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Special Projects:
Washington Gas Line Replacement
Flower Avenue Green Street

The residents of Takoma Park have joined together in many churches, neighborhood associations, civic groups, and arts organizations. We have concerts, exhibits, political crusades, dances, neighborhood parties, quilting bees, and volunteer action projects.

Over seven hundred businesses and non-profit organizations are located in Takoma Park, most of them small.

Takoma Park is a sanctuary city, an official "Tree City, USA", and is also widely known as Azalea City. It is a nuclear free zone, has an award-winning recycling program, and supports the work of historic preservation groups. Residents who are not yet U.S. citizens may vote in local elections and hold local elective office.

What is the history of Takoma Park?

In 1883 B.F. Gilbert purchased 100 acres of land in Washington DC, and Maryland. His goal was to create a "sylvan suburb of the National Capitol" and it was one of the first 3 railroad-accessible suburbs in the DC area. His initial development was successful and he bought an additional 1000 acres of nearby land in 1886. The site was chosen for its healthful qualities. It is at 350 feet in elevation, high enough to avoid the malaria and mosquitoes that prevailed Washington DC at the time. It also had a clean water supply and access to Sligo Creek. By 1907, a sanitarium and two hotels were built to take advantage of the healthy environment. Early residents included numerous Federal government workers, many of whom were horticulturalists. Takoma Park resident B.Y. Morrison, a former director of the National Arboretum and an azalea developer, was the inspiration for the City's decision to name itself "Azalea City" in the early 1960s.

At the turn of the century, the City was home to numerous local businesses and had three trolley lines, the last of which was shut down in 1960. As of 1913, Takoma Park was the largest city in Montgomery County, and was home to a number of "firsts" in the County, such as the first volunteer fire department (1894). MORE INFORMATION>>