College Park, MD

College Park Airport began in 1909 as a U.S. Army Signal Corps training field where Wilbur Wright taught military officers to fly the federal government’s first airplane. The field is the world’s oldest continuously operated airport, and its Smithsonian-affiliated aviation museum displays early aircraft and related materials. The Prince George’s County city also contains the University of Maryland’s flagship campus; College Park had 34,740 residents in 2020. The university’s 150-acre Discovery District includes NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center, the FDA’s Center for Food security and Applied Nutrition, and defense-related research facilities. The National Archives at College Park adds another federal institution, while trails around Lake Artemesia connect with the Anacostia Tributary Trail System and East Coast Greenway.