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Langley Park is an
unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...
and
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...
(CDP) in
Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ...
, Maryland, United States. It is located inside the Capital Beltway, on the northwest edge of Prince George's County, bordering Montgomery County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 20,126.


History

"Langley Park" refers to the Langley Park estate established in 1923 by the McCormick-Goodhart family in the Chillum District of Prince George's County. The name McCormick-Goodhart represented the linking of one of
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
's oldest families, that of
Cyrus McCormick Cyrus Hall McCormick (February 15, 1809 – May 13, 1884) was an American inventor and businessman who founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which later became part of the International Harvester Company in 1902. Originally from the ...
, with that of British
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and givin ...
Frederick E. McCormick-Goodhart. Frederick's wife Henrietta (Nettie) was the daughter of Leander J. McCormick, a brother of Cyrus. They named the estate "Langley Park" after the Goodharts' ancestral home in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, England. In 1924, they erected an , 28-room
Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover— George I, George II, Ge ...
mansion, designed by architect George Oakley Totten, Jr., at a cost of $100,000. It remains a community landmark at 8151 15th Ave.
CASA of Maryland CASA (formerly ''CASA of Maryland'') is a Latino and immigration advocacy-and-assistance organization based in Maryland. It is active throughout the state, but has major foci in Prince George's County, Montgomery County and Baltimore. CASA i ...
purchased the property in 2009, making the site its home base, and a Multicultural Community Center is now open in the mansion. This property was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on August 29, 2008. During the late 1930s-early 1940s, Leander McCormick-Goodhart, son of Frederick and Nettie, served as personal assistant to Ambassador Lord Lothian and supervisor of American Relief to
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...
through the British embassy. As a result, the Langley Park estate became a regular site of social activities related to the British embassy including hosting the regular games of the Washington
Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
Club and, in June 1941, a British Relief Country Fair. The estate was first subdivided during and immediately after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, and was developed as a
planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
by Pierre Ghent & Associates of Washington, D.C. The last major section would be developed in 1963. Because of the wartime and immediate postwar demand for housing, the estate was quickly developed for low-rise apartment homes, semi-detached, and single family homes. Starting in 1949, a 1,542 garden apartment complex, Langley Park Apartments, now located along 14th Avenue, was built to house the exploding postwar population. That same year, M.T. Broyhill and Sons started building on a tract for 600 single family homes to be priced at around $10,000. These homes now lie north of Merrimac Drive. Both the apartments and homes were completed and occupied by June 1951. In 1951, plans were unveiled for 500 additional multi-family rental dwellings and a , $4 million shopping center. In 1963, the last major segment of the Langley Park estate opened for development. It was a parcel located directly around the manor house. It had been acquired in 1947 from the McCormick-Goodhart family by the Eudist Order for use as a seminary. The property was acquired for $900,000 by developers, who built the 400-unit Willowbrook Apartments on the site and opened them the following year. The mansion then operated until the early 1990s as Willowbrook Montessori School. The Langley Park Elementary School, now known as Langley Park-McCormick School, opened in 1950, at 15th Avenue and Merrimac Drive. In 1988, Leander McCormick-Goodhart, real estate developer and descendant of the estate owners, sent the school a $10,000 donation after receiving an invitation to attend a school event. That same year, 60 percent of the school population of 610 students was foreign born from 45 different countries and spoke 27 languages. In 1955, Langley Park was "the fastest growing trade area in Metropolitan Washington", with 200,000 people located within a radius. Affordable housing attracted a community consisting mostly of young couples with families. In the following decades, Langley Park became a
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
middle-class enclave that was mostly
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. By the 1960s, the Jewish community of Langley Park had already begun to decline. During the 1970s, after
desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...
, increasing numbers of
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
s moved into the community. Although some established families remained, the white population declined due to
white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...
to the outer suburbs. In 1970, the first language of 6.1 percent was
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
; by 1980 that number had climbed to 13.4 percent.Langley Park Bridging Age and Language Gaps
" by Keith Harriston, ''The Washington Post'', Nov 14, 1987, p. E1.
During the 1980s, Hispanic and Caribbean immigrants from countries such as
El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...
,
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
,
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...
,
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
,
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
,
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
,
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
and elsewhere in the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
led a new wave of migration into the community. In addition, Asian and African immigrants from places like
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
,
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
settled into the area. It proved to be an attractive locale for immigrants due to the availability of affordable housing that could also accommodate families. The integration of these new groups into Langley Park reflected a larger trend of increased migration to the Greater Washington area during the 1980s and 1990s. By 1990, the area was 40 percent Hispanic.Hispanics Carve Niche in P.G.
" by Jim Naughton, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'', August 19, 1991, p. A1.
At the same time, the area suffered through a period of physical decline and increases in crime. During the 1980s, the community struggled with blighted residential and commercial areas. The apartment complexes experienced substantial turnover in occupancy. Residents in the 14th Avenue and Kanawha Street area in particular were subjected to "open air drug markets" and other criminal activity. Long-time residents and the new immigrant communities were both victims of crime. Some homeowners organized to address neighborhood concerns about rising crime. For the 1988–89 school year, bus service for children who lived in walking distance to school was implemented to ensure their safety. Police also increased their presence in the community. Apartment complexes, under new management, initiated safety measures to discourage drug activity such as installing new lighting, security doors and maintaining general upkeep of their properties. At the same time, police in Prince George's County conducted multiple raids in an effort to shut down drug activity in the county. By 1991, officials were taking note of an increase in illegal immigrants from Central America, and day laborers were beginning to become a common sight on area streets.


