University Park

History

University Park was developed on land owned by the Deakins family since the mid-1700s. The house known as Deakins Hall or Bloomfield was constructed on the land in the 1820s or 1830s. It is located at 6404 Queens Chapel Road. The farm was purchased by the University Park Company in 1923. The extension of water and sewer lines into area at that time prompted the subdivision of the Deakins tract. The developers promised a community of single-family homes without the intrusion of commercial facilities. Restrictive covenants were placed on the deeds and all house plans had to be approved by the developers. Homebuyers were attracted to University Park due to its high elevation and lush vegetation. The developers also agreed to provide streetlights and trash removal for a 10-year period, and constructed a school in the mid-1920s. The town was incorporated in 1936, and the current town hall is located at 6724 Baltimore Avenue, on U.S. Route 1. By 1940, the community had grown to 293 houses. The size of the town nearly doubled between 1940 and 1950, with the construction of another 255 houses. Houses constructed during these periods include brick and wood-frame Bungalow style and revival-style structures. The last building boom occurred in the late 1950s with the construction of 300 brick ranches. Residents who own homes that are "contributing structures" to the University Park Historic District may participate in the Heritage Preservation Tax Credit Program, administered through the Maryland Historical Trust. Participants in this program receive a tax credit for a portion of the cost of certified work that maintains or rehabilitates the contributing structures. One such structure identified by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is Bloomfield.…

Geography

University Park is located at (38.971381, −76.943399). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. University Park is bordered on the north by the city of College Park, to the south and east by the city of Riverdale Park, to the south and west by the city of Hyattsville, and is bordered in several directions by certain unincorporated parts of Prince George's County, such as Adelphi. The town includes a large public park and a portion of Wells Run, a small tributary of the Northeast Branch of the Anacostia River.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  168,757
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  154,208
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  130,560
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  129,347
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  124,659
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  116,088
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  111,981
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  110,001

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-10-27
  4 km E of Riverside, Maryland
• M 2.6 — 2021-06-25
  2 km SE of Woodlawn, Maryland
• M 3.03 — 2016-01-17
  3 km NE of Ranson, West Virginia
• M 3.6 — 2010-07-16
  5 km NNW of Barnesville, Maryland