Takoma Park, MD

Takoma Park began as a railroad suburb on both sides of the Maryland–District of Columbia line, and that boundary still shapes its daily geography. Developer B. F. Gilbert bought his first tract in 1883 and promoted the high, wooded site as an escape from Washington’s heat, mosquitoes, and disease. Maryland incorporated its portion in 1890. Later railroad and streetcar subdivisions produced a compact city of tree-named streets, old houses, neighborhood business corners, and apartment corridors; the Takoma Park Historic District now encompasses Old Town, Takoma Junction, and several adjoining neighborhoods. The city’s 2020 census total was 17,629 within 2.09 square miles. Estimates for 2020–2024 found that 28.7 percent of residents were foreign-born and 35.4 percent of people age five and older spoke a language other than English at home. Several unusual municipal institutions remain visible in present-day life. Residents may register for city elections at sixteen, and non-U.S. citizens who live within the city may vote in those contests.

The city runs its own public library, which reopened a rebuilt Philadelphia Avenue facility in September 2025 with a program room, teen room, computer center, and more than 9,000 additional square feet. At the Maple Avenue Community Center, the city’s arts division presents free concerts, theater, dance, film screenings, and exhibitions. September brings the free Takoma Park Folk Festival, with six music stages, a juried craft show, international food, nonprofit tables, and children’s activities; a year-round Sunday farmers market operates behind the Laurel Avenue shops. Sligo Creek’s roughly ten-mile hard-surface trail crosses the city and connects parks, schools, and neighborhoods farther into Montgomery County. Four blocks from the farmers market, Takoma Metrorail station sits just across the boundary in Washington on the Red Line, while Metrobus, Ride On, and Capital Bikeshare provide additional regional connections.