Geography

Langley Park is located at (38.994060, −76.981759), with a total area of , all land. The community is bordered by University Boulevard to the south, the Northwest Branch
Anacostia River The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Poin ...
to the north, Phelps Road to the east, and the Prince Georges County–Montgomery County line to the west. An extremely small stretch of Piney Branch Road (MD 320) which goes into Prince George's County, goes into the Langley Park neighborhood as well, just before it crosses the Northwest Branch Anacostia River and intersects New Hampshire Avenue ( MD 650). While most of the Langley Park neighborhood contains the Hyattsville ZIP Code of 20783, there is a small portion of Langley Park located west of New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650), but east of the Prince George's County–Montgomery County line, which contains the Silver Spring ZIP Code of 20903. Langley Park is surrounded by the communities of Adelphi, Silver Spring,
Takoma Park Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea C ...
, Carole Highlands, and Lewisdale.


Demographics


2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''


2010 Census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2010, there were 18,755 people, 5,082 households, and 3,375 families residing in the area. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was 18,682.8 persons per square mile. * 26.0%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
* 16.4%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
* 2.6% Native American * 2.9% Asian * 0.5%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
* 43.6 from some other races * 7.9% from two or more races 76.6% of the population is
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race (note that this includes a combination of Hispanics from all different parts of Latin America). There were 5,082 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.1% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.67, and the average family size was 3.69. In the community the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 15.4% from 18 to 24, 43.6% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 152.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 166.8 males.


2000 Census

At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the community was $37,939, and the median income for a family was $36,018. Males had a median income of $22,356 versus $21,931 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the community was $12,733. About 11.3% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over. A 2011 news article noted that "About one in five residents ... lives below the poverty level...." In 2000, 21.48% of Langley Park residents identified as being of
Salvador Salvador, meaning " salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
an heritage. This was the largest percentage of
Salvadoran American Salvadoran Americans ( or ) are Americans of full or partial Salvadoran descent. As of 2010, there are 2,195,477 Salvadoran Americans in the United States, the fourth-largest Hispanic community by nation of ancestry.Chillum- Adelphi Volunteer Fire Department (CAVFD) serves Langley Park. The station is in Langley Park CDP and has an Adelphi postal address.2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Langley Park CDP, MD
"
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Retrieved on January 31, 2018.
In March 1951 and June 8, 1951 the CAVFD was established and chartered, respectively. From November and March 1953 the fire station on Riggs Road was constructed; the County Volunteer Firemen's Association designated it Station No. 34. Portions of Station No. 34 were rebuilt in the early 1960s, and it was rededicated on November 16, 1963. In 1962 the CAVFD began building a substation, No. 44, which was dedicated on November 16, 1963, but in 1992 it sold the substation to the county government. Prince George’s County Police Department's District 1 serves Langley Park; its station is in Hyattsville. The
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...
Langley Park Post Office is physically in the City of Takoma Park and has a Hyattsville postal address.


