Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Encyclopedia
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
(now called Martin Luther King Highway and previously named George Palmer Highway after a banker and community leader) and Maryland Route 214
(Central Avenue). Metrorail
's blue line is nearby. The Washington Redskins
stadium is east of Seat Pleasant, near the Capital Beltway
(I-95/495).
, a Revolutionary War hero, and James Berry, a mid-17th-century Puritan leader, sold it to Joseph Gregory. Seat Pleasant was developed on the dairy farm of Joseph Gregory, the farm of the Hill family, and the land of building contractor Francis Carmody, among others. In 1873, some of the land along Addison Road was subdivided into small farms and rural home sites known as Jackson’s Subdivision.
Designers of the Chesapeake Beach Railway
, constructed in 1897–99 between Washington, D.C.
and Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
, located their first station in Maryland outside Washington on the railway’s right-of-way that traversed the Gregory property. They called the station "District Line." The Columbia Railway Company
operated a streetcar system that extended through Northeast Washington and terminated in Seat Pleasant at Eastern Avenue, near what is today Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway
. Finally, the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
passed through Seat Pleasant in 1908. In 1906, the growing number of residents in the area around the station adopted a more imaginative name for their community — Seat Pleasant, after the early Williams-Berry estate. Prior to that, the area was known as Chesapeake Junction.
Steady growth of traffic on the railway between 1900 and its peak in 1920 translated into steady development for Seat Pleasant as a railroad suburb
. Subdivisions were soon created, such as Seat Pleasant, Seat Pleasant Heights, Oakmont, Palmer’s, Boyer’s Addition, and Pleasant Hills. By 1915, two churches had been organized, and a fire department had been founded. The introduction of street lighting followed in 1918. When the community was incorporated as a town in 1931, it had a school, water company, sewer connections courtesy of the District of Columbia’s sanitary system, and reliable fire protection by the Seat Pleasant Fire and Community Welfare Association. The Chesapeake Beach Railway ceased operations in 1935. In the 1980s, the old railroad roundhouse and turntable were demolished to make room for the Addison Plaza Shopping Center on Central Avenue
.
Post World War II state highway construction spurred further development. Construction of “affordable” housing, notably the Gregory Estates apartments in 1949, was the catalyst for the migration of African-American families from the District of Columbia; before that time, the community had been all white. The right of way of the former Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway was utilized in the early 1940s for the George Palmer Highway, later renamed the Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway
. The Addison Road Metro station opened for service on November 22, 1980.
Sadly, most of the testaments to the town’s past are long gone. Two that remain are the Episcopal Addison Chapel
(1809) and Mount Victory Baptist Church (1908).
is Eugene W. Grant.
The city council consists of seven elected officials as follows:
district.
Zoned elementary schools include:
Zoned middle schools include:
Zoned high schools include:
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 4,885 people, 1,697 households, and 1,243 families residing in the city. The population density
was 6,524.1 people per square mile (2,514.8/km²). There were 1,806 housing units at an average density of 2,412.0 per square mile (929.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 2.01% White, 96.72% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.14% from other races
, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 1,697 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples
living together, 34.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,476, and the median income for a family was $45,332. Males had a median income of $30,704 versus $30,909 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,802. About 15.8% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
as directed by authority.
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....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
immediately east of Washington D.C. The population was 4,885 at the 2000 census. Two state highways run through it — Maryland Route 704
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....
(now called Martin Luther King Highway and previously named George Palmer Highway after a banker and community leader) and Maryland Route 214
Maryland Route 214
Maryland Route 214 is an east–west state highway that runs through Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County within the U.S. state of Maryland. Central Avenue runs along the center of Prince George's County and divides it into north and south...
(Central Avenue). Metrorail
Metrorail
Metrorail may refer to:* Metrorail , a commuter rail system operator in South Africa** Metrorail Eastern Cape, commuter rail lines serving Port Elizabeth and East London...
's blue line is nearby. The Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
stadium is east of Seat Pleasant, near the Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
(I-95/495).
