Homes for Sale in Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is an Incorporated City in the Northern Portion of Prince George’s County, immediately adjoining the Woodridge subdivision of Washington, D.C. and also very close to the Fort Lincoln area of Washington DC.  It is bisected by Route 1, a major road that begins in downtown Washington DC as Rhode Island Avenue, and becomes Baltimore Avenue in College Park, Maryland and was the original highway between Washington and Baltimore before trains arrived. A train track also runs at the east side of the City.  It is a City that has moved onto local Real Estate radars mainly since the inception of the Arts District in the early 2000’s, running down the Route 1 corridor from the District of Columbia border, through Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood and into the City of Hyattsville, where it ends.  Although the Arts District is fairly narrow along the highway, the whole city was rezoned to allow artists to operate a home artist business in residences.  This along with the construction of two artists live in studio buildings in the early 2000’s, has lead to a major artist deployment into the area, resulting in a gradual revitalization of the area and resulting increase in property values.  The whole City has been deemed Historic enabling owners to meet requirements for State and Federal tax credits when restoring old homes.  There are a large number of Arts and Crafts style single family homes, including a number of Sears Catalog homes there.  There are relatively few townhomes or condominiums, though some new ones have been constructed recently.

In 1891, the City of Mount Rainier was named by a group of developers after the famous mountain in the state of Washington.

In 1899, the streetcar lines were extended from Washington D.C. through Hyattsville, Maryland. The Mount Rainier stop was located at the intersection of what is now known as Rhode Island Avenue and 34th Street. It was called the District Line Station. With the stop at Mount Rainier, it was easier to attract developers and prospective buyers because now the city offered easy access to get into and out of Washington.

Houses started to be built near the District Line Station after 1902. The homes on Mount Rainier were considered affordable, ranging from $2000 to $5000.

The business district aggregated around the streetcar station. In addition to the station, there were shops, grocery stores, a barber shop, laundry, and dry good stores. The first post office was established in 1904.

In 1910 the residents in the area around the streetcar station petitioned the Maryland State Legislature to incorporated Mount Rainier, and the city was incorporated by Charter granted on April 14, 1910.

In January 1912, the Mount Rainier volunteer fire department was created. The fire department was first located in a frame building and later moved to a brick structure located on 34th at Shepherd St.

In 1913, the Women’s Civic League of Mount Rainier formed. In 1923, the first public school of Mount Rainier was constructed. And in the same year the town hired its first paid police officer because of its growing population.

In 1929, the town acquired 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land and in the following year the Mount Rainier High School opened there.

In 1939, a new terminal was built at 34th St and Rhode Island Ave. because of a change in streetcar services.

In the 1940s, Kaywood Garden apartments were constructed along Eastern Ave., raising the population of Mount Rainier.

In 1952, a library was built. In 1956, a privately operated community pool opened. In 1958, streetcar services stopped and was replaced by bus service.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the population of the city declined.

Today, a large area of Mount Rainier is considered an historic district by the National Register of Historic Places.

In the present day Mount Rainier still has many of the charms and attractive features that it had in the early 1900s. The metro stations at Rhode Island Avenue and West Hyattsville and the sense of community are important factors that draw residents to Mount Rainier.[12]

Points of interest

Mount Rainier has been listed as an historic area, due to its history not only as a primary streetcar suburb of Washington, D.C., but also due to the vast number of Sears houses and Craftsman-style homes, many of which have been restored.

There is a lively arts district in the town, which has made a point to provide affordable housing for artists and to showcase their work. Mount Rainier Day, held in May, is one day in which the entire community opens its doors to the public. The town has become a haven for freelance workers in the world of theater, including scenic designers, artistic directors, lighting designers, and stage directors, several of whom have received the highest DC theater honor, the Helen Hayes Award. Mount Rainier is home to the alternative folk music duo Emma’s Revolution and Joe Brewer, lead singer of the rock band [velvet] / owner of Brewer’s Arcade which is a museum quality private collection featuring vintage 1980’s era classic arcade and pinball machines.

A vegetarian, organic food cooperative, Glut, has existed since the 1960s and draws people from all over the area.

According to some sources, in 1949 at 33rd Street and Bunker Hill Road in Mount Rainier lived a child (see Robbie Mannheim) who allegedly became possessed by the devil. A local priest Edward Hughes took part in the exorcism. This incident became the basis for the movie The Exorcist. Local citizens have no recollection of this child being a resident of Mount Rainier, and a journalist eventually traced the youth to nearby Cottage City, Maryland.

[spatialmatch_map id=8 width=100% height=750]