Camp Springs, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Camp Springs is an unincorporated area
and census-designated place
(CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland
, United States
. The population was 17,968 at the 2000 census. Camp Springs is not an official post office designation, but rather the area is divided between the surrounding mailing addresses Temple Hills, MD, Fort Washington, MD, Clinton, MD, and Suitland, MD. Area residents attend Crossland High School
. Andrews Air Force Base
, home base of the Air Force Systems Command
and the official presidential
airplane Air Force One
, is adjacent to Camp Springs and the base in particular, along with federal jobs in Washington, D.C.
, were major reasons for the community's original development. The Capital Beltway
passes through the area, and Washington's Metrorail subway
"Branch Avenue" station, terminus of the "Green Line" is located nearby. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
operates a year-round indoor and outdoor public swimming pool on Allentown Road. The Camp Springs Senior Activity Center is housed in the former Camp Springs Elementary School.
and Allentown Road
. By 1860, the settlement contained several stores, a blacksmith shop, a school, Methodist Church, and several residences. Early maps record the name of this settlement Allentown, after the Allen family. The Allens were large landholders in the area, therefore, the town, adjacent road, and Allenwood Elementary School were named in recognition of them. The town’s popular name, and subsequently the name of its post office, was Camp Springs. According to local history, the community was called Camp Springs since soldiers en route to Fort Meade
from the District of Columbia found the area to be a comfortable place to camp due to the abundant springs. Throughout the late- 19th and early 20th centuries, the Camp Springs area did not experience
significant growth. However, the opening of Andrews Air Force Base
on an adjacent tract of land, the proximity of the area
to the District of Columbia, and a housing shortage after World War II made the Camp Springs area an ideal location for residential development.
Most of the development in the Camp Springs area occurred north of the Camp Springs crossroads in the 1940s and 1950s. The lack of water and sewer lines in most locations until the late 1950s and early 1960s kept the pace of development slow. The largest development in the 1940s was the subdivision of the Middleton farm north of Camp Springs. This farm was platted into Glenn Hills, Middleton Farm, and Middleton Valley. Guy Trueman built one of his many subdivisions in the mid-1940s by platting Trueman Heights on over 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in the northwest quadrant of the Camp Springs crossroads. Modest single family houses were constructed along a fragmented grid of streets. Residential development during the 1950s primarily took the form of infill construction within subdivisions platted in the 1940s. One of the exceptions is the large Westchester Estates development located in the southwest quadrant of the Camp Springs crossroads. The over 400 houses were constructed along a curvilinear network of streets. Commercial development, consisting of shopping centers, restaurants, and hotels, extends along Allentown Road east of Branch Avenue. The largest boom of construction occurred in the 1960s and 1970s after the completion of water and sewer lines and the construction of the Capital Beltway. Pyles Lumber Company, a historic lumber business at the crossroads was destroyed by fire on December 27, 2000. The 19th century crossroads vanished during the 20th century with the reconstruction of Branch Avenue into a limited-access divided highway, and extensive commercial and residential development.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 7.3 square miles (18.9 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 17,968 people, 6,210 households, and 4,831 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 2,475.9 people per square mile (955.6/km²). There were 6,494 housing units at an average density of 894.8 per square mile (345.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 20.07% White, 74.28% African American, 0.40% Native American, 2.33% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.07% from other races
, and 1.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.44% of the population.
There were 6,210 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples
living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $69,371, and the median income for a family was $76,495. Males had a median income of $43,135 versus $39,736 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $27,474. About 2.0% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
and census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 17,968 at the 2000 census. Camp Springs is not an official post office designation, but rather the area is divided between the surrounding mailing addresses Temple Hills, MD, Fort Washington, MD, Clinton, MD, and Suitland, MD. Area residents attend Crossland High School
Crossland High School
Crossland High School is a public secondary school located in Temple Hills, Maryland. The school serves about 2,000 students in grades 9 to 12 in the Prince George's County Public Schools system. Crossland is named after a prominent early Maryland family...
. Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, home base of the Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command is a former United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland...
and the official presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
airplane Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
, is adjacent to Camp Springs and the base in particular, along with federal jobs in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, were major reasons for the community's original development. The Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
passes through the area, and Washington's Metrorail subway
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
"Branch Avenue" station, terminus of the "Green Line" is located nearby. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland.-History:...
operates a year-round indoor and outdoor public swimming pool on Allentown Road. The Camp Springs Senior Activity Center is housed in the former Camp Springs Elementary School.
History
The community of Camp Springs was settled in the mid-19th century at the crossroads of present-day Branch AvenueMaryland Route 5
Maryland Route 5 is a long state highway that runs north–south in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Point Lookout in St. Mary's County north to the Washington, D.C. border in Suitland, Prince George's County....
and Allentown Road
Maryland Route 337
Maryland Route 337, Allentown Road, is a short road in Prince George's county, Maryland. It begins at its intersection with Maryland Route 5 and ends at MD Route 4, going east through the communities of Camp Springs and Forestville...
. By 1860, the settlement contained several stores, a blacksmith shop, a school, Methodist Church, and several residences. Early maps record the name of this settlement Allentown, after the Allen family. The Allens were large landholders in the area, therefore, the town, adjacent road, and Allenwood Elementary School were named in recognition of them. The town’s popular name, and subsequently the name of its post office, was Camp Springs. According to local history, the community was called Camp Springs since soldiers en route to Fort Meade
Fort George G. Meade
Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation that includes the Defense Information School, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Courier Service...
from the District of Columbia found the area to be a comfortable place to camp due to the abundant springs. Throughout the late- 19th and early 20th centuries, the Camp Springs area did not experience
significant growth. However, the opening of Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
on an adjacent tract of land, the proximity of the area
to the District of Columbia, and a housing shortage after World War II made the Camp Springs area an ideal location for residential development.
Most of the development in the Camp Springs area occurred north of the Camp Springs crossroads in the 1940s and 1950s. The lack of water and sewer lines in most locations until the late 1950s and early 1960s kept the pace of development slow. The largest development in the 1940s was the subdivision of the Middleton farm north of Camp Springs. This farm was platted into Glenn Hills, Middleton Farm, and Middleton Valley. Guy Trueman built one of his many subdivisions in the mid-1940s by platting Trueman Heights on over 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in the northwest quadrant of the Camp Springs crossroads. Modest single family houses were constructed along a fragmented grid of streets. Residential development during the 1950s primarily took the form of infill construction within subdivisions platted in the 1940s. One of the exceptions is the large Westchester Estates development located in the southwest quadrant of the Camp Springs crossroads. The over 400 houses were constructed along a curvilinear network of streets. Commercial development, consisting of shopping centers, restaurants, and hotels, extends along Allentown Road east of Branch Avenue. The largest boom of construction occurred in the 1960s and 1970s after the completion of water and sewer lines and the construction of the Capital Beltway. Pyles Lumber Company, a historic lumber business at the crossroads was destroyed by fire on December 27, 2000. The 19th century crossroads vanished during the 20th century with the reconstruction of Branch Avenue into a limited-access divided highway, and extensive commercial and residential development.
Geography
Camp Springs is located at 38.807463°N 76.918028°W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 7.3 square miles (18.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 17,968 people, 6,210 households, and 4,831 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,475.9 people per square mile (955.6/km²). There were 6,494 housing units at an average density of 894.8 per square mile (345.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 20.07% White, 74.28% African American, 0.40% Native American, 2.33% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.07% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.44% of the population.
There were 6,210 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $69,371, and the median income for a family was $76,495. Males had a median income of $43,135 versus $39,736 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $27,474. About 2.0% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.