in Riverdale Park.
The National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is headquartered in Hyattsville and located at University Town Center.

Transportation

Roads and highways

Several major surface highways serve Hyattsville. The most prominent of these is U.S. Route 1, which follows Rhode Island Avenue and Baltimore Avenue through the center of the city. US 1 connects southward to Washington, D.C. and northward through College Park to Interstate 95/Interstate 495. U.S. Route 1 Alternate follows the southern section of Baltimore Avenue to Bladensburg and provides an alternate route to Washington, D.C. Maryland Route 410 follows East-West Highway, connecting many of Washington, D.C.'s inner suburbs with Hyattsville. Two other state highways serving to connect Hyattsville to nearby towns include Maryland Route 208 and Maryland Route 500.

Public transportation

The Prince George's Plaza Metro station and West Hyattsville Metro station all serve Hyattsville. Hyattsville is also served by the Riverdale MARC commuter train station, as well as a few Metrobus and "The Bus" routes. Students and staff at the University of Maryland College Park have access to the free Shuttle UM Bus that goes from Historic Hyattsville to the University of Maryland College Park Campus.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Hyattsville Elementary, Felegy Elementary, Hyattsville Middle, and Northwestern High School, along with the Chelsea School, St. Matthews, DeMatha, and St. Jerome Academy are located within the city limits.

Public schools

The city is served by Prince George's County Public Schools, and its borders overlap with the enrollment areas for the following public schools:
During the era of legally-required racial segregation of schools, black students from Hyattsville attended Lakeland High School in College Park in the period 1928-1950; Fairmont Heights High School, then near Fairmount Heights, replaced Lakeland High and served black students only from 1950 to 1964; around 1964 legally-required racial segregation of schools ended.

Private schools

has an extension center in University Town Center,

Public libraries

operates the Hyattsville Branch Library, which in 1964 was the first county-built library building for PGCMLS. The original mid-century modern building with its distinctive googie-style flying saucer entryway was demolished in 2019 after a failed effort by preservationists to have the building renovated instead of replaced. The library system's administrative offices were housed in a building adjacent to the Hyattsville Branch until they were moved to the Largo Library in Largo in 2015.

In popular culture

The city of Hyattsville has expressed concern that crime in non-Hyattsville locations sharing the same ZIP codes and unincorporated communities designated as "Hyattsville" by the United States Postal Service creates an image problem for the city.
The city was involved in a minor controversy in April 2006. In the episode airing April 27, the Geena Davis television series Commander in Chief depicted Hyattsville as having twelve murders in six months; it also indirectly depicted the city as being an urban ghetto dominated by poor minorities. The city and Prince George's County were very upset at ABC. On May 1, ABC formally apologized to both the city and county.
The violent crime rate per 1,000 residents has significantly decreased, from 11.42 in 2007 to 5.59 in 2012.
In 2017, the Hyattsville City Police Department became the first law enforcement agency in the United States to put a Chevrolet Bolt Fully Marked Police Patrol Vehicle into service. It has since added an All-Electric Police Motorcycle, and Six Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, which are free to use by the public.

Notable people