Located inside the Washington Beltway in Prince George's County, the town of Berwyn Heights is not as well known as its neighbors, College Park and Greenbelt.
However, the quiet, residential community is becoming a popular choice for homebuyers looking for affordable homes in an established neighborhood.
Berwyn Heights was incorporated in 1896 and is the sixth-oldest municipality in Prince George's. It is situated on 0.65 square miles with 1,050 single-family homes and 3,000 residents. Although small, it has its own municipal government with a mayor and town council, public works department, fire department and rescue squad, and police department.
The real estate market in Berwyn Heights is "hot," according to Realtor Bob Neri of Century 21 Trademark Realty. "Traditionally, Berwyn Heights has always been a very strong market," he says. "But right now houses are practically selling in one or two days. I sold one listing in three hours."
Set among winding, tree-lined streets, a variety of housing styles exist in the community - ramblers, split foyers, Cape Cods and Victorians. Most of the homes were built in the 1950s and 1960s with some historic homes and new construction mixed in.
Rebecca and John Gillespie and their three young children moved from nearby Hollywood to Berwyn Heights in early April. They paid $260,000 for their four-bedroom, 2 1/2 -bathroom Cape Cod.
"We thought it was a nicer neighborhood and wanted a bigger house," Rebecca Gillespie said. "It's also close to my husband's work [in New Carrollton]."
She points to amenities such as a community center, parks, bike trails and a playground - where she has met other mothers and children - as neighborhood highlights. The community also boasts a man-made lake, senior citizens center, baseball fields, tennis courts and a library. It has curb appeal, too, having been awarded the "Tree City USA" designation every year since 1986.
Perhaps the major draw for many young families, though, is Berwyn Heights Elementary School. The school closed in 1981 as a result of the county's decreasing population and reopened in 2002 after a five-year campaign by Berwyn Heights residents. The school now has more than 500 students (about 18 percent over capacity) enrolled for fall 2004 and serves as the Prince George's County Magnet School for Music and Technology.
