What's the vibe in University Park (MD)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another UP resident here - we love the vibe and chose to settle here after living in DC (Shaw) and buying a starter home in Calvert Hills. We have been in the area for 12 years so it has developed from a food desert to a place with multiple walkable grocery stores and restaurants outside of pizza joints for college students. We primarily shop at the new Trader Joe's and Whole Foods as they are closest to us. The Whole Foods development keeps getting better for families, and I let my kids go to the Starbucks and Habit Burger there alone. I do have some concerns about the violence at PG Plaza and opt away from there other than an occasional Target run.

Overall, it is an increasingly diverse suburb with mature trees and mostly 30s-40s era houses where you will find government and NGO workers, professors, and lots of lawyers but few that work at big firms. The town has its own trash/recycling/snow/police and maintains the playgrounds nicely. Come by and you'll see a lot of dog walkers that are willing to say more!

How is it getting increasingly diverse?

More non-white people move in?

Is that actually happening? Everyone I know who lives there is white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From twitter today. Someone mentioned the station up string.

METRO STATION CITIZEN ROBBERY: West Hyattsville Metro Station, 2700 Hamilton Street in Hyattsville-- the female victim was punched in the mouth & had her purse stolen; she was evaluated by medics. A woman & 2 men fled in a black car. @MetroTransitPD investigating. #wmata

Ah yes, the West Hyattsville metro station—2 miles away from University Park. A random crime there should shape our impressions of UP as much as Anacostia should shape our impressions of Eastern Market, or Columbia Heights should influence how we think about Cleveland Park, or what happens at Union Market is definitive for Dupont Circle. Pretty irrelevant PP, but nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another UP resident here - we love the vibe and chose to settle here after living in DC (Shaw) and buying a starter home in Calvert Hills. We have been in the area for 12 years so it has developed from a food desert to a place with multiple walkable grocery stores and restaurants outside of pizza joints for college students. We primarily shop at the new Trader Joe's and Whole Foods as they are closest to us. The Whole Foods development keeps getting better for families, and I let my kids go to the Starbucks and Habit Burger there alone. I do have some concerns about the violence at PG Plaza and opt away from there other than an occasional Target run.

Overall, it is an increasingly diverse suburb with mature trees and mostly 30s-40s era houses where you will find government and NGO workers, professors, and lots of lawyers but few that work at big firms. The town has its own trash/recycling/snow/police and maintains the playgrounds nicely. Come by and you'll see a lot of dog walkers that are willing to say more!

How is it getting increasingly diverse?

More non-white people move in?

Is that actually happening? Everyone I know who lives there is white.

Latest demographic data shows UP at 68% white, down from 76% in 2010 and 85% in 2000.

[Anonymous]

I'd describe the vibe as educated and family friendly. There is a nice mix of young families, couples, and retirees. The park and play area are great, the local library is excellent and new, and you can walk to get coffee at Sbux, beer at a local brewery, and groceries at Whole Foods. The University of Maryland offers a lot of sports access and culture and Hyattsville and College Park are making large investments in continuing to grow. There is plenty of upside in the Baltimore Ave. corridor.

[Anonymous]

UP feels a lot like the inner-Beltway Montgomery County burbs but without any teardowns (a number of people do have additions and someone always seems to be renovating). There is a Whole Foods, local brewery, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, nice playground and new library within walking distance of most of the neighborhood. People are educated (plenty of profs and lawyers and a few writers) and are at all stages in life (retired, older families, young families, couples). Many have connections to UMD but most around me actually don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another UP resident here - we love the vibe and chose to settle here after living in DC (Shaw) and buying a starter home in Calvert Hills. We have been in the area for 12 years so it has developed from a food desert to a place with multiple walkable grocery stores and restaurants outside of pizza joints for college students. We primarily shop at the new Trader Joe's and Whole Foods as they are closest to us. The Whole Foods development keeps getting better for families, and I let my kids go to the Starbucks and Habit Burger there alone. I do have some concerns about the violence at PG Plaza and opt away from there other than an occasional Target run.

Overall, it is an increasingly diverse suburb with mature trees and mostly 30s-40s era houses where you will find government and NGO workers, professors, and lots of lawyers but few that work at big firms. The town has its own trash/recycling/snow/police and maintains the playgrounds nicely. Come by and you'll see a lot of dog walkers that are willing to say more!

How is it getting increasingly diverse?

More non-white people move in?

Is that actually happening? Everyone I know who lives there is white.

It’s overwhelmingly white but it’s getting less white. I’m guessing the biggest racial minority is probably Asian. A lot of Asian/White couples.

[Anonymous]

Well the mayor who lived close by is a convicted child predator so probably get some major creeper vibes around that area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well the mayor who lived close by is a convicted child predator so probably get some major creeper vibes around that area

The mayor of a different town.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well the mayor who lived close by is a convicted child predator so probably get some major creeper vibes around that area

Yes famously this is how it works.

[Anonymous]

Do people on this thread even know what UP is? Only a few posters actually responded specifically to UP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious why UP is so white? Is there something historically that made that particular area not welcoming to non-whites?

It seems like you already know the answer to this based on how you worded it. But yes, UP had a restrictive covenant that prohibited Blacks from living there not all that long ago.

https://www.hyattsvillewire.com/2012/09/08/restrictive-covenants-in-university-park/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious why UP is so white? Is there something historically that made that particular area not welcoming to non-whites?

It seems like you already know the answer to this based on how you worded it. But yes, UP had a restrictive covenant that prohibited Blacks from living there not all that long ago.

https://www.hyattsvillewire.com/2012/09/08/restrictive-covenants-in-university-park/

Why is this relevant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious why UP is so white? Is there something historically that made that particular area not welcoming to non-whites?

It seems like you already know the answer to this based on how you worded it. But yes, UP had a restrictive covenant that prohibited Blacks from living there not all that long ago.

https://www.hyattsvillewire.com/2012/09/08/restrictive-covenants-in-university-park/

Why is this relevant?

Someone asked. Imo it would be weird to look for houses along the rte 1 corridor or anywhere in the DMV and not want to develop some understanding of how restrictive covenants and other types of segregation shaped the area. Real estate moves slowly so a lot of the “history” is barely in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious why UP is so white? Is there something historically that made that particular area not welcoming to non-whites?

It seems like you already know the answer to this based on how you worded it. But yes, UP had a restrictive covenant that prohibited Blacks from living there not all that long ago.

https://www.hyattsvillewire.com/2012/09/08/restrictive-covenants-in-university-park/

Why is this relevant?

Someone asked. Imo it would be weird to look for houses along the rte 1 corridor or anywhere in the DMV and not want to develop some understanding of how restrictive covenants and other types of segregation shaped the area. Real estate moves slowly so a lot of the “history” is barely in the past.

No. You do realize PG County is majority black, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious why UP is so white? Is there something historically that made that particular area not welcoming to non-whites?

It seems like you already know the answer to this based on how you worded it. But yes, UP had a restrictive covenant that prohibited Blacks from living there not all that long ago.

https://www.hyattsvillewire.com/2012/09/08/restrictive-covenants-in-university-park/

Why is this relevant?

Someone asked. Imo it would be weird to look for houses along the rte 1 corridor or anywhere in the DMV and not want to develop some understanding of how restrictive covenants and other types of segregation shaped the area. Real estate moves slowly so a lot of the “history” is barely in the past.

these existed in other cities along route 1 that are majority black today.