Benjamin Franklin Gilbert purchased the 90 acres that became known as Takoma Park in 1883. The acreage that Gilbert purchased contained land in both Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. He developed the wooded and hilly land in order to offer Washington, DC residents an escape from the urban environment. Due to its close proximity to the railroad and several major roadways, Takoma Park was an attractive locale for individuals who wanted to live outside of the city but commute back into the city for work. Also at a time when many urban residents had environmental concerns related to city living, Gilbert focused Takoma Park’s healthful characteristics by advertising its fresh water springs and clean air.
During the next half century, the land developed steadily along the borders of Montgomery County and Washington, DC with the construction primarily of single family detached houses. The residents who occupied these homes were white professionals and their families. There was also a small enclave of black residents somewhat separated from the rest of the community near Colby and Cherry Avenues. After WWII, the community experienced rapid growth, with construction of single family homes filling in the remaining vacant areas of Takoma Park and also the development of new multi-family apartment buildings near University Boulevard. Some older homes were subdivided to serve as housing for the new population.
African American students received their education in a two-room schoolhouse called the Colored Takoma Park Elementary School on Geneva Avenue. In 1955, following the Supreme Court’s Brown v. the Board of Education ruling, Takoma Park integrated its elementary schools. Further desegregation in the following decades increased the African American population in the community and opened the way for other racial and ethnic groups to migrate into the area. Presently, Takoma Park is home to a mixture of white, African American and Hispanic residents.
Takoma Park residents working alongside neighboring communities successfully fought against a plan to raze the area to accommodate a new highway. Their victory created the strong spirit of activism that still exists in Takoma Park today. For over one hundred years, Takoma Park was a city caught between the jurisdictions Montgomery and Prince George’s County. As the population grew, this division created complications for governing and policing the community. In another show of activism, the residents sought to unify the city within Montgomery County. Their campaign ended in 1995 when the Maryland legislature granted Takoma Park’s petition for unification which became official in 1997. The city is a destination for individuals who are attracted to the cultural and political diversity of its government and citizens.
Benjamin Franklin Gilbert purchased the 90 acres that became known as Takoma Park in 1883. The acreage that Gilbert purchased contained land in both Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. He developed the wooded and hilly land in order to offer Washington, DC residents an escape from the urban environment. Due to its close proximity to the railroad and several major roadways, Takoma Park was an attractive locale for individuals who wanted to live outside of the city but commute back into the city for work. Also at a time when many urban residents had environmental concerns related to city living, Gilbert focused Takoma Park’s healthful characteristics by advertising its fresh water springs and clean air.