Seat Pleasant is an incorporated city 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. Alsobrook ...
,
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 to it ...
, United States, located immediately east of
Washington. Per the
2020 census, the population was 4,522. Two state highways pass through the community —
Maryland routes 704 (now called
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
Highway and previously named George Palmer Highway in honor of banker and community leader George Palmer) and
214 (Central Avenue). The
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,[Google Books search/preview ...](_blank)
's
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ob ...
and
Silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical co ...
Lines are nearby. The
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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
' stadium is east of Seat Pleasant, near the
Capital Beltway
The Capital Beltway is a Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase "inside t ...
(I-95/495).
History
Seat Pleasant is located on part of what had been the Williams-Berry estate. In 1850, the descendants of General
Otho Holland Williams, a
Revolutionary War hero, and
James Berry, a mid-17th-century
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...
leader, sold it to Joseph Gregory.
Seat Pleasant was developed on the dairy farm of Joseph Gregory, the farm of the Hill family, and the land of building contractor Francis Carmody, among others. In 1873, some of the land along Addison Road was subdivided into small farms and rural home sites known as Jackson's Subdivision.
Designers of the
Chesapeake Beach Railway, constructed in 1897–99 between
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
and
Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
Chesapeake Beach is a town in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. Its major attractions include the Chesapeake Beach Railway Station, the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail, a water park, marinas, piers, and charter boat fishing. The town's popu ...
, located their first station in Maryland outside Washington on the railway's right-of-way that traversed the Gregory property. They called the station "District Line". The
Columbia Railway Company operated a
streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
system that extended through
Northeast Washington and terminated in Seat Pleasant at
Eastern Avenue, near what is today
Martin Luther King Jr. Highway. Finally, the
Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
The Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway (WB&A) was an American railroad of central Maryland and Washington, D.C., built in the 19th and 20th century. The WB&A absorbed two older railroads, the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad an ...
passed through Seat Pleasant in 1908.
In 1906, the growing number of residents in the area around the station adopted a more imaginative name for their community — Seat Pleasant, after the early Williams-Berry estate. Prior to that, the area was known as Chesapeake Junction.
Steady growth of traffic on the railway between 1900 and its peak in 1920 translated into steady development for Seat Pleasant as a
railroad suburb. Subdivisions were soon created, such as Seat Pleasant, Seat Pleasant Heights, Oakmont, Palmer's, Boyer's Addition, and Pleasant Hills. By 1915, two churches had been organized, and a fire department had been founded. The introduction of street lighting followed in 1918.
When the community was incorporated as a town in 1931, it had a school, water company, sewer connections courtesy of the District of Columbia's sanitary system, and reliable fire protection by the Seat Pleasant Fire and Community Welfare Association. The Chesapeake Beach Railway ceased operations in 1935. In the 1980s, the old railroad
roundhouse and
turntable
A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
were demolished to make room for the Addison Plaza Shopping Center on
Central Avenue.
Post-
World War II state highway construction spurred further development. Construction of "affordable" housing, notably the Gregory Estates apartments in 1949, was the catalyst for the migration 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 ensla ...
families from the District of Columbia; before that time, the community had been all white.
The
right of way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
of the former Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway was utilized in the early 1940s for the George Palmer Highway, later renamed the
Martin Luther King Jr. Highway.
The
Addison Road Metro station opened for service on November 22, 1980.
Most of the testaments to the town's past are long gone. Two that remain are the Episcopal
Addison Chapel (1809) and
Mount Victory Baptist Church (1908).
Seat Pleasant's crime rate is higher than the national average. The violent crime rate, while still above average, has improved in recent years, dropping from 768.6 in 2003 to 272.2 in 2011.
Politics
The current mayor is Kelly Porter.
Schools
The city is served by the
Prince George's County Public Schools
Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is a large public school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education. The school system is ...
district.
Zoned elementary schools include Seat Pleasant, Carmody Hills, and Highland Park elementary schools. All residents are zoned to G. James Gholson Middle School. High schools serving sections of the city are
Fairmont Heights High School and
Central High School.
Geography
Seat Pleasant is located at (38.895362, -76.902205).
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 the ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
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 of 2010, there were 4,542 people, 1,650 households, and 1,135 families residing in the city. 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 RosenberPop ...
was . There were 1,806 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 2.0%
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 on ...
, 91.0%
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 enslav ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian, 3.8% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.4% 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 form ...
or
Latino of any race were 5.7% of the population.
There were 1,650 households, of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.2% 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 t ...
living together, 35.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.32.
The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.
2000 census
As of the
census of 2000, there were 4,885 people, 1,697 households, and 1,243 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,806 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 2.01%
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 on ...
, 96.72%
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 enslav ...
, 0.10%
Native American, 0.16%
Asian, 0.14% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.86% 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 form ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 1,697 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% 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 t ...
living together, 34.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,476, and the median income for a family was $45,332. Males had a median income of $30,704 versus $30,909 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 city was $17,802. About 15.8% of families and 19.6% 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 t ...
, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The main highway serving Seat Pleasant is
Maryland Route 704
Maryland Route 704 (MD 704) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, the highway runs from Eastern Avenue at the District of Columbia boundary in Seat Pleasant east to MD 450 in Lanham. MD 7 ...
. MD 704 connects southwest into Washington, D.C., and northeastward to
U.S. Route 50 (John Hanson Highway).
The city is also served by the
Addison Road and
Capitol Heights Metro stations. Both stations are on the
Blue Line and
Silver Line.
Law enforcement
The Seat Pleasant Police Department (SPPD) is the primary law enforcement agency servicing the municipality. The SPPD is assisted by the
Prince George's County Police Department
The Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States, servicing a population of over 900,000 residents and visitors within 498 square miles (1,290&n ...
and the
Sheriff's Office
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transl ...
as directed by authority.
[City of Seat Pleasant](_blank)
/ref>
Prince George's County Police Department District 8 Station in Upper Marlboro CDP serves the community.
In 2021, Seat Pleasant retaliated against a whistleblower on the local police department who released videos of Seat Pleasant police engaging in wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior, which included assaulting an unarmed National Guardsman.
Fire protection
The Seat Pleasant Volunteer Fire Company Inc, also known as the Infamous 8 House, is the primary fire department serving the community. It is located at 6305 Addison Road, Seat Pleasant. It is home to both career and volunteer firefighters and EMTs. It houses two engines, Engine 82 and 83, and Ambulance 88. The first due for the SPVFC is about . The total response area is about serving over 250,000 citizens averaging about 7000 calls a year.
Bordering areas
* Carmody Hills (east)
* Peppermill Village (east)
* Summerfield (northeast)
* Landover (north)
* Fairmount Heights (northwest)
* Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
(west)
* Capitol Heights (southwest)
* Walker Mill (south)
Notable people
* Michael Beasley, 2007 graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory High School; played for the Kansas State University
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
basketball team
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
* Jarrett Carter Sr, journalist and founder of the HBCU Digest
* Joe Clair
Joe Clair (born February 13, 1969), also known by the nickname "Joe Cleezy", is an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, VJ and actor. A native of the Seat Pleasant, Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., Clair is best known as a former hos ...
, also known by the nickname "Joe Cleezy", stand-up comedian, radio DJ, and VJ, best known as the former host of BET's ''Rap City'' from 1994 to 1999; native of Seat Pleasant
* Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...
, 2006 graduate of Montrose Christian School and attended the University of Texas at Austin; now playing for the NBA's Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...
References
External links
City of Seat Pleasant official website
{{authority control
Cities in Maryland
Cities in Prince George's County, Maryland
1850 establishments in Maryland
Suburbs of Washington, D.C.