Transportation

Two light rail stations on the Purple Line are being constructed to serve Langley Park. One station will be at
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 (8 km) and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenue ...
and University Boulevard, which was named one of the most dangerous intersections in Maryland for
pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with ...
s to cross. The danger is due to crossings of these six-lane routes mid-block at curbside bus stops. The other station will be located at University Boulevard and Riggs Road. The Purple Line, which will connect to the
Washington Metro The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,Google Books search/preview
,
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
and
MARC Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...
, is under construction as of 2022 and is scheduled to open in 2026.


Economy

Langley Park is probably best known as a center of commercial activity in northwestern Prince George's County. At each of the two corners of the New Hampshire Avenue / University Boulevard intersection is a large strip shopping center. One is known as the Langley Park Plaza (northeast corner), while the other is known as the Langley Park Shopping Center (northwest corner). There are also three other small shopping centers a few blocks east of New Hampshire Avenue, two are located on the northeast and northwest sides of the intersection of University Boulevard and Riggs Road, while the third one is located at the intersection of University Boulevard and 15th Avenue. * Langley Park Plaza is the main shopping center that serves the Langley Park neighborhood. It was once the second largest strip mall in Maryland. Plans were originally announced in 1951 for development of the site to include 40 stores and a six- to eight-story office building. The site remained undeveloped until 1954, when the Washington, D.C.-based department store Lansburgh's announced plans to open a three-story, , $2 million store. It was the first major department store opened in Prince George's County. Through the demise of the Lansburgh's chain in 1973, it would remain its most profitable store. At the store's opening in October 1955, in addition to substantial displays and a payroll of 350, it contained the "Hampshire Room" — a luncheonette seating 90 and a community room to hold about 200. The remainder of the plaza opened shortly thereafter and included a Giant Food store, which opened in December, 1955 and
Peoples Drug Peoples Drug was a chain of drugstores based in Alexandria, Virginia. Founded in 1905, Peoples was subsequently purchased by Lane Drug in 1975, Imasco in 1984, and finally by CVS in 1990, which continued to run the stores under the Peoples ban ...
store. After Lansburgh's closed in 1973, it was occupied by
E. J. Korvette E. J. Korvette, also known as Korvettes, was an American chain of discount department stores, founded in 1948 in New York City. It was one of the first department stores to challenge the suggested retail price provisions of anti-discounting st ...
, then Klein's, followed by
K-Mart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inco ...
from 1981 to 1996, and
Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loca ...
from November 1996 to January 31, 2007. The
Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loca ...
moved here from a smaller location it originally operated a few blocks east of Langley Park, in the adjacent neighborhood of Lewisdale. A Value Village Thrift store has occupied its former space in Lewisdale ever since
Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loca ...
closed there and moved to the Langley Park Plaza. Eventually when
Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loca ...
closed its store in the Langley Park Plaza, its spot remained vacant for a little over 2 years, until a Regency Furniture store opened in late June/ July 2009.
Regency Furniture
has been operating and still continues to operate in that spot inside Langley Park Plaza today. The Giant Food store closed around the summer of 1997 (which was considered to be part of the 1998 Fiscal Year in Giant Food's 1998 Fiscal Year Annual Report/10-K Statement), and remained vacant for nearly a year until Atlantic Supermarket opened and took over its former spot inside Langley Park Plaza on May 13, 199
Atlantic Supermarket
