National Harbor

History

The land developed for National Harbor was previously Salubria Plantation, built in 1827 by Dr. John H. Bayne. The plantation house burned down in 1981 and was offered for sale along with the surrounding land. The land was sold in 1984 and in 1994 was rezoned for mixed-use development. In the fall of 1997, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Army Corps of Engineers approved new developer permits, granted for the PortAmerica project in 1988. The National Harbor proposal drew criticism for degrading the surrounding environment. In 1999, the Sierra Club said the project would "prevent forever the completion of the Potomac Heritage Trail". In 2006, Peterson Companies withdrew plans to build a Target department store where the remaining plantation building, the slave quarters, still stand. in what was then Oxon Hill, Maryland. Within months of its opening, the site discharged hundreds of thousands of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River. The site around the Gaylord hotel was developed by Milton Peterson's Peterson Companies. The original plan was to spend over $2 billion and to build from 2007 to late 2014. As of April 2016 construction was continuing and the cost was set at $4 billion. In 2010, the development was designated as its own census-designated place separate from Oxon Hill. The Walt Disney Company had announced that it would build a new resort hotel at National Harbor, but backed out of the project in November 2011. In 2011, Bonnie Bick, a member of the Campaign to Reinvest in the Heart of Oxon Hill suggested preserving the remaining plantation building, and making it a part of a proposed historical loop of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, as a draw for the development. On November 29, 2012, ground was broken for a…

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, National Harbor has a total area of , of which is land and , or 21.7% (consisting of the Potomac River), is water; 300 acres are in the actual development itself. The only routes in or out of National Harbor are ramps north of the area that link it to Interstate 95/495 (the Capital Beltway), Interstate 295 (Anacostia Freeway), and Oxon Hill Road. Commuters traveling on Indian Head Highway can reach National Harbor using the Oxon Hill Road exits. In 2007, the state spent more than $500 million (~$ in ) to improve roads for the 10,000 cars that were expected to commute daily to National Harbor. During planning, critics said National Harbor would be too remote from the Washington Metro, the Washington area's rapid transit system. Local civic groups sued National Harbor's developer, then settled in 2004 for promises of investment in the surrounding community and better access to mass transit. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which forms part of the Capital Beltway near National Harbor, was built to handle the addition of a Washington Metro line. No such plans exist. The state of Maryland pays the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority $312,000 annually to operate the NH1 bus line to National Harbor from the Southern Avenue Metro station. In June 2008, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center asked the state to fund additional transit service because employees found it difficult to reach National Harbor. In 2011, Metro began considering a rail extension to National Harbor off the Green Line as part of its long-term plan. The NH2 bus line started running across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in 2016, connecting with the King Street–Old Town station. In September 2021, a report on the Blue/Orange/Silver lines recommended…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Suitland High
  High · Suitland · 1,834 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Accokeek Academy
  Elementary · Accokeek · 1,567 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Oxon Hill High
  High · Oxon Hill · 1,553 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• Chesapeake Math and IT South Public Charter
  Other · Upper Marlboro · 1,486 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Potomac High
  High · Oxon Hill · 1,253 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Gwynn Park High
  High · Brandywine · 1,140 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Crossland High
  High · Temple Hills · 1,082 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Friendly High
  High · Fort Washington · 881 students · 16.3:1 ratio