Greenbelt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Roosevelt Center in March 2011. The city's commercial center typifies theArt Deco style used during the original construction of Greenbelt. | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location inPrince George's County andMaryland | |
 Interactive map of Greenbelt | |
  Greenbelt Location within the state of Maryland | |
| Coordinates:38°59′41″N76°53′07″W / 38.9946701°N 76.8853989°W /38.9946701; -76.8853989[1][2] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| County | Prince George's |
| Incorporated | June 1, 1937 (1937-06-01)[3] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Emmett V. Jordan (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.29 sq mi (16.29 km2) |
| • Land | 6.24 sq mi (16.15 km2) |
| • Water | 0.054 sq mi (0.14 km2) 0.99% |
| Elevation | 157 ft (48 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 24,921 |
| • Density | 3,997.3/sq mi (1,543.35/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes | 20768, 20770–20771 |
| Area codes | 301 & 240 |
| FIPS code | 24-34775 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2390596 |
| Website | www |
Greenbelt is a city inPrince George's County, Maryland, United States, and asuburb ofWashington, D.C.[1][2] At the2020 census, the population was 24,921.[5]
Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental and controversialNew Deal Greenbelt Towns, the others beingGreenhills, Ohio, andGreendale, Wisconsin. Greenbelt was planned and built by thefederal government as an all-White town.[6][7] Thecooperative community was conceived in 1935 by Undersecretary ofAgricultureRexford Guy Tugwell, whose perceivedcollectivist ideology attracted opposition to the Greenbelt Towns project throughout its short duration.[8][7] The project came into legal existence on April 8, 1935, whenCongress passed theEmergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935.[9][8] Under the authority granted to him by this legislation,PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt issued anexecutive order, on May 1, 1935, establishing theUnited States Resettlement Administration (RA/RRA).[8]
First calledMaryland Special Project No. 1, the project was officially named Greenbelt when the Division of Suburban Resettlement of the Resettlement Administration began construction, on January 13, 1936, about eight miles north of Washington.[7] The complete Greenbelt plans were reviewed at theWhite House by President Roosevelt andFirst LadyEleanor Roosevelt on April 30, 1936.[7] The first tenants, after selection in a stringent application process, moved in to the town on September 30, 1937.[7] The construction consisted of structures built in theArt Deco,Streamline Moderne, andBauhausarchitectural styles.[7]
Greenbelt is credited as a historic milestone in urban development because it was the initial model for the privately constructed suburban Washington, D.C.,planned cities ofReston, Virginia, andColumbia, Maryland.[7]
The original federally-built core of the city, known locally asOld Greenbelt, was recognized as theGreenbelt Historic District by theMaryland Historical Trust, and is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places as aNational Historic Landmark District.
Greenbelt's population, which includes residents ofprivately built dwellings dating from after the end of the federal government's ownership of the city, was recorded as 23,068 at the2010 U.S. census and 24,921 at the2020 census.[5]
Greenbelt is located at38°59′41″N76°53′07″W / 38.99467°N 76.885399°W /38.99467; -76.885399.[1][2] According toUnited States Census Bureau data, as of January 1, 2018, the city has a total area of 6.23square miles (16,146,235square meters), of which 6.18 square miles (16,003,389 square meters) is land and 0.06 square miles (142,846 square meters) is water.[1][2] Greenbelt'sZIP Codes are 20770, 20771, and 20768. The ZIP Code 20770 contains all residential and business addresses that correspond to actual physical locations inside the geographic boundaries of the City of Greenbelt. The 20768 ZIP Code is assigned exclusively topost-office box (P.O. Box) addresses, while 20771 is the designated ZIP Code forGoddard Space Flight Center, situated on federal government owned land that is contiguous with a portion of Greenbelt's eastern border.[10][11]
NASA'sGoddard Space Flight Center, located directly adjacent to Greenbelt's eastern boundary, utilizes a Greenbelt postal address (Greenbelt, MD 20768), as well. It is partially within the formerGoddardcensus-designated place.[12][13]
Greenbelt Park, a unit of theNational Park System, is located within the City of Greenbelt's boundaries, at its southernmost portion.