Atlantic Supermarket has been and is still currently operating in Giant's former space ever since it closed. Most of the 1950s pre-neon signs and frozen food/ grocery aisles inside the store still remain from the Giant Food Store. Atlantic Supermarket's originally operated as a very compact supermarket with its logo being in the form of a very simple recantgular white border frame design with a red rectangle contained inside it with the words, "Atlantic Supermarket" in white print. However; Atlantic Supermarket did go through a grocery store expansion (approved by both Prince George's County and the State of Maryland in November, 2005), but which then took place between the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007, to not only increase the size of its store, but also make its store much more modernized so that it could significantly expand its produce offerings. As a result, Atlantic Supermarket had the front side of its store expanded and remodeled its front store entrance with a more advanced store logo with a castle like red triangular design with a white rectangle in between with the words, "Atlantic Supermarket" in lavender print. Atlantic Supermarket's front side expansion, which took place between late 2006 and early 2007, displaced a total of twelve parking lot spaces that used to be in front of the store. Also, a
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
Fast Food Restaurant opened right inside the portion of the parking lot inside the Langley Park Plaza, right at the edge of the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue (MD 650) & University Boukevard East (MD 193), around the spring of 1998. The McDonald's Fast Food Restaurant inside the Langley Park Plaza parking lot, displaced several of its formerly available parking spaces there, as there was no building originally on the site there. Unlike the rest of the stores inside the Langley Park Plaza, McDonald's remains uniquely detached from the plaza and operates as its own standalone restaurant, despite still being located inside the Langley Park Plaza parking lot property and less than a few very small steps away from all the other stores inside the plaza. Also, the
Peoples Drug Peoples Drug was a chain of drugstores based in Alexandria, Virginia. Founded in 1905, Peoples was subsequently purchased by Lane Drug in 1975, Imasco in 1984, and finally by CVS in 1990, which continued to run the stores under the Peoples ban ...
store was converted into a
CVS Pharmacy CVS Pharmacy, Inc. is an American retail corporation. A subsidiary of CVS Health, it is headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It was also known as, and originally named, the Consumer Value Store and was founded in Lowell, Massachusetts, in ...
store when CVS corporation bought the 490-store
Peoples Drug Peoples Drug was a chain of drugstores based in Alexandria, Virginia. Founded in 1905, Peoples was subsequently purchased by Lane Drug in 1975, Imasco in 1984, and finally by CVS in 1990, which continued to run the stores under the Peoples ban ...
chain in the mid-nineties. The old-fashioned University Liquor store that has been inside the Langley Park Plaza for roughly five decades, is still operating in the Langley Park Plaza today. There is also a Rainbow Clothing & Apparel Store, New York Factory Outlet, Dollar Store, Home Jewelers Store, Family Furniture Discount Store, Payless Shoe Source Store, Shoe Depot Store, and Hunan Hut Chinese Carryout Restaurant, in addition to the stores mentioned earlier in this section. * In recent years, the Langley Park Plaza has become a shopping destination for many recent immigrants, especially those from
Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
. An attraction in the Langley Park Plaza is the fountain, nestled in a section of the mall, where recent immigrants take photos to show their families and friends at home that they have arrived in the United States. The fountain and interior hallway that surrounds it, that are currently inside Langley Park Plaza, did not actually exist until around 1996 when Langley Park Plaza went through major renovations to make the strip mall more modernized, right before the Toys R' Us Store opened in late November, 1996. During that time, Langley Park Plaza also got a brand new red exterior design on the outside of its brand new indoor entrance with the words, "Plaza", printed in white print. Langley Park Plaza was originally just an outdoor strip mall with various shops/stores and restaurants operating next to each other with no interior entrance connecting them. Even now, Langley Park Plaza remains primarily as an outdoor strip mall with nearly all stores having only their own entrances without connecting to other stores/restaurant operating within the strip mall, only with the exception having a main entrance with an interior fountain and Dollar Store. * * The other major shopping center that serves the Langley Park neighborhood at the intersection of University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, is known as the Langley Park Shopping Center. Its volume is 135,000 square feet (12,500 square meters). Currently, its two main tenants are a
Rite Aid Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. The company ranked No. 148 in the Fortune 500 l ...
Pharmacy Store and Woodland's Pure Vegetarian Indian restaurant. The shopping center initially opened in August 1951, when a
Food Fair Food Fair, also known by its successor name Pantry Pride, was a large supermarket chain in the United States. It was founded by Samuel N. Friedland, who opened the first store (as Reading Giant Quality Price Cutter) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in ...
