District Heights, Maryland

District Heights, Maryland
—  City  —
Seal
Location of District Heights, Maryland
Coordinates: 38°51′34″N 76°53′21″W
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Prince George's
Area
• Total	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2)
• Land	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	266 ft (81 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	5,837
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	20747, 20753
Area code(s)	301
FIPS code	24-23025
GNIS feature ID	0597330

District Heights is an incorporated city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located near Maryland Route 4. The population was 5,837 at the 2010 census. For more information, see the separate articles on Forestville, Maryland and Suitland.

District Heights is 9.85 miles (15.85 km) away from central Washington, DC.

Geography

District Heights is located at 38°51′34″N 76°53′21″W (38.859545, −76.889139).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

History

District Heights was originally farm land owned by Major Leander P. Williams, purchased as four patented Lord Baltimore tracts known as: "Good Luck", "Magruder's Plains Enlarged", "the Levels", and "Offutt's Adventure". Under grants issued to Lord Baltimore by King Charles I of England, the tracts belonged to Colonel Ninian Beall, Benjamin Berry, and Alexander Magruder. District heights evolved from one of the four patents. In 1925 land purchased and formed into District Heights Company by Joseph Tepper, David L. Blanken, Henry Oxenberg, Gilbert Leventhal, Simon Gordon, and Simon Gerber. The land was farmed by Walter and Al Dustin, whose farmhouse stood at 7116 Foster Street. By 1925 streets laid out first three blocks of Halleck Street and Aztec. By 1936, the city had approximately 25 homes built , two businesses, a grocery store and filling station, a pump house and water tower to furnish the water and pressure for the City, a sewage system and a free Model T bus service to 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E.

Bordering areas

• Walker Mill (North)
• Forestville (Southeast)
• Capitol Heights (Northwest)
• Morningside (South)

Demographics

As of the 2010 Census the population of District Heights was 5,837. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 4.25% non-Hispanic white, 89.5% non-Hispanic black, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 1.15 from some other race and 1.9% from two or more races. 3.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino or any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,958 people, 2,070 households, and 1,538 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,649.1 people per square mile (2,556.0/km²). There were 2,170 housing units at an average density of 2,421.7 per square mile (930.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 9.20% White, 87.95% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.49% of the population.

There were 2,070 households out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 28.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.36.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,331, and the median income for a family was $61,220. Males had a median income of $37,129 versus $32,443 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,190. About 4.5% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Lloyd R. Woodson, arrested in 2010 with military-grade illegal weapons he intended to use in a violent crime, and a detailed map of the Fort Drum military installation

Government

The City is Governed by a Mayor and City Commission elected every 4 years.

Current Elected Mayor and City Commission

Mayor James L. Walls, Jr. (At-Large); Commissioner Eddie Martin (Ward 2); Commissioner Willie Calhoun (Ward 1); Commissioner Jack Sims (Ward 1); Commissioner Lee Collins (Ward 2)

City Website: www.districtheights.org

Law Enforcement

The District Heights Police Department (DHPD) is the primary law enforcement agency servicing a population of 6,224 within the jurisdiction of the municipality of District Heights. An agreement exists with Prince George's County Police Department and the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office that outlines mutual aid assistance. Assistance is also provided by neighboring municipal agencies

The current Chief of Police is Micheal March. The DHPD has a complement of 12 sworn officers, 2 non-sworn city code enforcement officers, and 1 administrative assistant.

Education

The city is served by the Prince George's County Public Schools.

Elementary schools that serve portions of the city limits include:

• District Heights Elementary School
• North Forestville Elementary School

All of the city limits is zoned to:

• Drew-Freeman Middle School

High schools that serve portions of the city limits include:

• Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High School [1]
• Suitland High School [2]

External links

• City of District Heights
• Maryland State Archives District Heights site
• District Heights Police Department homepage