If you are looking for a small town atmosphere in an urban setting, Takoma Park is for you. Takoma Park celebrates diversity --- diversity in its residents, housing and thinking. Takoma Park has easy access to all the employment, educational and cultural amenities of Washington D.C. Its beautiful, Victorian homes and tree-lined streets attract those who appreciate its rich cultural and historical heritage.
Location
Takoma Park is located slightly northeast of Washington D.C just inside the Capital Beltway, right on the border of the District of Columbia. Takoma Park is conveniently located near the Takoma Metro Station. Part of Takoma Park is in the District of Columbia (called the Takoma, DC neighborhood) and part is in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Neighboring towns include Silver Springs, Langley Park and Chillum, Maryland.
Old Takoma is centered on the Maryland-DC border at Carroll and Laurel Avenues in Takoma Park.
Takoma Park is 6 miles from the heart of Washington D.C., 30 miles from Baltimore, Maryland, 27 miles from Annapolis, Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay and 109 miles from Bethany Beach, Delaware and many other beautiful eastern coastal beaches.
Airports
Ronald Regan Washington Airport is located 9 miles from Takoma Park in Arlington.
Washington Dulles International Airport is located approximately 24 miles west of the DC in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties, Virginia.
Baltimore-Washington International Airport is 23 miles from Takoma Park in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, near Baltimore.
Andrews Air Force Base in located 13 miles away in Camp Springs, Maryland.
Local public use airports in the D.C. area include South Capital Street Airport, in D.C., Montgomery County Airpark, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, College Park Airport, in College Park, Maryland, Potomac Airfield, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, and Suburban Airport in Laurel, Maryland.
Terrain
Takoma Park has been designated a "Tree City, USA". It is characterized by many Victorian tree-lined streets.
Takoma Park has a total land area of 3 square miles. Sligo Creek and Long Branch, both tributaries of the Anacostia River, flow through the city.
Sligo Creek feeds into the Potomac River and eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean via Chesapeake Bay. Long Branch is a contributing stream that flows into the Sligo Creek. The Sligo Creek Stream Valley Trail has many miles of trails and an auto parkway that run along the creek in Montgomery County.
The elevation of Takoma Park is 250 feet.
Population
The estimated population in Takoma Park as of July 2004 was 17,591 people.
The median family income is approximately $52,000.
Jobs
The largest industries providing employment in Takoma Park include educational, health and social services (25%), and professional, scientific, management, and administrative (14%).
Takoma Park residents are well educated with 85% having completed high school, 50% having a Bachelors degree, and 27% having a graduate or professional degree.
Average travel time to work for Takoma Park residents is 33 minutes.
Takoma Park residents have easy access to abundant employment opportunities in Washington DC and an excellent public transportation system, as well. Employers in Takoma Park include Washington Adventist Hospital, Columbia Union College and Montgomery College.
Colleges/Universities
Colleges/Universities in Takoma D.C. include Washington Theological Union, and Strayer University. Those in Takoma Park, Maryland include Montgomery College-Takoma Park Campus, and Columbia Union College.
Takoma Park residents have easy access (all within 10 miles) to some of the best educational institutions in the area including (but not limited to) the University of Maryland-College Park, Catholic University of America, University of the District of Columbia, Georgetown University, Howard University, George Washington University and American University.
Housing
Takoma Park has a great diversity of homes from Victorian mansions to modest bungalows. Despite its urban location it has kept its small-town atmosphere.
Takoma Park has been named one of the Top Five Best Neighborhoods in Maryland by the Maryland Commission on Neighborhoods.
The average selling price of single-family homes in Takoma Park is approximately $400,000 but homes can range as low as $170,000 to over $1,000,000.
Many apartments, condominiums and townhouses are available in Takoma Park with more units planned to be built. Retail development has been expanding, as well.
Historic Takoma
The Historic Preservation Committees are actively working in the Maryland and DC parts of Takoma to promote and protect the historical and cultural resources of Takoma Park.
The Historic Takoma House and Garden Tour is held annually on the first Sunday in May. The tour is self-guided and features 10-18 outstanding homes and gardens from selected neighborhoods within Takoma Park, MD and Takoma, DC.
For nearly 120 years the Thomas-Siegler main house, carriage house has been located in the Takoma Park Historic District just a few blocks from the Metro station. The property features oaks, magnolias, rhododendron, azalea, and other lovely landscaping. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is situated adjacent to many of the Victorian frame houses that characterize the city.
Interesting Facts
Takoma Park is a liberal community, sometimes compared to Berkeley, California and called "the Berkeley of the East". The Takoma neighborhood in D.C. is politically separate from the City of Takoma Park. Many activists, writers, musicians, and artists call Takoma Park home as well as more than 700 businesses and non-profit organizations.
Takoma Park was incorporated in 1890. It was the first planned commuter suburb in the D.C. area. What is now Takoma Park began as a late 19th century railroad stop.
Takoma Village is a neighborhood in the northwest area of Washington, DC. Made up of a diverse group of residents who are committed to community life and environmental responsibility.
Old Takoma’s Main Street is undergoing renovation and rejuvenation. The vision of Main Street is to create “A small town in a big city. Welcoming and diverse, practical yet fanciful. With places to meet, shop, learn, eat, create and rejuvenate.”
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
There are many excellent golf courses in the Takoma Park area, including 35 in Montgomery County alone. One of the best and most notable is the Tournament Players Club at Avenel in Potomac, Maryland that hosts the PGA tour. Courses in Washington D.C. include the Rock Creek Golf Course, The Red, White and Blue Golf Courses at East Potomac Park, and the Langston Golf Course.
The Sligo Creek Stream Valley Trail is one of the oldest in Montgomery County. The trail provides recreation for residents of Takoma Park and neighboring cities. The main trail is paved in many areas and connect to other park facilities in Montgomery County.
Takoma Park has an abundance of neighborhood parks with picnic table, soccer fields, ball diamonds and playgrounds. Montgomery County maintains several parks in Takoma Park including the Becca Lilly Playground, Takoma/Piney Branch Park, Takoma Old Town Urban Park, Sligo Creek North Neighborhood Park, and Stream Valley Parks along Longbranch and Sligo Creeks.
Organized baseball and soccer for youth is popular in Takoma Park. Residents can watch the Silver Springs-Takoma Thunderbolts play baseball locally. The Takoma Park Boys and Girls Club also offers organized sports for youth in the city.
Montgomery County maintains Piney Branch Pool and the Longbranch outdoor pool in Takoma Park that provides fun in the water for all ages.
Special Events
The annual Takoma Park Street Festival is held in October. The full day festival includes music, handmade crafts, children’s activities, great deals from local merchants and food to please every palate.
The annual Takoma Park Folk Festival held in September is a gala community event for the entire family that includes live music and dancing, community outreach information, great foods, and craft exhibitions.
The Takoma Park Farmers Market, has been one of the Washington D.C. area's premiere producers-only market for over 20 years. The Takoma Park Farmers Market is located at the corner of Carrol St. and Laurel Avenue and offers fresh locally produced fruits and vegetables, dairy products, eggs, herbs and much more.
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