College Park, Maryland

It is located at latitude 38°60' North, longitude 76°56' West. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S. National Archives.

College Park's United States Postal Service ZIP codes are 20740 (Berwyn Heights; North College Park) and 20742 (University of Maryland).

1 Geography
2 Neighborhoods
3 Bordering Areas
4 Demographics
5 Government
6 Development
7 September 2001 Tornado
8 Transportation
9 Media
10 Education
11 City-Student Politics
12 References
13 External links

[edit] Geography

College Park is located at 38°59′48″N, 76°55′39″W (38.996560, -76.927509).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.1 km² (5.4 mi²). 14.1 km² (5.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.18% is water.

[edit] Neighborhoods

Autoville/Cherry Hill
Berwyn/ the mother community
Calvert Hills
College Park Estates
Crystal Springs/Patricia Court
Daniels Park/Branchville
Hollywood
Lakeland
Old Town
Sunnyside
Yarrow

[edit] Bordering Areas

Berwyn Heights (East)
University Park (Southwest)
Riverdale Park (South)
Adelphi (West)

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 24,657 people, 6,030 households, and 3,039 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,753.2/km² (4,537.5/mi²). There were 6,245 housing units at an average density of 444.1/km² (1,149.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.82% White, 15.93% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 10.03% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.57% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. 5.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

HJ Patterson Hall, University of Maryland, College Park.

There were 6,030 households out of which 19.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.6% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.6% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 10.5% under the age of 18, 51.3% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 11.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 110.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,168, and the median income for a family was $62,759. Males had a median income of $40,445 versus $31,631 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,026. About 4.2% of families and 19.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

The Government of College Park is a Council-Manager form of government. The city manager is appointed by the city council and the mayor elected every two years. The council has eight councilmembers, representing four districts in the city. City Council meetings are held at the College Park City Hall.

The current Mayor of College Park is Stephen A. Brayman, who took office in 2001. Previous Mayors were:

William A. Duvall (1945-1951)
Charles R. Davis (1951-1963)
William W. Gullett (1963-1969)
William R. Reading (1969-1973)
Dervy A. Lomax (1973-1975)
St. Clair Reeves (1975-1981)
Alvin J. Kushner (1981-1987)
Anna Latta Owens (1987-1993)
Joseph E. Page (1993-1997)
Michael J. Jacobs (1997-2001)

College Park has six government departments:

Administration and Finance
Public Services
Planning
Community Resources
Public Works

[edit] Development

Image produced at the Student Design Charrette for a new College Park.

College Park recently began experiencing significant development pressure. In 2002, the city and county passed the Route 1 Sector Plan which allowed and encouraged mixed use development on College Park's main roadway. Students and city residents alike decry the city's lack of amenities and poor sense of place.

Recent projects like the East Campus Redevelopment Initiative,the University View and Northgate Condos give many in the community hope that the city may one day be like other notable College Towns around the country - with a vibrant downtown and a diverse population. A full list of current projects in the pipeline can be found on the City of College Park's Economic Development Updates.

The University of Maryland's Student Government Association sponsored a design charrette in April of 2006 to envision the future of College Park and in July 2006 a group of students created Rethink College Park--a website/blog/community group that provides information about development and encourages public dialogue.

[edit] September 2001 Tornado

On September 24, 2001, a violent, multiple-vortex F3 tornado roared through the area. This storm moved at peak intensity through the University of Maryland, College Park campus, and then moved parallel to I-95 through the Laurel area, where F3 damage was also noted. The damage path from this storm was measured at 17.5 miles in length, and this tornado caused 2 deaths and 55 injuries, along with $101 million in property damage. The two deaths were sisters who died when their car was picked up and hurled over a building before being slammed to the ground; both young women were UMCP students.

This tornado was part of the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., tornado outbreak of 2001, one of the most dramatic recent tornado events to directly affect the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.

The first tornado of the outbreak was also the strongest - an F4 (see Fujita scale) tornado that left a 10-mile-long damage path through rural Culpeper and Fauquier Counties in Virginia. Weak (F1) tornadoes east of Warrenton, and just west of Dulles International Airport soon followed.

A second supercell to the southeast spawned the family of tornadoes that moved through Washington. A first tornado (F0) was confirmed in the Quantico and Prince William Forest Park areas; this was soon followed by an F1 tornado that left a 15-mile-long path parallel to I-95 and I-395 through Franconia, western Alexandria and Arlington. This tornado dissipated near the west end of the Mall in Washington, D.C., and was followed by many reports of funnel clouds. This same storm produced the F3 tornado that roared through College Park.

[edit] Transportation

College Park has its own station on Washington Metro's Green Line.

College Park has a station (College Park-U of Md) on the Washington Metro Green Line; a large commuter parking garage was completed in 2004 adjacent to the Metro station. MARC trains run on CSX tracks adjacent to the Green Line and stop at a small station next to the College Park Metro station.

College Park Airport is the oldest continuously operating airport in the United States and is one of the oldest airports in the world, having been in continuous operation since 1909. Its future status is uncertain, as it lies just a few miles outside the restricted airspace of Washington, D.C.