History
Seat Pleasant is located on part of what had been the Williams-Berry estate. In 1850, the descendants of General Otho Holland WilliamsOtho Holland Williams
Otho Holland Williams was a Continental Army officer from Maryland in the American Revolutionary War. He participated in many battles throughout the war in the New York, New Jersey and Southern theaters, eventually ending his career as a Brigadier General.Born in rural Prince George's County,...
, a Revolutionary War hero, and James Berry, a mid-17th-century Puritan leader, sold it to Joseph Gregory. Seat Pleasant was developed on the dairy farm of Joseph Gregory, the farm of the Hill family, and the land of building contractor Francis Carmody, among others. In 1873, some of the land along Addison Road was subdivided into small farms and rural home sites known as Jackson’s Subdivision.
Designers of 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...
, constructed in 1897–99 between Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
Chesapeake Beach is a town in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. Its major attractions include a Railway Museum & Trail, the Chesapeake Beach Water Park, marinas, piers, charter boat fishing, and a Veterans Memorial Park...
, located their first station in Maryland outside Washington on the railway’s right-of-way that traversed the Gregory property. They called the station "District Line." The Columbia Railway Company
Columbia Railway
The Columbia Railway was the third streetcar company to operate in Washington, D.C. It was incorporated and started operations in 1870, running from the Treasury Building along H Street NW/NE to the city boundary at 15th Street NE. It switched to cable power in 1895 and then electric power in...
operated a streetcar system that extended through Northeast Washington and terminated in Seat Pleasant at Eastern Avenue, near what is today Martin Luther King, Jr. 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....
. Finally, the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway
The Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway , now defunct, was an American railroad of central Maryland and Washington, DC built in the 19th and 20th century. The WB&A absorbed two older railroads, the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad and the Baltimore & Annapolis Short Line, and...
passed through Seat Pleasant in 1908. In 1906, the growing number of residents in the area around the station adopted a more imaginative name for their community — Seat Pleasant, after the early Williams-Berry estate. Prior to that, the area was known as Chesapeake Junction.
Steady growth of traffic on the railway between 1900 and its peak in 1920 translated into steady development for Seat Pleasant as a railroad suburb
Streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
. Subdivisions were soon created, such as Seat Pleasant, Seat Pleasant Heights, Oakmont, Palmer’s, Boyer’s Addition, and Pleasant Hills. By 1915, two churches had been organized, and a fire department had been founded. The introduction of street lighting followed in 1918. When the community was incorporated as a town in 1931, it had a school, water company, sewer connections courtesy of the District of Columbia’s sanitary system, and reliable fire protection by the Seat Pleasant Fire and Community Welfare Association. The Chesapeake Beach Railway ceased operations in 1935. In the 1980s, the old railroad roundhouse and turntable were demolished to make room for the Addison Plaza Shopping Center on Central Avenue
Maryland Route 214
Maryland Route 214 is an east–west state highway that runs through Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County within the U.S. state of Maryland. Central Avenue runs along the center of Prince George's County and divides it into north and south...
.
Post World War II state highway construction spurred further development. Construction of “affordable” housing, notably the Gregory Estates apartments in 1949, was the catalyst for the migration of African-American families from the District of Columbia; before that time, the community had been all white. The right of way of the former Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway was utilized in the early 1940s for the George Palmer Highway, later renamed the Martin Luther King, Jr. 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....
. The Addison Road Metro station opened for service on November 22, 1980.
Sadly, most of the testaments to the town’s past are long gone. Two that remain are the Episcopal Addison Chapel
St. Matthew's Church (Seat Pleasant, Maryland)
St. Matthew's Church, also known as Addison Chapel, is a historic Episcopal church located at Seat Pleasant, Prince George's County, Maryland. Although the current chapel was built about 1809, its simple Anglican styling reflects the Colonial-era, Church of England-influenced designs, of which few...
(1809) and Mount Victory Baptist Church (1908).
Politics
The current mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
is Eugene W. Grant.
The city council consists of seven elected officials as follows:
- Reveral L. Yeargen
- Kelly Porter
- Aretha Stephenson
- John Morris
- Elenora Simms
- Darrell B. Hardy
- Latasha Gatling (Council President)
Schools
The city is served by the Prince George's County Public SchoolsPrince George's County Public Schools
The Prince George's County Public Schools system is a large school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education...
district.
Zoned elementary schools include:
- Carmody Hills Elementary School
- Highland Park Elementary School
- Robert R. Gray Elementary School
- Seat Pleasant Elementary School
Zoned middle schools include:
- G. James Gholson Middle School
- Walker Mill Middle School
Zoned high schools include:
- Central High School
- Fairmont Heights High School
Geography
Seat Pleasant is located at 38°53′43"N 76°54′8"W (38.895362, -76.902205).According to 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...
, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,885 people, 1,697 households, and 1,243 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 6,524.1 people per square mile (2,514.8/km²). There were 1,806 housing units at an average density of 2,412.0 per square mile (929.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 2.01% White, 96.72% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.14% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 1,697 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 34.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,476, and the median income for a family was $45,332. Males had a median income of $30,704 versus $30,909 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,802. About 15.8% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The city of Seat Pleasant is served by the Addison Road and Capitol Heights Metro stations. Both stations are on the Blue Line.Law enforcement
The Seat Pleasant Police Department (SPPD) is the primary law enforcement agency servicing the municipality. The SPPD is assisted by the Prince George's County Police and the Sheriff's OfficePrince George's County Sheriff's Office
The Prince George's County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States. Its headquarters is located in Upper Marlboro. The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of Prince George's County and is elected by popular vote of the...
as directed by authority.
Fire protection
The Seat Pleasant Volunteer Fire Company Inc, also known as the Infamous 8 House, is the primary fire department serving the community. It is located at 6305 Addison Road, Seat Pleasant. It is home to both career and volunteer firefighters and EMT's. It houses two engines, Engine 82 and 83, as well as Rescue Squad 8 and Ambulance 88. The first due for the SPVFC is about 5.5 square miles (14 km²). The total response area is about 38 square miles (98.4 km²) serving over 250,000 citizens averaging about 7000 calls a year.Bordering areas
- Carmody Hills-Pepper Mill VillageCarmody Hills-Pepper Mill Village, MarylandCarmody 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:...
(East) - Fairmount HeightsFairmount Heights, MarylandFairmount Heights is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2000 census. The town was formally incorparated in 1935, making the town the second oldest African-American municipality in Prince George's County...
(Northwest) - Capitol HeightsCapitol Heights, MarylandCapitol Heights is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,138 at the 2000 census. Development around the Capitol Heights Metro station has medical facilities and eateries to support the community...
(Southwest) - Walker MillWalker Mill, MarylandWalker Mill is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,104 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Walker Mill is located at ....
(Southeast) - Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(West)
Notable residents
- Kevin DurantKevin DurantKevin Wayne Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association . A 6'9" small forward/shooting guard who is also capable of playing power forward, Durant was the consensus 2007 National College Player of the Year and the...
, 2006 graduate of Montrose Christian School and attended University of Texas; now playing for the NBA's Oklahoma City ThunderOklahoma City ThunderThe Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
. - Michael BeasleyMichael BeasleyMichael Paul Beasley, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association . He plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous...
, 2007 graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory High School; played for the Kansas State UniversityKansas State UniversityKansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
basketball team and currently plays for the Minnesota TimberwolvesMinnesota TimberwolvesThe Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
. - Joe ClairJoe ClairJoe Clair, also known by the nickname "Joe Cleezy", is an American stand-up comedian, radio DJ, and VJ. A native of the Seat Pleasant, Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., Clair is best known as the former host of BET's Rap City from 1994 to 1999....
, also known by the nickname "Joe Cleezy", is an American stand-up comedian, radio DJ, and VJ. A native of the Seat Pleasant, Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., Clair is best known as the former host of BET's Rap City from 1994 to 1999