_from_the_overpass_for_Cherrywood_Lane_in_Greenbelt%2c_Prince_George%2527s_County%2c_Maryland.jpg)
Two major highways pass through and have interchanges in Greenbelt: theCapital Beltway (I-95/I-495) and theNational Park Service's owned and maintained portion of theBaltimore–Washington Parkway (unsigned MD 295). The Greenbelt portion of the Baltimore–Washington Parkway (B–W Parkway) is part of the parkway's 19-mile section which was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1991.[14]
Additionally, Greenbelt Road is part of state highwayMD 193, which connects severalsuburban communities in bothPrince George's andMontgomery counties.Kenilworth Avenue (MD 201) traverses Greenbelt in a north–south direction, running parallel to the B–W Parkway, providing an alternate travel route into Washington, D.C., from Greenbelt. The southernmost Maryland portion of Kenilworth Avenue forms a major interchange with both the B–W Parkway andUS 50 near the Maryland–D.C. line, and continues into Washington, as theKenilworth Avenue Freeway (DC 295).
Washington Metro'srapid transit rail system servesWashington, D.C., and neighboring communities in Maryland andNorthern Virginia, by operating98 Metro stations, which includes theGreenbelt station, the northern terminus of Metro'sGreen Line.Commuter rail service to the station is provided byMARC Train'sCamden Line, which connects theDistrict of Columbia'sWashington Union Station withCamden Station inBaltimore. The Camden Line provides service by utilizing the original 1835Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) track route between Washington and Baltimore, now part of theCSX System.
Metrobus, Prince George's County'sTHE BUS (routes 11 and 15X), and theUniversity of Maryland'sShuttle-UM (route 143; University ID required) each have bus routes which serve the city of Greenbelt.[15][16][17] Through a city–university partnership between 2017 and 2019, Greenbelt residents were permitted to unlimited travel on Shuttle UM, with the purchase of a $10 annual pass.[18] The City operates limited transportation via the Greenbelt Connection, a 12-passenger wheelchair-accessible van.[19]
Greenbelt was settled on September 30, 1937, as a publiccooperative community in theNew Deal era.[7] The concept was at the same time both eminently practical and idealistically utopian: the federal government would foster an "ideal" self-sufficient cooperative community that would also ease the pressing housing shortage near the nation's capital. Construction of the new town would also create jobs and thus help stimulate the national economic recovery following theGreat Depression.
Greenbelt, which provided affordable housing for federal government workers, was one of three Greenbelt Towns conceived in 1935, byPresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt'sBrain Trust memberRexford Tugwell, who was serving as the president's Undersecretary ofAgriculture. The project was officially authorized in May 1935. First, on April 8, 1935, theUnited States Congress passed theEmergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935. Then under the authority granted to him from this legislation, President Roosevelt issued anexecutive order, on May 1, 1935, establishing theUnited States Resettlement Administration (RA / RRA).[9][8] Rexford Tugwell agreed to serve as the Administrator of the Resettlement Administration, in addition to his Undersecretary of Agriculture position, without receiving any additional salary.[8]
Working alongside Tugwell wasCharles W. Yost. The two other Greenbelt Towns areGreendale, Wisconsin (nearMilwaukee) andGreenhills, Ohio (nearCincinnati). A fourth town,Roosevelt, New Jersey (originally called Homestead), was planned but was not fully developed on the same large scale as Greenbelt.[21][22]
Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, helped Tugwell lay out theMaryland town on a site that had formerly consisted largely of tobacco fields. She was also heavily involved in the first cooperative community designed by the federal government in the New Deal Era,Arthurdale, West Virginia, which sought to improve the lives of impoverished laborers by enabling them to create a self-sufficient, and relatively prosperous, cooperative community. Cooperatives in Greenbelt include theGreenbelt News Review, Greenbelt Consumers Coop grocery store, theNew Deal Cafe, and the cooperative forming the downtown core of original housing,Greenbelt Homes Incorporated (GHI).[21]
Thearchitectural planning of Greenbelt was innovative, as was thesocial engineering involved in this federal government project.[23] Applicants for residency were interviewed and screened based on income and occupation, and willingness to become involved in community activities.[24] African-Americans were initially excluded, but were later included by the Greenbelt Committee forFair Housing founded in 1963, and came to account for 41% of residents, according to the 2000 census.[25][24][26] The same census data also indicates that African-Americans are isolated in certain parts within the town, and the percentage of African-Americans within the historic area is between 0% and 5% on most blocks.[27] Much of the federal government planned and developed portion of the city is located within the Greenbelt Historic District.
Greenbelt was the subject of the 1939 documentary filmThe City.