The area is bisected by the Capital Beltway, which carries Interstate 95 and Interstate 495 around Washington D.C. At the nearby College Park Interchange, I-95 and I-495 separate from one another, with I-95 continuing north to Laurel and Baltimore, and I-495 continuing west to Silver Spring and Bethesda. The area is also served by US 1.

[edit] Media

UMTV (University of Maryland)

WMUC broadcasts from the University of Maryland campus, with a range of two miles - roughly from the campus to the Beltway. It is also broadcast over the internet at wmucradio.com.

The Diamondback, a student publication, is distributed five days a week on a limited basis downtown, including in city hall, and widely on the campus of the University of Maryland.

A College Park edition of The Gazette (a weekly publication distributed widely featuring community news) is available throughout the city and is distributed free.

The oldest operational Persian Podcast is called Radio College Park as it is produced by a group of Iranian graduate students at the University of Maryland, College Park.

[edit] Education

The University of Maryland, College Park is located within the city limits of College Park.

College Park is served by Prince George's County Public Schools. The city is zoned to several different schools.

Elementary school students attend:

Hollywood Elementary School (in College Park)
Paint Branch Elementary School (in College Park)
University Park Elementary School (in University Park)
Mary Harris "Mother" Jones Elementary School (Adelphi CDP)

Middle school students attend:

Greenbelt Middle School (in Greenbelt)
Hyattsville Middle School (in Hyattsville)
Buck Lodge Middle School (Adelphi CDP)

High school students attend:

Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Greenbelt)
High Point High School (Beltsville CDP)
Northwestern High School (Hyattsville)
Parkdale High School (Riverdale Park)

The Berwyn Baptist School, a private Kindergarten through 6 school, is in College Park. The Friends Community School, a private K-8 school, is also located in the city.

[edit] City-Student Politics

Like many college towns, College Park has had its share of political controversy. Every few years, University of Maryland students plan voter registration drives and seek to elect one of their own to the city council. City residents, including students living within the city are [eligible] to run for city council if they are over the age of 21. Over the past twenty years there have been multiple attempts, none of which ended with much success.

1993 - Dana L. Loewenstein & Michael J. Moore - Perhaps the most controversial of all student races was Loewenstein's, a former president of the Panhellenic Association, the sorority umbrella organization at the university. After she had lost the election, she was charged with 16 counts of perjury, 16 counts of aiding and advising to falsely register voters and faced a maximum prison sentence of over 200+ years. Apparently, Ms. Loewenstein's opponent in the council race, Michael Smith, joined former council member Chester Joy in filing a complaint with the Prince George's County Board of Elections days before the Nov. 2 election. The complaint alleged that 16 of her sorority pledges lived in one district but registered in another. The complaint was turned over to the state's attorney, who filed criminal charges against the Loewenstein. The complaint alleged that all of the pledges lived in on-campus dorms but used the Sigma Delta Tau house address as their residence. At trial, the 16 sorority pledges testified they signed the registration cards during their first meeting, when they were probationary members. Of course the state did not want to put Loewenstein in prison, so eventually they agreed to a plea bargain. What tipped the city off was that just before the election, 53 students at the sorority house registered to vote, and another five there already were registered. The house had an official occupancy of 39, according to the complaint. In the end, Mr. Smith, a part-time student at University College, defeated Loewenstein for one of two district seats by more than 60 votes.

2001 - Mike Mann & Daniel Dorfman - In November 2001, [Michael Mann] & [Daniel Dorfman], sought the two District 3 seats on the College Park City Council. Campaigning against incumbent Eric Olson and for an open seat created by then-councilman Brayman's decision to run for mayor, the two fought hard campaigning heavily to inform students there was a council race going on that year, registering over 700 students to vote in the municipal election. Despite their hard work and almost year-long campaign, they were defeated. As [The Diamondback], UMD's student newspaper wrote in a semester-in-review [article]: "'We're going to win tomorrow. That's the bottom line,' Mann announced confidently the day before they lost the election."

2007 - Nick Aragon - In January 2007, [Nick Aragon] lost a special election for the city council. Two incumbents created a vacancy when they were elected to higher county offices. In turn, the city was forced to hold a special election after the November 2006 elections. With little surprise, the city chose an election date during winter recess, a time when many UMD students were away from the city. With the miserable help of the [Student Government Association (SGA)] and an impressive [endorsement] by College Park Mayor Steve Brayman, the Aragon campaign encouraged students (few complied) to use absentee ballots. Despite his excellent qualifications and a noble voter mobilization effort, he too lost on Election Day.

[edit] References

A Guide to the City of College Park, from the City of College Park city hall.

[edit] External links

College Park city website
Rethink College Park - A website/blog about College Park development issues and a public participation venue for the larger campus community.
The College Park Site - An independent College Park/UMD news and information site geared toward students and student life.
Route 1 Communities: College Park
College Park Airport website
College Park, Our Home

Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 38.99656° -76.927509°
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

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College Park, Maryland

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