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Riverdale Park, formerly known and often referred to as Riverdale, is a semi-urban town 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 Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
, United States, a suburb in the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgin ...
. The population was 6,955 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. The population as of 2019 is approximately 7,304, according to the US Census Bureau and other entities.


History

Riverdale Park and the neighboring community of West Riverdale developed in the late
19th century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolish ...
as streetcar suburbs in central Prince George's County. The town is located approximately seven miles northeast of downtown Washington, D.C. The area is also bisected by the heavily traveled Baltimore Avenue ( U.S. Route 1). The city of College Park is located to the north, the town of University Park to the west across Baltimore Avenue, the town of Edmonston to the east and southeast, and Hyattsville is located to the south and southwest.


Founding

The area was first developed in 1801 when a Belgian aristocrat, Henri Joseph Stier, purchased 800 acres situated between two tributaries of the
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 ...
, known as the Paint and
Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each s ...
branches. Stier and his family moved to the United States several years earlier to escape the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
(1788–1789). Upon purchase, he named his holdings Riversdale, and began constructing his residence that same year. The mansion was modeled after the Stier family's Belgian home, Chateau du Mick, and when completed in 1807, the building stood as a two-story stuccoed-brick dwelling in the style of late
Georgian architecture 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 ...
. Just two years after purchasing the property, in 1803, the political tension that had caused Stier to flee his native country subsided, and he and his wife, Marie Louise, returned to Belgium. Riversdale was given to their daughter, Rosalie, who had married
George Calvert George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore (; 1580 – 15 April 1632), was an English politician and colonial administrator. He achieved domestic political success as a member of parliament and later Secretary of State under King James I. He lost m ...
, the grandson of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, in 1799. After Rosalie Stier Calvert died in 1821 and George Calvert in 1838, their son,
Charles Benedict Calvert Charles Benedict Calvert (August 23, 1808 – May 12, 1864) was an American politician who was a U.S. Representative from the sixth district of Maryland, serving one term from 1861 to 1863. He was an early backer of the inventors of the t ...
, took over the plantation. Charles Calvert was a renowned agriculturist and helped establish the Maryland Agricultural College, now the
University of Maryland at College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Ma ...
. In May 1853, Calvert announced he would donate land for an agricultural college. In 1861, Calvert was elected to the United States Congress and fought for the establishment of the
United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
. During his life, Charles Calvert conducted a variety of agricultural experiments at Riversdale, and expanded his family's original holdings to 2,200 acres. Calvert died in 1864; however, the property remained in the ownership of the Calvert family for another twenty years. The 1861 Martenet map depicts the rural setting of Riversdale and identifies Charles B. Calvert as its owner. The old Baltimore Turnpike, now known as
US Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, makin ...
, is located to the west of the mansion house. To the east of the house is the Washington Branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which opened in 1833. The railway is located inside the boundaries of Riverdale Park, just west of the Paint Branch tributary. The 1878 Hopkins map depicts little development having had happened since 1861.


Post-Calverts

In 1887, the heirs of
Charles Benedict Calvert Charles Benedict Calvert (August 23, 1808 – May 12, 1864) was an American politician who was a U.S. Representative from the sixth district of Maryland, serving one term from 1861 to 1863. He was an early backer of the inventors of the t ...
sold 474 acres of land to New York City businessmen John Fox and Alexander Lutz in two separate transactions. The first deed involved the sale of 300 acres, which included the Riversdale mansion. The remaining 174 acres were transferred to Fox and Lutz shortly thereafter. The cost of the sales to Fox and Lutz totaled $47,000. On March 23, 1889, Fox and Lutz formed the Riverdale Park Company, which was named in honor of the grand Federal style mansion at the center of the proposed community. The company planned on creating an upper-middle-class residential suburb for people working in Washington, D.C. and
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
. The land was platted in 1889 by surveyor D.J. Howell and the new development was named Riverdale Park. In an attempt to differentiate the historic plantation known as Riversdale from the subdivision, the "s" was dropped. The new roads were named in honor of United States presidents and were arranged in a grid pattern that surrounded a central ellipse, which served as the site of the commuter train station. The first of the stations was constructed in 1890. Laid out as a "villa park", the community featured traffic circles and green space, with the mansion being used as its central amenity. The three original sections of the suburb utilized relatively uniform lot dimensions and building setbacks, thereby creating a cohesive development of middle- and upper-middle-class housing. The residential housing lots surrounded the high-style Riversdale mansion.


Growth

The construction of dwellings in Riverdale Park began in 1890. The buildings reflected popular architectural trends of the time and were of wood-frame construction. Some structures were pyramidal-roof Foursquares, while others had front-gable or cross-gable roofs. Many houses from this period have projecting bays, corner towers, and wrap-around porches. By the turn of the twentieth century, Riverdale Park comprised 60 dwellings, a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...
church, a schoolhouse, and a railroad station. The new community straddled the Washington line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which provided residents an easy commute to Washington, D.C. Recognizing the financial potential of the new suburb, builders purchased groups of lots that were soon improved by high-style single-family dwellings. Joseph A. Blundon (ca. 1847–1909) was one such late-nineteenth-century builder. Born in Georgetown, Blundon worked as a general contractor in Washington, D.C., before moving to Riverdale Park in 1889. He was instrumental in forming the Riverdale Park Company and served as its first manager. Blundon also, independent of the development company, purchased several lots each year for the purpose of overseeing the construction of single-family dwellings. Between 1891 and 1909, he was responsible for the erection of roughly 90 buildings in Riverdale Park. Accordingly, he became known as the "Father of Riverdale". In 1920, a handful of owners in both Riverdale Park and the nearby West Riverdale petitioned the Maryland General Assembly requesting authority to incorporate the two neighborhoods as a municipality. On June 14, 1920, the two communities were incorporated as the Town of Riverdale. As a result of the transfer of power from the Riverdale Park Company to the municipal government, the importance of the real estate company began to diminish, prompting a financial strain. Within ten years of the town's incorporation, the Riverdale Park Company went bankrupt. Numerous annexations in the mid-twentieth century increased Riverdale's overall size. The municipal government continued to grow and change during this period. In 1941, the town changed the name of its roads to conform to the standards of 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 ...
, carrying a similar pattern as those of Washington, D.C., and nearby College Park. The increasing population and commercial and governmental growth of metropolitan Washington, D.C., most notably during the last twenty years of the twentieth century, has resulted in further development of the town of Riverdale. This late-twentieth-century growth was predominantly commercial and centered along Baltimore Avenue, thereby physically and visually separating West Riverdale from Riverdale Park.


Post-1940s

Since the 1940s, the area has been a largely blue-collar town predominated by small red brick or wooden homes with porches. The area has always had a large presence of
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
students, faculty, and staff residents. It also has a large and growing, professional, middle-class African American population. The area originally had its own small town Maryland identity, but was eventually engulfed by post-World War II urban expansion, related to the growth of the University of Maryland and Washington D.C. The area is now much more of a neighborhood than an actual town. Although many of the original residents have left, there are still a significant number of original residents living in the area. Many of the original residents speak with classic Maryland accents, which has some similarities to a Baltimore accent. Washington D.C. and its close northern and northwestern suburbs once had large blue-collar Irish populations some of this influence is still evident in the remnants of the older community. In 1998, the town was officially renamed Riverdale Park. Today, the town is made up of a mix of housing styles, including 1960s apartment buildings, pre- and post-World War II era buildings, and dwellings from the turn of the twentieth century. The Riversdale mansion, now surrounded by eight acres, is owned by the M-NCPPC, which purchased it in 1949. The Riversdale property is bounded roughly by 48th Avenue to the west, Riverdale Road to the north, Taylor Street to the east, and Oglethorpe Street to the south. In 2015, construction began on the Cafritz Property, the largest piece of undeveloped property in Prince George's County. In April 2017, it opened as Riverdale Park Station, a mixed-use development located at the odd side of the 6600 to 6700 blocks on Baltimore Avenue. A major tenant of the development is the Whole Foods Market, the first to open in Prince George's County.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the 2010 Census, there were 6,956 people, 1,944 households, and 1,390 families residing in the town. 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 . There were 2,058 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 32.2%
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 ...
, 27.1%
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 ...
, 1.3% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.1%
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 ...
, 32.0% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races.
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 were 50.0% of the population. There were 1,944 households in the town, of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% 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, 16.6% contained a female member with no husband present, 10.3% contained a male member with no wife present, and 28.5% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% contained someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.50 and the average family size was 3.85. The median age in the town was 30.3 years. 27.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.8% were between 25 and 44; 19.8% were between 45 and 64; and 6.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.9% male and 47.1% female.


