Here’s What College Park Looked Like in the 1940’s
If you’ve been to College Park recently (which, if you haven’t, I highly recommend you do), you may notice College Park’s transformation; exciting new retailers, office spaces, trails, and verdant parks. As College Park welcomes exciting new developments, we’ll investigate its past. In this article, we will explore College Park’s history as a streetcar suburb to the Nation’s capital largely contributes to its character today.
The Streetcar 82 System
The residential developments we know today as Mt. Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood, Riverdale Park, and a large portion of College Park were considered streetcar suburbs, serviced by the Rhode Island Avenue Streetcar from 1903 to 1962. For much of the early 20th century, this streetcar line was an arterial element of daily life, and a key driver of growth in these burgeoning communities.
College Park, like many communities along the Route One Corridor, was considered a ‘streetcar suburb’ – a residential community developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with streetcar-based transit in mind. Built by the City and Suburban Railway in 1899, the Streetcar 82 System provided half-hourly service from The U.S. Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. all the way to Laurel. The introduction of the streetcar to places like College Park allowed the nation’s rapidly expanding middle class to live further away from the Capital.
The residential developments we know today as Mt. Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood, Riverdale Park, and a large portion of College Park were considered streetcar suburbs, serviced by the Rhode Island Avenue Streetcar from 1903 to 1962. For much of the early 20th century, this streetcar line was an arterial element of daily life, and a key driver of growth in these burgeoning communities.
Sustained Connection: The Electric Trolley’s Impact on the College Park of Today
Though College Park’s streetcar service ended in the early 1960’s, its impact remains evident today. The trolley system which once served daily commuters is now the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail, a 3.8-mile (6.1 km) long rail-to-trail system connecting College Park, Riverdale Park, and Hyattsville. The next time you ‘re out exploring College Park and other communities along Route 1, you’ll notice several references to the Route 82 of the streetcar system in local entities’ namesakes, including Streetcar Suburbs News, and Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. The Rhode Island Avenue Streetcar line, in its newest iteration as a trail, is still enjoyed by hundreds daily – from weekend bike rides to daily commutes. Most importantly, it demonstrates sustained community connection has kept College Park a growing, thriving, vibrant, dynamic community through the ages.
