I lived there for many years (UP) and loved it - walked everywhere, metro access, great neighbors - and never felt unsafe. It’s a great area for families with young kids; the caveat is that once kids get older your education choices are few. We moved once my oldest hit middle school, but I would happily do those early years in UP again.

Love it! Been here 7 years with kids and it keeps getting better.

We looked at the area and were interested but weren't confident about middle and high school. Has it changed in the last few years? Maybe we should reconsider.

Also what ate transit options to metro? Regular buses or do people wind up driving and parking.

Just posting to say go for it op! I went to Maryland and have family that live close by. It's been cool seeing Hyattsville/Riverdale get better and better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the boundaries of the "Arts district" and "historic district"? I've googled unsuccessfully. (House hunting there, hoping for better spring inventory though.)

I think the Arts District is just the branding for the townhomes around the Busboys and Poets. Historic Hyattsville is the area West of Rte 1, roughly centered around Jefferson St. Here's a good map: http://www.preservehyattsville.org/historic-district-map

Thanks! Lots of lovely houses in that historic area then.

On that note, any idea why this cute house hasn't sold? It doesn't look that different from others in the area listed closer to $400k. https://www.redfin.com/MD/Hyattsville/4217-Oglethorpe-St-20781/home/10955091

Anonymous wrote:What are the boundaries of the "Arts district" and "historic district"? I've googled unsuccessfully. (House hunting there, hoping for better spring inventory though.)

I think the Arts District is just the branding for the townhomes around the Busboys and Poets. Historic Hyattsville is the area West of Rte 1, roughly centered around Jefferson St. Here's a good map: http://www.preservehyattsville.org/historic-district-map

You've gotten a lot of good answers here, but I just thought I'd answer your question about daycares. I'd say there are quite a few along the Rte 1 corridor. I've had kids at Sunny Days (Georgetown Hill) and the Center for Young Children at UMD, which are good and great respectively. We have friends who are happy at the Greenwood School, St. Jerome's, and the Easter Seals at NARA. UMD is opening another daycare (a Bright Horizons) in College Park soon. There are also a smattering of home daycares; that's a nice thing about lower real estate prices--daycare operators can actually afford to own homes here.

The best options for elementary schools tend to be Hyattsville, University Park, and Greenbelt, plus the specialty schools like Montessori, French Immersion, Spanish Immersion, and TAG. Middle school is definitely the big question mark in the area, and we are prepared to go private if necessary through those years. We are also waiting to see what happens with the College Park Academy. Most of the teenagers in our neighborhood seem to get into the STEM program at Eleanor Roosevelt for high school.

Oh, and restaurant options are definitely growing. Franklins and Busboys and Poets are kind of the anchors, but there are a ton of smaller eateries as well (such as Shagga ethiopian, Elevation Burger, Pizzeria Paradiso, Spice 6). For coffee, there's Vigilante, and then there's a handful of new breweries and distilleries. The Riverdale Park Station development has a few restaurants, including a Denizens coming soon, and College Park has a bunch of restaurants. Oh, and I like Sweet and Natural in Mt. Rainier too.

The arts options are also great, especially for kids--Joe's Movement Emporium, Impulse City, Art Works Now, etc.

What are the boundaries of the "Arts district" and "historic district"? I've googled unsuccessfully. (House hunting there, hoping for better spring inventory though.)

Anonymous wrote:Great information, thanks! Do families buy in the arts district? Or would historic hy be a better bet?

There are lots of families in the arts district. Deciding between the arts district (ie townhomes) or the historic district (ie single family homes) often seems to come down to a few considerations:
- personal preference for new construction or a historic home
- if they want a yard or not
- if they’re willing to do the stairs in the townhomes
- what’s available at the time they’re ready to buy.

Single family homes outside of the historic district, but still in city limits can be more affordable or larger (or both) than homes in the historic district, but they aren’t within walking distance of many of the shops and restaurants on Rt. 1. That may or may not be a drawback depending on what you want.

Great information, thanks! Do families buy in the arts district? Or would historic hy be a better bet?

Anonymous wrote:I live close to those areas and the two issues you raise that might be issue are schools and daycare.

That said, there are tons of magnet and specialty programs in PG and most families I know who want to do public school figure out a path that way. I've heard good things about UP elementary and Hyattsville Elementary. I haven't heard much about Riverdale Elementary at all. Parent reviews on Great Schools aren't great FWIW.

There aren't a ton of daycare centers in those areas though. If you are open to in home daycares and nanny shares those are pretty common.

Safety and crime are fine there. I go to those areas all the time and have never felt unsafe. I can't say the same about Prince George's Plaza. I am happy to go there in the day but I would pause before going in the evening. Also, the parking lot at the Target sucks.

Wow idk but fwiw, I am a suuuuper white lady raised in Bethesda who lives in Hyattsville now and I like PG Plaza and the Target. It's amazing at night - tons of people - it's like Montgomery Mall in 1996. IDK if people/teens still go to Montgomery Mall but I'm just saying, it's perfectly nice and clean and well lit. The Target itself can get pretty messy, I think because it IS so busy, but's it's fine.