In 2021, the city created a reparations task force to study the issue of whether or not to award reparations to African-Americans in Greenbelt.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 2,831 | — | |
| 1950 | 7,074 | 149.9% | |
| 1960 | 7,479 | 5.7% | |
| 1970 | 18,199 | 143.3% | |
| 1980 | 17,332 | −4.8% | |
| 1990 | 21,096 | 21.7% | |
| 2000 | 21,456 | 1.7% | |
| 2010 | 23,068 | 7.5% | |
| 2020 | 24,921 | 8.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[28] 2010[29] 2020[30] | |||
| Race / ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[29] | Pop 2020[30] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 5,974 | 5,176 | 25.90% | 20.77% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 10,852 | 11,897 | 47.04% | 47.74% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 43 | 47 | 0.19% | 0.19% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 2,238 | 2,323 | 9.70% | 9.32% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 18 | 10 | 0.08% | 0.04% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 61 | 192 | 0.26% | 0.77% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 581 | 996 | 2.52% | 4.00% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3,301 | 4,280 | 14.31% | 17.17% |
| Total | 23,068 | 24,921 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
During thecensus of 2010, there were 23,068 people, 9,747 households, and 5,367 families residing in the city.[31] Thepopulation density was 3,673.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,418.2/km2). There were 10,433 housing units at an average density of 1,661.3 per square mile (641.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 30.1%White, 47.8%African American, 0.3%Native American, 9.7%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 8.6% fromother races, and 3.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 14.3% of the population.
There were 9,747 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.7% weremarried couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.9% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.12.
The median age in the city was 33.7 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 34.4% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64, and 7.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.
For the census of 2000, there were 21,456 people, 9,368 households, and 4,965 families residing in the city.[26] Thepopulation density was 3,586.6 people per square mile (1,385.3/km2). There were 10,180 housing units at an average density of 1,701.7 per square mile (657.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 39.7%White, 41.4%African American, 0.2%Native American, 12.1%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 3.1% fromother races, and 3.5% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 6.5% of the population.
There were 11,202 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.1% weremarried couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 39.1% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,328, and the median income for a family was $55,671. Males had a median income of $39,133 versus $35,885 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $25,236. About 6.0% of families and 10.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
The City of Greenbelt operates under acouncil-manager government as established by the city charter, the first such arrangement in Maryland.[23] The Council consists of seven members elected byplurality-at-large voting. From their members, the Council selects the Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem (who assumes the duties of the Mayor when the Mayor is unavailable). The Council has traditionally chosen the member with the highest vote count to be Mayor and the member with the second-highest vote count as Mayor Pro Tem. Elections are held every two years, in odd-numbered years, in part to diminish the influence of political parties. Political party affiliations are not an official part of the city election process and are seldom part of candidate campaigns. Regular council meetings are held on Mondays, twice per month except during July, August, and December, when meetings are held once per month.[32]
The City Council is supported by 14 advisory boards and committees of citizen volunteers. The council appoints a professional city manager responsible for supervising government operations and implementing the policies adopted by the council.
The 2021 election selected the current city council:
The council selects the City Manager:
Of theten incorporated cities in Prince George's County, Greenbelt is one of three with at-large elections for council and mayor (the others areDistrict Heights andNew Carrollton). The remaining seven use combinations of districts and at-large voting. On February 28, 2008, the MarylandAmerican Civil Liberties Union and Prince George's CountyNAACP sent a letter to the Greenbelt City Council claiming that Greenbelt's at-large system may violateSection 2 of theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[35] According to the letter, the 2000 Census indicated that African-Americans constituted 38% of Greenbelt's voting-age population, Asians 13%, and Latinos 6%. At the time, however, all members of the city council were white. The letter proposed that the city switch tosingle-winner district-based voting,cumulative voting, orchoice voting, and indicated a lawsuit would follow if no reform were implemented.[36] While the city population is racially diverse, only two African Americans had run for Council in the 30 years preceding the 2009 election, one of whom had withdrawn before the election.[37][38] In June 2008, theUnited States Department of Justice opened an investigation into the city's election system.[39]
In 2008, the city government hosted three public community meetings regarding election reform, in concert with the ACLU, NAACP, andFairVote.[40] Over 100 residents attended the forums, including one of the unsuccessful African American candidates, JeanetteGordy, who said, "My concern is that people don't get off their royal behinds. By going to meetings I got what I wanted and found out I had power as a citizen."[41]
In 2009, the city implemented several election reforms with the goal of increasing diversity: increasing the city council from five to seven members, adding another precinct in Greenbelt East to shorten voter lines, and amending the city charter to allow early voting.[42]
In the election held November 3, 2009, Emmett Jordan, an African American, was chosen by 75% of voters, electing him to the Council as Mayor Pro Tem, the second-highest city official.[43][44] Voter turnout increased from 1,898 to 2,399 voters (a 26% increase in ballots cast) from 2007 to 2009.[45]
In the election held November 5, 2013, Emmett Jordan was chosen by 77% of voters, and receiving highest vote count was then elected Mayor by the council.[46][47]
Prince George's County Police Department District 1 Station inHyattsville;[48] District 2 Station inBrock Hall CDP, with a Bowie postal address;[49] and District 6 Station inBeltsville CDP serve the community.[50]
The federally planned and constructed inner core of the city was designated as theGreenbelt Historic District by theMaryland Historical Trust, and subsequently placed on theNational Park Service's maintainedNational Register of Historic Places on November 25, 1980. The historic district was elevated toNational Historic Landmark District status on February 18, 1997. The district containsRoosevelt Center (originally named simplyThe Center, and later renamed in honor of President Roosevelt) and many buildings in theArt Deco style.[7] Roosevelt Center contains the Greenbelt Co-op Supermarket and Pharmacy (the Co-op), which opened in 1984, and the original, historicOld Greenbelt Theatre, while also adding theGreenbelt Arts Center (located underneath the Co-op, in what was previously the city'sbowling alley), and additional new businesses such as theNew Deal Cafe, with its name honoring the origins of its location.[7][52][53] Both the Co-op and the New Deal Cafe carry on a tradition from the city's inception, as they operate asnon-profitcooperative membership corporations.[53][54][52][55]
Greenbelt is served byPrince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS).[56][57]
There are three public elementary schools serving sections of Greenbelt:[58]
All of Greenbelt is served by Greenbelt Middle School (Greenbelt),[59] which includes aTalented and Gifted magnet program.
All of Greenbelt is served byEleanor Roosevelt High School (Greenbelt),[60] a school which includes a Science and Technologymagnet program and anAP Capstone program.[61]
There is a public magnet school within the City:
There are no private schools within the City of Greenbelt. There is a Catholic school in nearbyLanham CDP, Academy of Saint Matthias the Apostle.[62][63]
TheLanham Act was used to build North End Elementary School.[64] The original Greenbelt High School building (later used for Greenbelt Junior High, Greenbelt Middle, and currently Dora Kennedy French Immersion School) opened inc. 1937.[65] Originally, theFederal Works Agency controlled North End Elementary School, Greenbelt High School, and the Center School.High Point High School, inBeltsville, opened in fall 1954, and began serving students from Greenbelt. The former Greenbelt High School then became Greenbelt Junior High School. Thecounty bought Center School for $260,000, after thefederal government renovated it in July 1958. The county also bought Greenbelt Junior High and North End Elementary.[64] Roosevelt High was scheduled to open in fall 1976.[66] The new Greenbelt Middle School opened on August 20, 2012.[65]
Greenbelt is served by the Greenbelt Branch of thePrince George's County Memorial Library System.[67]
According to Greenbelt's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[68] the top employers in the city were:
| Number | Employer | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Greenbelt | 463 |
| 2 | Bozzuto Group | 460 |
| 3 | Eleanor Roosevelt High School | 350 |
| 4 | Burlington Stores, Inc. | 229 |
| 5 | Springhill Lake Hotel Partners, LLC | 148 |
| 6 | Paradyme Management Inc. | 134 |
| 7 | Martin's | 130 |
| 8 | Giant Food of Maryland, LLC | 126 |
| 9 | Greenbelt Middle School | 123 |
| 10 | ATA Aerospace, LLC | 116 |
Note that data was taken from only employers who made information available, and the list does not include the US Federal Government (including NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center adjacent to Greenbelt).
In November 2023, theGeneral Services Administration (GSA) announced thatFBI was consolidating offices in Greenbelt. It is a huge project, next to the Metro station, to serve 7,500 staff. Besides the FBI complex, substantial development around the Metro station is planned. It is 13 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of the District. Site selection has been a 10 year project. The state of Virginia has challenged the choice, putting the Inspector General to work reviewing the selection,[69] with no change to the GSA decision as of March 2024.[70][71]
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Geographic data related toGreenbelt, Maryland atOpenStreetMap | Landmarks |
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