Takoma Park:
The Berkeley of the East

• December 10, 2008
• 1 Comment

by Mark Wellborn

Borders: (Approximate) Sligo Avenue, Eastern Avenue, New Hampshire Avenue
ZIP code(s): 20912, 20913
Pricing data: Takoma Park real estate (Redfin)
Map: Click here for interactive Google Map

Porch in Takoma Park by Chris Spehr

Takoma Park, Maryland has been dubbed “Granola Park” and “The Berkeley of the East” due to the left-leaning views of its residents. The town, which is just on the other side of DC’s northwest border, became the first nuclear-free zone in the US in the early 1980s, and recently a group of residents moved to have gas leaf blowers banned in the neighborhood in an effort to improve air quality. Moves like these only bolster Takoma Park’s other reputation as a great place to live…with a very liberal population.

Demographics

Takoma Park is also known for its diversity. Statistics from the 2000 U.S. Census show that about a third of the neighborhood’s population is African-American and a fifth is Hispanic. In 2007, the median household income was $62,236, and approximately forty percent of the households have children.

Property Prices

While the median listing price in Takoma Park is currently about $310,000, the median price of properties that have sold in the last 90 days is $390,000, according to Redfin. Of the 100 or so homes on the market right now, sixty percent are single-family homes and forty percent are condos.

If you’re interested in a fixer-upper, there is a good property for sale at 1003 Hopewell Avenue. While this four-bedroom may look like a steal at $269,000, it will need to undergo some serious renovation in the next few years, even though the roof, windows and air conditioning system were all recently replaced. For the full listing, click here.

If you are looking for a property where the work has already been done for you, there is a fully-restored Victorian on the market at 7207 Maple Avenue for $679,500. The three-bedroom home has a wraparound porch, hardwood floors, a large backyard, and is only a two-block walk from the Takoma Metro stop on the red line. For the full listing, click here.

Fourth of July Parade by Chris Spehr

Market Fundamentals

There are approximately 5,000 single-family homes in the 2.2 square-mile area of Takoma Park. The neighborhood is one of DC’s oldest suburbs (founded in the late 1800s) and as a result, there are a wide variety of architectural styles available (Victorians, Cape Cods, bungalows).

Local realtor Debbie Cook, whose Silver Bee blog is a well-known real estate resource in nearby Silver Spring, recently noted that 100 single-family detached homes have sold this year in Takoma Park. The prices have ranged from “$200,000 for a three-bedroom brick Colonial in need of total renovation to $1 million for a completely restored seven-bedroom Victorian.”

Cook has also done some telling analysis of the local housing market. A graph on her ActiveRain page shows that the median price for homes in Takoma Park has dropped from around $450,000 at the beginning of the year to $375,000 as of November. A complementary graph shows that the average number of days a property spends on the market in Takoma Park has increased from around 90 days at the beginning of the year to 160 days now.

Despite these statistics, some local realtors remain optimistic about the neighborhood. After all, what neighborhood hasn’t seen prices fall this year?

“You read about the terrifying numbers in the national and regional press, and what I can say is that the property values in Takoma are a lot less worse off than everywhere else,” Hank Prensky of TakomaHomes.com said as he chuckled.

Prensky, a longtime Takoma Park resident who used to sit on the city council, believes that the prices have come down only about five to ten percent in the last 18 months, rather than the thirty to forty percent figures that have been reported.

Restored Victorian by Chris Spehr

Insider Tips

The downtown area of Takoma Park has long been known as the type of place where you can easily find a nice piece of antique jewelry or a tattered copy of The Catcher in the Rye. However, this charming downtown area is feeling the effects of the growth of its neighbor to the north.

“The success of Silver Spring’s business area has caused a serious crisis for small businesses in Takoma Park,” resident Chris Spehr told UrbanTurf. “Takoma Park is a wonderful town for window shopping but it is losing business at an alarming rate. The downtown is becoming a ghost town.”

While this is certainly lamentable, downtown Silver Spring is only a few miles away from most places in Takoma Park, and has a variety of everyday amenities and services.  Residents are also never very far from the Metro in Takoma, and if they are, a Ride On bus stop is usually pretty close to take you to the station.

Note that Takoma Park is not to be confused with Takoma, the neighborhood just across the border in DC. The Metro station is actually in DC’s Takoma, not Maryland’s Takoma Park, but because the two border each other, the Metro is claimed by both.

Street Festival in Old Town by takomabibelot

Parking & Transportation

Street parking is plentiful in most sections of Takoma Park.

As noted above, the red line of the Metro stops in Takoma, and the Ride On bus system runs frequently in the neighborhood.

“Takoma Park offers quick driving routes to Capitol Hill and downtown DC,” local agent Arlene Koby said. “For couples with split commutes, one going into DC and one going north along I-95 towards Baltimore, Takoma Park is ideally located offering easy access to both.”

Bottom Line

Residents who live in Takoma Park usually say that they would not live anywhere else, a classic yet usually overstated advertisement for a zip code. However, most Takoma Park residents are also very set in their ways, and that feeling extends to the homes in the area, some of which need a good deal of work.

“You should be prepared to seek a lot of advice from Bob Villa of ‘This Old House,’” Debbie Cook told UrbanTurf about the homes in Takoma Park. “Takoma Park is eye candy for historic and vintage house lovers, but just be sure to hire a good home inspector with lots of experience with old homes.”

Quick Answers

Noise Level
Very Quiet

Desirable Streets to Live On
Maple Avenue, Carroll Avenue

Neighborhood Picks

Best Place to Get Equipment for the Band You Just Formed — House of Musical Traditions, 7010 Westmoreland Avenue
Best Place for Asian-Inspired Penne Pasta — Mark’s Kitchen, 7006 Carroll Avenue
Best Place to Shop If You Are on a Macrobiotic Diet — Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op, 201 Ethan Allen Avenue
Best Place to Find an Antique Pair of Cufflinks — Moonshadow, 7000-C Carroll Avenue

Photos & Resources

• Takoma Voice — The area’s most complete listing of events and news.
• The Takoma Park Gazette — Takoma Park’s community newspaper.

1 Comment

1. bruce williams said at 10:16 pm on Tuesday December 22, 2009:

   highest taxes in the state of Maryland - corrupt city govmt - sanctuary city for criminal illegal aliens - left wing nutballs run the city - STAY AWAY

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