Hyattsville, Maryland

Hyattsville is an incorporated city in Prince George’s County, Maryland, located immediately northeast of Washington, D.C., along the US Route 1 corridor. It is an urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 21,187 at the 2020 United States census. One of Prince George’s County’s oldest and most distinctive cities, Hyattsville has evolved from a Victorian streetcar suburb into one of the most diverse, walkable, and progressively governed small cities in the Washington metropolitan area, with a nationally recognized arts district and one of the country’s most expansive local voting rights regimes.

Founding and History

Before Europeans reached the area, the upper Anacostia River was home to Nacotchtank/Anaquashtank people, a Piscataway-speaking Algonquian peoples who lived throughout what is now the Washington, D.C., area. European encroachment and diseases decimated their population and, by the 1680s, the Nacotchtank/Anaquashtank had largely moved away and merged with other tribes. In the 1720s, John Beall acquired land in the area and established Beall Town. The opening of the Washington–Baltimore Turnpike (modern day US 1) in 1812 and the B&O Railroad Washington Branch line in 1835 brought more settlers to the area.

The city’s founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt (1799–1884), purchased his first parcel of land in the area in 1845. Hyatt opened a store and took on postal duties, and in 1859 formally named the growing community after himself when he applied to become postmaster. After the Civil War, Hyatt and other landowners subdivided their land into building lots, and Hyattsville grew steadily as a suburban retreat for Washington workers. Hyattsville was incorporated in 1886.

In 1982, a portion of the city was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Hyattsville Historic District, which was extended in late 2004. The Hyattsville Historic District is home to Victorian houses built in the late 1880s and Sears bungalows and Arts & Crafts houses built between the wars (late 1910s and early 1940s).

Since 2000, the city has undergone a major redevelopment, including significant residential and retail development in the Arts District Hyattsville (located in the Gateway Arts District), and the area surrounding the Hyattsville Crossing station and The Mall at Prince George’s.

Geography

The city has a total area of 2.70 square miles, of which 2.67 square miles is land and 0.03 square miles is water. Hyattsville sits at a geographic crossroads where northeastern Prince George’s County meets the DC border, straddling the US Route 1 (Baltimore Avenue) corridor that has historically connected Washington and Baltimore. The city shares borders with College Park to the north, Bladensburg to the east, Chillum to the west, and Mount Rainier to the south. The West Hyattsville and Hyattsville Crossing Metro stations on the Green Line connect the city directly to downtown Washington. The Anacostia River’s upper watershed runs near the city, and several parks along its tributaries provide green space.

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 21,187 people in 6,592 households and 8,673 housing units at an average density of 3,212.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 31.7% African American, 24.8% White, 3.7% Asian, 1.6% Native American or Alaskan Native, 26.9% from other races, and 11.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 38.6% of the population.

Hyattsville’s demographic transformation over recent decades has been dramatic. A city that was predominantly white through the mid-20th century became increasingly Black and then markedly Latino as immigration accelerated from the 1980s onward. As of 2024, 37.2% of Hyattsville residents were born outside of the United States. The city’s Latin American population — predominantly Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Mexican — now constitutes a plurality, making Hyattsville one of the most Latino cities in the Washington metro area. The median household income is $94,231 and the median age is 35.2 years. The median property value in 2024 was $481,500, and the homeownership rate was 48.4%.

Hyattsville has attracted a significant gay and lesbian population. In 2000, same-sex couples accounted for 1.3 percent of households, more than double the national average.

Government

Hyattsville operates under a mayor-council form of government. The City of Hyattsville legislative body is comprised of the Mayor and City Council, each elected to four-year terms. The ten-member Council consists of two representatives from each of the five wards in the City. Mayor Robert S. Croslin has been a Hyattsville resident for over 32 years and has served on the City Council since 2013. He was elected Mayor in 2022 after filling the position on an interim basis after the passing of late Mayor Kevin Ward.

Hyattsville has earned national attention for its progressive voting rights policies. In January 2015, the Hyattsville Council passed a charter amendment to reduce the voting age to 16 for city elections, making Hyattsville one of the few jurisdictions in the United States that has done so. In December 2016, the city expanded voting rights again, granting non-citizen residents the right to vote in municipal elections. All city residents 16 and older who have lived in Hyattsville for more than 30 days can vote in city elections. U.S. citizenship is not a requirement to vote in city elections.

In 2017, the Hyattsville City Police Department became the first law enforcement agency in the United States to put a Chevrolet Bolt (all-electric) fully marked police patrol vehicle into service. It has since added an all-electric police motorcycle and six public electric vehicle charging stations, which are free to use by the public.

Economy

Hyattsville’s economy blends federal government employment, healthcare, education, and a growing small-business and arts sector. The National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is headquartered in Hyattsville. The most common employment sectors for residents are Educational Services (1,308 people), Public Administration (1,195 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (956 people).

Along Route 1, craft brewers and distillers have played a notable role in revitalizing old commercial properties. The Arts District Hyattsville has attracted independent retailers, galleries, and restaurants to a corridor that was struggling a decade earlier. The University Town Center development near the Hyattsville Crossing Metro station has brought significant density and commercial activity, including a 14-screen movie theater and a campus of Prince George’s Community College.

Education

Hyattsville is served by Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), with several elementary schools within city limits feeding into the broader county secondary school system. Private schooling options include Concordia Lutheran School and others in surrounding communities.

Higher education is a significant presence. The University of Maryland at College Park is just to the north, and the University Town Center development includes student housing and a Prince George’s Community College satellite campus. The University of Maryland’s proximity has long made Hyattsville a destination for students, faculty, and university-affiliated workers.

Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) operates the Hyattsville Branch Library, which in 1964 was the first county-built library building for PGCMLS. The original mid-century modern building featured a googie-style flying saucer entryway.

Culture and Landmarks

Hyattsville’s cultural identity is rooted in its Victorian history and its vibrant contemporary arts scene. The Hyattsville Historic District preserves the city’s late-19th-century streetscapes and is a nationally recognized collection of late Victorian and early 20th-century residential architecture. Notable historic sites include the Hyattsville Armory and the Hyattsville Main Post Office.

Downtown Hyattsville underwent revitalization in the early 2000s with the development of the Arts District Hyattsville, part of the Gateway Arts District, a private project which includes townhomes, live-work units, and retail space. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, a nonprofit arts center, is located in the historic arcade building in Hyattsville. The Gateway Arts District stretches along US Route 1 through several adjacent communities including Mount Rainier, Brentwood, and North Brentwood, making it one of the most significant arts corridors in the region.

The city’s diversity is reflected in its food scene, with a range of Salvadoran, Ethiopian, Mexican, and other international restaurants along its commercial corridors. The annual Hyattsville Porchfest — a neighborhood music festival where residents perform on their front porches — has become a beloved community tradition. The city also hosts an annual community festival and other civic events that celebrate its multicultural character.

Notable People

Parris Glendening (b. 1942) — Maryland governor from 1995 to 2003, began his political career as a member of Hyattsville City Council. David Driskell (1931–2020) — Artist, curator, and professor of art at the University of Maryland, was a resident of Hyattsville. Driskell was one of the foremost scholars of African American art and his community park in Hyattsville was renamed in his honor.

At a Glance