supermarket opened; it was later converted to an
Acme Acme is Ancient Greek (ακμή; English transliteration: ''akmē'') for "the peak", "zenith" or "prime". It may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Acme'' (album), an album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion * Acme and Septimius, a fictional ...
, then Grand Union. This center was home to a Drug Fair,
Hot Shoppes Marriott Corporation was a hospitality company that operated from 1927 until 1993, founded by J. Willard Marriott and Frank J. Kimball as Hot Shoppes, Inc. In 1957, Marriott Corporation opened its first hotel in Arlington County, Virginia, ...
fast food restaurant, and Weile's Ice Cream Parlor, a Kresge Co. Store, and the 1,000-seat Langley Theater, which opened in March 1952. The Langley Theater was eventually upgraded to a multi-screen theater in 1985, before eventually closing in the mid-1990s when the owner, K/B Theaters, went out of business. The spot of the Langley Theater was eventually taken over by a new Woodland's Pure Vegetarian Indian Restaurant and Subzi Mandi Indian Grocery Store which opened in March, 1998 in the Langley Park Shopping Center. Also, the Rite Aid Pharmacy Store, which sold GNC products, opened inside the Langley Park Shopping Center around late 1995, taking over the former Kresge Co. Store's spot. A
Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...
Fast Food Restaurant also opened in the Langley Park Shopping Center in the spring of 1998, taking over the spot that the former Hot Shoppes Fast Food Restaurant has occupied in the Langley Park Shopping Center, for more than four decades. Right next to the Woodland's Pure Vegetarian Indian Restaurant, there used to be a Subzi Mandi Indian Grocery store, which closed around early 2010. There is a Gallo Clothing store, Dollar Store, Senor Coffee Shop, and Casa Blanca Bakery Shop that remain in operation still. The long-planned Takoma/Langley Crossroads Transit Center finally opened its doors on December 22, 2016 in the Langley Park Shopping Center parking lot, taking over most of the parking lot spaces and displacing Taco Bell's location by the shopping center. It mainly serves as a bus transfer point. At this transit center, people can get off one bus and transfer to another bus that gets them to their destination. After the Taco Bell was demolished, it relocated and opened its new store at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Holton Lane in the adjacent neighborhood of Takoma Park, Maryland. Taco Bell's new location is right next to where the Aldi's Supermarket and Caribbean Market are both located. * University Place is a small shopping center that serves the Langley Park neighborhood. It is located at the Intersection of University Boulevard and 15th Avenue. It consists of a China Palace Restaurant, La Chiquita Restaurant, Da Vita Dialysis Medical Store, Sweet Cash Pawn Store, a Laundromat/ Hair Salon Shop, and a
Pho 75 Pho 75 is chain of restaurants that serve pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) in the Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania areas. Not only does it serve soup, but it also serves special desserts and Vietnamese coffee as well. It has branche ...
Vietnamese Restaurant. A Sam & Raj Indian Jewelers Store also used to operate inside this particular strip mall up until around mid-2007 when it closed and got replaced by the Small Smiles Dental Clinic. The Small Smiles Dental Clinic also ended up eventually closing later and got replaced by a DaVita Dialysis Clinic. Also in the shopping center, the La Chiquita Restaurant is currently occupying the spot that used to house an Americana Grocery Latin American Supermarket for about fifteen years. The Americana Grocery Latin American Supermarket closed around 2016. * At the northwest corner of the intersection of University Boulevard and Riggs Road, there is a very small shopping center that does not have a name. It consists of a Carolina Furniture Store, Western Union Bank, and Pep Boys Auto Repair Shop. The Carolina Furniture took over the spot of what used to be a "Mattress Discounters Store" around the summer of 2009. * Then, last but not least, on the northeast corner of the intersection of University Boulevard and Riggs Road, there is another shopping center. This time, however; the shopping center is a little more jumbled up, meaning that it consists of stores that are in a wobbly line, rather than being organized in a single space. The shopping center consists of a Kenny's Caribbean Carryout Restaurant, Tire Shop, Exxon Mobil Gas Station, Krispy Kreme Donuts Store, Tiger Mart Convenience Store, 24- Hour Laundromat Shop, Family Dollar Store, Patel Brothers Indian Grocery Store, El Dorado Seafood Store. Domino's Pizza Restaurant, Burger King Fast Food Restaurant, Irene's Pupusas Fast Food Carryout Restaurant, and a Hyattsville Convenience Store. The Family Dollar store is currently occupying th space that used to house a Foot Locker Store. The Foot Locker Store closed in early 2010, which is when Family Dollar took over/opened.


Apartment complexes

As mentioned earlier in the article, many of the apartment complexes in the Langley Park, MD neighborhood were built in the mid 1920s and early 1940s. It consists of quite a few different apartment complexes. # Campus Gardens Apartments (formerly known as, "''Isabella Gardens Apartments" prior to 2006, when the apartment complex was renamed as, "Campus Gardens", when new management took over''), located at the intersections of University Boulevard to the south, Phelps Road to the east, and Riggs Road to the west. # University Gardens Apartments, located at the intersections of Riggs Road to the east, 15th Avenue to the west, and Kanawha Street/ Jasmine Terrace to the south # The Marylander Condominiums, located slightly north of the Campus Gardens Apartments at the intersection of Riggs Road and Keokee Street # Serene Townhouse Village, located north of the intersection of Riggs Road and Jasmine Terrace, right across from the University Gardens Apartments # Bedford Station Apartments, located at the intersections of University Boulevard to the south, 15th Avenue to the east, 14th Avenue to the west, and Kanawha Street to the north. # The Villas at Langley Apartments, located on 15th Ave. north of Kanawha Street and south of Merrimac Drive, surrounding the Casa de Maryland mansion. # Liberty Place Apartments, located at the intersection of University Boulevard and 14th Avenue # Langley Terrace Apartments, located at the intersections of 14th Avenue, Langley Way, and Merrimac Drive, behind Langley Park Plaza # Hampshire Village Apartments, located at the intersection of New Hampshire and Merrimac Drive # Langley Gardens Apartments, located at the intersections of New Hampshire Avenue, Lebanon Street, and University Boulevard; This apartment complex used to serve as the Langley Park bus terminal for Montgomery County Ride-On bus routes 15, 16, 17, and 18 until the Takoma Langley Crossroads Center opened in December, 2015. # University Landing Apartments, located at the intersection of University Boulevard and Merrimac Drive, right next to the Prince Georges/ Montgomery County Line, where the neighborhoods of Langley Park and Silver Spring meet; WMATA's F8 Metrobus Route used to have its terminus at University Boulevard & Merrimac Drive (Langley Park), located right inside the roadway of this particular apartment complex from December 3, 1978, when it was first created as a brand new WMATA Metrobus Route, all the way up until December, 2016 when the Takoma-Langley Crossroads Transit Center opened. As of this date, Wmata's route F8 began terminating at the Takoma Langley Crossroads Center instead. # Victoria Station Apartments, located slightly north of the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Merrimac Drive # Suburban Hill Apartments, located at the intersections of New Hampshire Avenue, Ruatan street, and Quebec Terrace, directly south of the Northwest Branch Anacostia Trail, bordering Adelphi and Silver Spring. # Quebec Arms Apartments, located on the northern side of the intersection of 14th Avenue and Merrimac Drive


Education

The Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) operates public schools. Langley Park-McCormick Elementary School is located in Langley Park. It had 679 students circa March 2013,Scott, et al p. 22/88. See footnote of page 20 on how the think tank identified Langley Park students. with all but 12 living in Langley Park.Scott, et al p. 22/88. In 2007 the school had 435 students. That year about 90% of the students at earlier grades were identified as learning
English as a second language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...
, and 370 students in all grade levels were Hispanic or Latino. Langley Park-McCormick entered into the
Title I The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been one of the most far-rea ...
program due to the low income statuses of many of its students. Amy Stout became the principal in 2008 as former principal Sandra Jimenez, who started at Langley Park circa 2002, became the principal of Buck Lodge Middle School. In 1987 the 611 students originated from 33 countries, with about 50% being born outside the United States; Central American and South American-born students made up the majority of that group. That year the students altogether spoke 17 languages. 95% of the students were Hispanic/Latino. In 2001, there were 750 students, with about 33% of them being in the "
English for Speakers of Other Languages English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...
" (ESOL) program, - Also as:
New ESOL program helps to bridge the language barrier
" Translated into Spanish as:

(translated by Oswaldo Jimenez).
and over 90% qualifying for free or reduced lunches. In 2001 it had five bilingual employees. Other schools educating significant numbers of Langley Park students include Mary Harris “Mother” Jones Elementary School in Adelphi, Cool Spring Elementary School in Adelphi, Buck Lodge Middle School in Adelphi, and High Point High School in
Beltsville Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporated ...
. In 2013 the percentages of those schools' students living in Langley Park were 82%, 72%, 32%, and 23%. In the 2012–2013 school year 2,669 Langley Park students attended Langley Park-McCormick, Jones, Cool Spring, Buck Lodge, and High Point; making up 92% of the public school students in the community; while 220 Langley Park students attended 52 other PGCPS Schools. Langley Park-McCormick, Adelphi, and Cool Spring elementaries had percentages of Hispanic students and students with free/reduced lunches higher than the average for PGCPS; Adelphi and Cool Springs each had over 56% of their students being Hispanic/Latino and about 50% being on free/reduced lunches. Sections of the CDP north of Route 193 are assigned to Langley Park-McCormick, Jones, and Cool Spring; a section of the CDP south of Route 193 is zoned to Carole Highlands Elementary School. Carole Highlands has a
Takoma Park Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea C ...
postal address but is within the Langley Park CDP boundaries. As of the 1990 US Census and the
2000 US Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
, Carole Highlands Elementary, as well as all of the areas south of Route 193, was in the Chillum CDP. All of Langley Park CDP is served by Buck Lodge Middle and High Point High. In the 2011–12 school year 36% of 9th grade students from Langley Park, who attended High Point, did not go to school for at least 20 days per school year compared to 29% district average for 9th graders and 10% district average for 7th and 8th graders; the Langley Park 7th and 8th graders truancy rate was the same as the district average. Scott, et al. stated in a 2014 paper published by
think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...
The Urban Institute The Urban Institute based in Edinburgh, Scotland is a collaboration of researchers at Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in ...
that a possible reason was that start time of High Point was the same as that of Buck Lodge Middle School even though the high school's distance from Langley Park was longer than that of the middle school.


Recreation

Every year, Langley Park Day is held at Langley Park-McCormick Elementary. It has festivities as well as health screenings. It started in 1999. The school, Action Langley Park, the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation, and the
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. History The commission was formed in 1927 by the Maryland G ...
sponsors Langley Park Day.


In literature

Langley Park of the early 1960s is featured in the short story "Blue Divisions" by Cuban-American author Alfredo Franco.


References

*Scott, Molly M., Graham MacDonald, and Juan Collazos (The Urban Institute); Ben Levinger (Prince George’s County Public Schools); Eliza Leighton and Jamila Ball (CASA de Maryland).
From Cradle to Career: The Multiple Challenges Facing Immigrant Families in Langley Park Promise Neighborhood
"
The Urban Institute The Urban Institute based in Edinburgh, Scotland is a collaboration of researchers at Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in ...
, June 23, 2014
Abstract


Notes


Further reading

*
Langley Park-College Park-Greenbelt Approved Master Plan (October 1989) and Adopted Sectional Map Amendment
"
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. History The commission was formed in 1927 by the Maryland G ...
, May 1990
Read online


External links




Chillum-Adelphi Volunteer Fire Department

M-NCPPC Takoma / Langley Crossroads Project (retrieved Sep 6, 2008)
{{authority control African-American history of Montgomery County, Maryland Asian-American culture in Maryland Caribbean-American culture in Maryland Census-designated places in Maryland Census-designated places in Prince George's County, Maryland Ethnic enclaves in Maryland Guatemalan-American culture Hispanic and Latino American culture in Maryland Historic Jewish communities in the United States Salvadoran-American culture Washington metropolitan area