2000 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 2000, there were 6,690 people, 2,172 households, and 1,437 families residing in the town. 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 4,212.7 people per square mile (1,624.5/km). There were 2,321 housing units at an average density of 1,461.5 per square mile (563.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 39.91%
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 ...
, 38.51%
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 ...
, 0.49% Native American, 4.25% Asian, 0.12%
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 ...
, 12.99% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races.
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 were 28.27% of the population. There were 2,172 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% 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, 16.4% contained a female member with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% contained someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.60. 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18;12.2% were between 18 and 24, 38.7% between 25 and 44, 15.6% between 45 and 64, and 4.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,041, and the median income for a family was $49,904. Males had a median income of $30,053 versus $30,200 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 town was $19,293. About 9.0% of families and 12.0% 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 16.0% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.


Government

In 2016, the town changed its form of government to include a town manager. The town is governed by a mayor and town council. The council has six members, each representing a different ward of the town. As of the 2017 general election, the mayor of Riverdale Park is Alan K. Thompson and the wards are represented as below: * Ward One – Marsha Dixon * Ward Two – Aaron Faulx * Ward Three – David Lingua * Ward Four – Chris Henry * Ward Five – Colleen Richardson * Ward Six – Hala Mayers The town has its own police department, with David Morris serving as the chief of police. Riverdale Park and the adjacent, unincorporated community of Riverdale Heights are served by two primarily volunteer fire departments within the Prince Georges Fire and EMS Department. "Riverdale 7" and "Riverdale Heights 13" both provide services to the community with volunteer firefighters and a staff of live-in volunteers. Prince George's County Police Department District 1 Station in Hyattsville serves Riverdale Park. The United States Postal Service operates the Riverdale Post Office and the Kenilworth Post Office in Riverdale Park. The Calvert Carrier Annex has a Hyattsville address but is physically in Riverdale Park.Maps
" Town of Riverdale Park. Retrieved on March 3, 2018.


Education

Riverdale Park is within the Prince George's County Public Schools system. Elementary schools serving the town include: * Riverdale Elementary School * University Park Elementary School in University Park * Rogers Heights Elementary School Middle schools serving the town in separate attendance zones include: * Hyattsville Middle School * William Wirt Middle School High schools serving the town in separate attendance zones include: * Parkdale High School *
Bladensburg High School Bladensburg High School is a public high school located in Bladensburg, Maryland, United States. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Prince George's County Public Schools district. The school serves: the towns of Bl ...
* Northwestern High School College Park Academy Public Charter School is in Riverdale Park.


Economy

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is based in Riverdale Park.


Transportation


Roads and highways

Several state highways serve Riverdale Park. The most prominent of these is U.S. Route 1, which follows Baltimore Avenue along a north-sign alignment on the west edge of town. On the opposite side of town,
Maryland Route 201 Maryland Route 201 (MD 201) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Kenilworth Avenue, the highway runs from the District of Columbia boundary in Tuxedo, where the highway continues south as District of ...
also follows Kenilworth Avenue on a north–south alignment. Maryland Route 410, the aptly named East-West Highway, connects the two roads. Heading away from the town, US 1 and MD 201 both connect southward to Washington, D.C. and northward to the nearest interstate highways, Interstate 95 and Interstate 495 (the Capital Beltway). MD 410 serves as a local connector linking together the inner suburbs north and northeast of Washington D.C. MD 431 also serves Riverdale Park, linking it with College Park.


Public transportation

The town is served by MetroBus and TheBus. Riverdale station is served by
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 ...
's
Camden Line The Camden Line is a MARC commuter rail line that runs for between Union Station, Washington, D.C., and Camden Station, Baltimore, Maryland, over the CSX Capital Subdivision, and Baltimore Terminal Subdivision. It is one of the oldest commuter ...
. Riverdale Park will have two stations on the Purple Line light rail system, which is under construction as of 2022. The Purple Line, which will connect to Washington Metro,
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, is scheduled to open in 2026.


Notable people

Moses Nyeman is a professional soccer player who has played for Loudoun United and now as a midfielder for D.C. United in
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
. The Liberian born pro footballer immigrated to Riverdale Park and has represented the United States at the U-16 International level.


Geography

According to the
United States 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 th ...
, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.


See also

*
Riversdale (Riverdale Park, Maryland) Riversdale, is a five-part, large-scale late Georgian mansion with superior Federal interior, built between 1801 and 1807. Also known as Baltimore House, Calvert Mansion or Riversdale Mansion, it is located at 4811 Riverdale Road in Riverdale ...
, a historic mansion in Riverdale.


References


Further reading

*
The Approved College Park-Riverdale Park Transit District Development Plan
"
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 ...
, March 2015
Read online


External links


Town of Riverdale Park official website
{{authority control Towns in Maryland Washington metropolitan area Towns in Prince George's County, Maryland Populated places established in 1920 1920 establishments in Maryland