College Park, Maryland, (population 24,657) is located in Prince George’s County, within commuting distance of Washington, D.C. The city is best known as the site of the University of Maryland, College Park but is also home to Archives II—the National Archives and Records Administration’s College Park building—and the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Nutrition.
U.S. Route 1 runs through the center of the city and was constructed on the main north-south stagecoach route that existed in colonial times. This corridor is also the location of the original Baltimore & Ohio railroad line connecting Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, and the modern Metro Green Line.
Much of College Park was developed in the 20th century, although some houses in the Old Town and Berwyn neighborhoods are more than 100 years old. The greatest period of development, which was predominately residential, began in the 1920s and subsided at the end of World War II.
The Old Town College Park Historic District is a good example of the residential subdivisions that emerged as the suburbs of Washington, D.C., expanded with the advent of the streetcar and the automobile. College Park’s Calvert Hills Historic District contains an eclectic collection of Colonial Revival-style houses and more modest examples of Queen Anne, Craftsman, and Tudor Revival styles.
The College Park Airport is the oldest continuously operated airport in the nation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The College Park Aviation Museum, a division of the Smithsonian Institution, contains historic and reproduction aircraft associated with the history of the airfield, as well as hands-on activities and interpretive areas.
Designated a Preserve America Community in November 2008.
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Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary – Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms