Carmody Hills, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Carmody Hills is an unincorporated community
in Prince George's County
in the State
of Maryland
in the United States of America
. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau
has defined a census-designated place
consisting of Carmody Hills and the adjacent community of Pepper Mill Village
, designated Carmody Hills-Pepper Mill Village
, for statistical purposes. Carmody Hills is located on the south side of Seat Pleasant Drive and east of Seat Pleasant.
. Suburban development in this area of Prince George’s County began in the late 19th century and continued to grow throughout the 20th century due to its proximity to Washington and access to the city via railroads, streetcar lines, and road networks. The early 20th-century communities were fostered by the Chesapeake Beach Railway
(1898) and the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railroad (1908). As the popular mode of transportation shifted from streetcar line to the automobile in the 1930s and 1940s, highways gave suburban residents access to the city. The George Palmer Highway
(present-day Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway) was constructed on the right-of-way of the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railroad in the early 1940s.
The first development of the Carmody Hills subdivision began in the early 1930s. House construction and road development continued from the 1930s through the 1970s. By 1942, the community was well established with approximately 130 houses on a grid pattern of nine north-south streets and three east-west streets. In the immediate post-World War II period, vacant lots within the established residential blocks were developed. Between 1957 and 1965, the community expanded one block to the south and several blocks to the east. Also constructed within that time period was the Carmody Hills School. An evaluation of housing conditions in Carmody Hills in the late 1960s found approximately one-third of the houses in need of enhancement. Code enforcement, as well as street paving and drainage, encouraged the construction of new houses in the 1970s in areas of the community previously inaccessible.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
in the State
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
has defined a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
consisting of Carmody Hills and the adjacent community of Pepper Mill Village
Pepper Mill Village, Maryland
Pepper Mill Village is an unincorporated community near Maryland Route 214 , with a majority African-American population, in Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. The Washington Redskins football stadium, Metrorail's Blue Line, and Hampton Mall shopping...
, designated Carmody Hills-Pepper Mill Village
Carmody Hills-Pepper Mill Village, Maryland
Carmody Hills-Pepper Mill Village is a census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland. The combination is arbitrary, and in the mind of most local people there are two separate communities: Carmody Hills and Pepper Mill Village.-Geography:...
, for statistical purposes. Carmody Hills is located on the south side of Seat Pleasant Drive and east of Seat Pleasant.
History
Carmody Hills, platted in the 1930s, is one of several subdivisions constructed in the early to mid 20th century around the Town of Seat PleasantSeat Pleasant, Maryland
Seat Pleasant is an incorporated city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States immediately east of Washington D.C. The population was 4,885 at the 2000 census. Two state highways run through it — Maryland Route 704 and Maryland Route 214...
. Suburban development in this area of Prince George’s County began in the late 19th century and continued to grow throughout the 20th century due to its proximity to Washington and access to the city via railroads, streetcar lines, and road networks. The early 20th-century communities were fostered by the Chesapeake Beach Railway
Chesapeake Beach Railway
The Chesapeake Beach Railway , now defunct, was an American railroad of southern Maryland and Washington, DC built in the 19th century. The CBR ran 27.629 miles from Washington, D.C. on tracks formerly owned by the Southern Maryland Railroad and then on its own single track through Maryland farm...
(1898) and the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railroad (1908). As the popular mode of transportation shifted from streetcar line to the automobile in the 1930s and 1940s, highways gave suburban residents access to the city. The George Palmer Highway
Maryland Route 704
Maryland Route 704 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Martin Luther King Jr. Highway, the state highway runs from Eastern Avenue at the District of Columbia boundary in Seat Pleasant east to MD 450 in Lanham....
(present-day Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway) was constructed on the right-of-way of the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railroad in the early 1940s.
The first development of the Carmody Hills subdivision began in the early 1930s. House construction and road development continued from the 1930s through the 1970s. By 1942, the community was well established with approximately 130 houses on a grid pattern of nine north-south streets and three east-west streets. In the immediate post-World War II period, vacant lots within the established residential blocks were developed. Between 1957 and 1965, the community expanded one block to the south and several blocks to the east. Also constructed within that time period was the Carmody Hills School. An evaluation of housing conditions in Carmody Hills in the late 1960s found approximately one-third of the houses in need of enhancement. Code enforcement, as well as street paving and drainage, encouraged the construction of new houses in the 1970s in areas of the community previously inaccessible.