Living in Takoma Park, MD: Real Estate, Lifestyle and Local Guide

Takoma Park, Maryland is unlike anywhere else in the DC Metro area. Founded in 1883 by developer Benjamin Franklin Gilbert as Washington's first planned railroad suburb, it was designed as a 'sylvan suburb,' a healthful, forward-looking community on the edge of the capital. More than 140 years later, that founding vision still shows.

Known affectionately as 'Azalea City' and informally as 'The People's Republic of Takoma Park,' this small city of about 17,600 residents has cultivated a distinctly progressive, artistic, and community-minded identity that draws people from across the region. The Takoma Park Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserves one of the finest collections of late Victorian and early 20th century residential architecture in the Washington area.

Takoma Park's character is defined by its historic core and its diversity of neighborhoods. Takoma Old Town, centered on Carroll Avenue and the Takoma Metro station, is the heart of the community, with Victorian homes, craftsman bungalows, independent shops, restaurants, galleries, and the year-round Sunday farmers market. This is the most walkable and most sought-after part of the city.

Long Branch, along Flower Avenue and Piney Branch Road, offers more affordable housing and a diverse, international character. New Hampshire Gardens sits along the New Hampshire Avenue corridor with a mix of older homes and newer construction at accessible price points. Throughout the city, public art is woven into everyday life: murals, sculpture, an Urban Poetry Trail, and the famous bronze statue of Roscoe the Rooster on Laurel Avenue, memorializing the beloved community mascot of the 1990s.