I live in Historic Hyattsville and love it. I didn’t like living in DC until moving here. Now I happily see myself staying in the area long term. There’s real community here, with regular events and activities going on. I know my neighbors, three of them have keys to my house, I can always drum up a forgotten ingredient from someone at the last minute. People are normal and nice, not DC neurotic and competetive.

We have all the essential amenities in the area; most everything I need is in a 1-2 mile radius. Costco is the furthest away that I travel and the one in DC is a 13 min drive from my house. I can easily walk to a variety of restaurants, great coffee, multiple yoga studios, used book stores, etc. We have a choice of grocery stores at multiple price points (multiple ethnic grocery stores, Aldi, Safeway, Yes, and Whole Foods are all within 1-2 miles of the historic Distric). The bike paths are both functional and fun - there are safe routes to the metro as well as to trails connecting DC area routes for long weekend rides.

I routinely walk home from the metro at night and haven’t had problems, though I must admit to staying hyper alert and sticking to high car traffic routes. But I went to college in NYC and believe that streets with less foot traffic are less safe than heavily trafficked streets in general. Car break-ins seems to be the most common issue in the Historic District, but folks often report that they had left their car doors unlocked, so there’s that... I think more serious crime may happen in some parts of the City. I would recommend reaching out to the police for more info. I asked once during a police open house and was told of a few hotspots in apartment conplexes near the fringe of city limits. I can’t remember the specifics though, and haven’t had problems.

If you buy in the City of Hyattsville, there’s a great parents group that is very well organized. (Note you have to live in city limits to join. They are sticklers about that.) The group has a super handy resource guide they’re routinely updating. When we had our kid, we relied on their compilation of area daycares to find a place that we’ve been very pleased with. Day care options run the gamut from small home day cares to larger federally-affiliated centers, with prices ranging from 1100-1700/month for infants. Also lots of folks do nanny shares.

There’s been a baby boom going on, so the local elementary school is overcrowded, and the facilities are in need of updating. The elementary school is supposedly at the top of county lists for renovations. It seems to me that folks (and I’m talking mainly about the over educated upper middle class DCUM types) seem to try to get into the county’s well regarded specialty schools first, but those who wind up at the local elementary school seem happy with the school. It has a very active PTA. There are also a few affordable private school options that are popular. Even the non Catholic schools cost a fraction of what DC area private schools typically cost.

Taxes are high, and they’ve been going up as property values have increased. Assessments are every three years, and the jumps have been significant as the neighborhood has recovered from the housing crisis, which did hit the neighborhood hard. They’re higher in the City of Hyattsville because we pay city taxes in addition to county and state taxes. I wholeheartedly pay the city taxes since it’s clear what I’m getting from them - very responsive local government, excellent services, a police force, additional programming for at risk populations like the elderly and youth. Totally worth it. I have no idea what I’m getting out of my county taxes, but the city is a nice buffer between the (lack of) county services. Maryland does have a statewide law that limits how much you annual taxes can increase, even if property values or taxes increase. That’s been helpful.

I live close to those areas and the two issues you raise that might be issue are schools and daycare.

That said, there are tons of magnet and specialty programs in PG and most families I know who want to do public school figure out a path that way. I've heard good things about UP elementary and Hyattsville Elementary. I haven't heard much about Riverdale Elementary at all. Parent reviews on Great Schools aren't great FWIW.

There aren't a ton of daycare centers in those areas though. If you are open to in home daycares and nanny shares those are pretty common.

Safety and crime are fine there. I go to those areas all the time and have never felt unsafe. I can't say the same about Prince George's Plaza. I am happy to go there in the day but I would pause before going in the evening. Also, the parking lot at the Target sucks.

I live along Rt 1 and I love, love, love the whole area. In Riverdale for long term value I would look close to the train station and south of 410. If that little downtown ever lives up to its potential, it will be so adorable. Also there are like 70 beers on tap or something crazy at Town Center Market, which is like a hipster bar inside a 7-11/liquor store (?).

I feel totally safe walking around at night - crime seems very comparable to Dupont/U St where I lived before (i.e. nuisance property crime, occasional break-ins, etc). I understand even that is "too much crime" for many people although I think if you really look burglary and theft from vehicles are everywhere. Riverdale more broadly and to the north and east gets into some problems with MS-13, etc, but that won't affect the average non-immigrant person imo (except in schools which is something to think about), mostly because the gang seems to be focused on drugs, human trafficking, and extortion of immigrants and their families/businesses. I adore the Anacostia bike trail system - delightful and not too crowded. You can ride from Riverdale to the Navy Yard without ever being on a street.

I have lost nothing in terms of restaurants except that I have to drive/uber to them. Which is not so bad given how much easier it is to park, also I am old and don't drink as much any more. Not sure I would recommend the area to young singles.

Don't forget to look in University Park.

Anyone here live in hyattsville/riverdale park? Tell me everything! We are looking into that area after being priced out of va but want a similar feel. Daycare, schools, restaurants, crime? I noticed the property taxes are high... how often do they increase?

When I say is it safe, I mean do you feel comfortable walking home after dark. I live in a VA neighborhood that people call unsafe but I feel completely safe when I get home late at night. So I mean real crime, not "oh people look different from me so im scared" crime.

Thanks!