Palmer Park is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

Prince George's County Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States, within the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

of Landover. It was previously a CDP of its own until 2000.

History

Palmer Park was adjacent to Wilson Dairy Farm. FedEx Field is now located on what used to be the farm from the 1750s to the 1990s. Palmer Park was an enclave of post-World War II triplex housing units designed as starter homes for young low-income families (less than $13K). It is surrounded by three parks. It was predominantly white (99%) until

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

ended and

blockbusting Blockbusting was a business practice in the United States in which real estate agents and building developers convinced residents in a particular area to sell their property at below-market prices. This was achieved by fearmongering the homeowne ...

began in the 1960s. Within approximately two years, the community went from predominantly white to predominantly black. A lawsuit was filed for blockbusting and was won by the former residents in the late 1960s. Despite its colorful history, it has been home to successful politicians, athletes, and artists. The former CDPs of Landover, Dodge Park, Kentland, and Palmer Park, defined as such by the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

in the 1990 U.S. Census,"1990 COUNTY BLOCK MAP"
index map
Prince George's County.

. Retrieved on September 9, 2018. The CDPs of Landover, Dodge Park, Kentland, and Palmer Park are shown on page
131417
an
18
were consolidated into the Greater Landover CDP as of the 2000 U.S. Census. This amalgamated area was renamed the Landover CDP as of the 2010 U.S. Census.2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Landover CDP, MD
"

. Retrieved on September 1, 2018.

Government and infrastructure

Palmer Park is home to the Palmer Park Senior Housing. It is also home to Prince George's County Police Headquarters, which also serves as the District III station. It is located right across from Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex and

FedExField Northwest Stadium is an American football stadium in Landover, Maryland, U.S., located east of Washington, D.C.. It is the home stadium of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 until 2010, it had the NFL's ...

, home of the three-time Super Bowl champion

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

. Right at the heart of Palmer Park are small stores that include a mini mart, gas station, hair salon, Boys and Girls Club offices, and a doctor's office. In addition to the stores, Palmer Park Community Center is located right across the street. 'Most of the first families settled in Palmer Park between 1956 and 1960.These were predominantly White families with young children. At that time there were 3 schools that served the area known as Landover. Palmer Park Elementary, Kent Jr. High (now a Police station) and Bladensburg High school in Bladensburg Maryland. Palmer Park offered a quiet and trusting environment as opposed to the Washington DC communities where most of the first families moved from. Organizations were created that served the children such as Cub Scout and Boy Scouts (Troop 739) Boy's Club sports for all ages and a baseball field in the center of the community. There was a Shopping Center with a People's drug store, Pizza place, Dry cleaners, Liquor store, and other small stores. A store bus would stop and go up and down all of the streets about 3pm every day and offer groceries that were not close by otherwise. This was Palmer Park in the beginning. William Paca and Highland Park elementary schools serve sections of the former 1990 CDP. Kenmoor and G. James Gholson middle schools serve sections of the former 1990 CDP. The neighborhood high schools serving sections of Palmer Park are

DuVal Duval or DuVal is a surname, literally translating from French to English as "of the valley". It derives from the Norman "Devall", which has both English and French ties. Variant spellings include: Davolls, Deavall, DeVile, Devill, Deville, Div ...

Flowers Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

, and Fairmont Heights.

Transportation

Palmer Park is served by the

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

Landover station (orange line), which is northwest of Palmer Park across Landover Road.

Notable people

Comedian

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...

once lived in Palmer Park while attending Eleanor Roosevelt High School in nearby

Greenbelt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or gree ...

. Palmer Park was the hometown of 1976 Olympics gold medal winning boxer

Sugar Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as Sugar Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professionally between 1977 and 1997, winning quintuple c ...

. Rapper

Rico Nasty Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly (born May 7, 1997), known professionally as Rico Nasty, is an American rapper from Prince George's County, Maryland. She began Self-publishing, self-releasing while in high school, and had released five solo mixtapes by ...

lived in Palmer Park as a child.

Parks and recreation

The Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation operates the Palmer Park Community Center.Palmer Park Community Center
" Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved on September 20, 2018. "Palmer Park Community Center 7720 Barlowe Road Landover, MD 20785" The community is home to the Palmer Park Tigers, and holds an annual Palmer Park day in order to promote community spirit.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Prince George's County, Maryland Former census-designated places in Maryland Unincorporated communities in Maryland Washington metropolitan area