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Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Official seal of Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Seal
Location of Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Location of Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Country  United States of America
State  Maryland
County Prince George's
Incorporated 1931
Government
 • Type Nonpartisan
Area
 • Total 0.74 sq mi (1.92 km2)
 • Land 0.74 sq mi (1.92 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
108 ft (33 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 4,522
 • Density 6,094.34/sq mi (2,352.59/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
20743
Area code(s) 301, 240
FIPS code 24-70850
GNIS feature ID 0598069
Website City of Seat Pleasant official website: http://www.seatpleasantmd.gov/

Seat Pleasant is an incorporated city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located immediately east of Washington. The population was 4,542 at the 2010 census. Two state highways pass through the community — Maryland routes 704 (now called Martin Luther King Jr. Highway and previously named George Palmer Highway in honor of banker and community leader George Palmer) and 214 (Central Avenue). The Washington Metro's Blue and Silver Lines are nearby. The Washington Commanders' stadium is east of Seat Pleasant, near the Capital Beltway (I-95/495).

History

Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Official seal of Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Seal
Location of Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Location of Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Country  United States of America
State  Maryland
County Prince George's
Government
 • Type Nonpartisan
Area
 • Total 0.73 sq mi (1.89 km2)
 • Land 0.73 sq mi (1.89 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation
108 ft (33 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 4,542
 • Estimate 
(2012)
4,628
 • Density 6,221.9/sq mi (2,402.3/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
20743
Area code(s) 301
FIPS code 24-70850
GNIS feature ID 0598069
Website City of Seat Pleasant official website: http://www.seatpleasantmd.gov/

Seat Pleasant is located on part of what had been the Williams-Berry estate. In 1850, the descendants of General Otho Holland Williams, a Revolutionary War hero, and James Berry, a mid-17th-century Puritan leader, sold it to Joseph Gregory. Seat Pleasant was developed on the dairy farm of Joseph Gregory, the farm of the Hill family, and the land of building contractor Francis Carmody, among others. In 1873, some of the land along Addison Road was subdivided into small farms and rural home sites known as Jackson's Subdivision.

Designers of the Chesapeake Beach Railway, constructed in 1897–99 between Washington, D.C. and Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, located their first station in Maryland outside Washington on the railway's right-of-way that traversed the Gregory property. They called the station "District Line". The Columbia Railway Company operated a streetcar system that extended through Northeast Washington and terminated in Seat Pleasant at Eastern Avenue, near what is today Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway. Finally, the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway passed through Seat Pleasant in 1908. In 1906, the growing number of residents in the area around the station adopted a more imaginative name for their community — Seat Pleasant, after the early Williams-Berry estate. Prior to that, the area was known as Chesapeake Junction.

Steady growth of traffic on the railway between 1900 and its peak in 1920 translated into steady development for Seat Pleasant as a railroad suburb. Subdivisions were soon created, such as Seat Pleasant, Seat Pleasant Heights, Oakmont, Palmer's, Boyer's Addition, and Pleasant Hills. By 1915, two churches had been organized, and a fire department had been founded. The introduction of street lighting followed in 1918. When the community was incorporated as a town in 1931, it had a school, water company, sewer connections courtesy of the District of Columbia's sanitary system, and reliable fire protection by the Seat Pleasant Fire and Community Welfare Association. The Chesapeake Beach Railway ceased operations in 1935. In the 1980s, the old railroad roundhouse and turntable were demolished to make room for the Addison Plaza Shopping Center on Central Avenue.

Post-World War II state highway construction spurred further development. Construction of "affordable" housing, notably the Gregory Estates apartments in 1949, was the catalyst for the migration of African-American families from the District of Columbia; before that time, the community had been all white. The right of way of the former Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway was utilized in the early 1940s for the George Palmer Highway, later renamed the Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway. The Addison Road Metro station opened for service on November 22, 1980.

Most of the testaments to the town's past are long gone. Two that remain are the Episcopal Addison Chapel (1809) and Mount Victory Baptist Church (1908).

Seat Pleasant's crime rate is higher than the national average. The violent crime rate, while still above average, has improved in recent years, dropping from 768.6 in 2003 to 272.2 in 2011.

Geography

Seat Pleasant is located at 38°53′43″N 76°54′8″W / 38.89528°N 76.90222°W / 38.89528; -76.90222 (38.895362, -76.902205).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.73 square miles (1.89 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1940 1,553
1950 2,255 45.2%
1960 5,365 137.9%
1970 7,217 34.5%
1980 5,217 −27.7%
1990 5,359 2.7%
2000 4,885 −8.8%
2010 4,542 −7.0%
2020 4,522 −0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,542 people, 1,650 households, and 1,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,221.9 inhabitants per square mile (2,402.3/km2). There were 1,806 housing units at an average density of 2,474.0 per square mile (955.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 2.0% White, 91.0% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 3.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.7% of the population.

There were 1,650 households, of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.2% were married couples living together, 35.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.32.

The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.

Transportation

2016-09-13 18 11 36 View east along Maryland State Route 704 (Martin Luther King Junior Highway) between James Farmer Way and Foote Street in Seat Pleasant, Prince Georges County, Maryland
MD 704, the largest and busiest highway in Seat Pleasant

The main highway serving Seat Pleasant is Maryland Route 704. MD 704 connects southwest into Washington, D.C., and northeastward to U.S. Route 50 (John Hanson Highway).

The city is also served by the Addison Road and Capitol Heights Metro stations. Both stations are on the Blue Line and Silver Line.

Fire protection

The Seat Pleasant Volunteer Fire Company Inc, also known as the Infamous 8 House, is the primary fire department serving the community. It is located at 6305 Addison Road, Seat Pleasant. It is home to both career and volunteer firefighters and EMT's. It houses two engines, Engine 82 and 83,and Ambulance 88. The first due for the SPVFC is about 5.5 square miles (14 km2). The total response area is about 38 square miles (98 km2) serving over 250,000 citizens averaging about 7000 calls a year.

Bordering areas

Notable people

See also

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