Berwyn Heights dates to 1888, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 35% of U.S. towns · #123 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Berwyn Heights was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Its Register listing is the O'Dea House. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1890.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Berwyn Heights’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Berwyn Heights is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns, #123 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Berwyn Heights’ overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Berwyn Heights’ 3.0 sits near the middle of its state (56% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1888.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Berwyn Heights’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Berwyn Heights. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1900Washington sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Berwyn Heights.
Beginning in the 1870s, the area northeast of Washington, D.C. was the scene of active and continuous development as the population of the city increased and railroad suburbs such as Berwyn Heights, originally platted as Charlton Heights, gradually grew and expanded around it.
The O'Dea House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the homes that was erected in 1888 by the Charlton Heights Improvement Company to spur development in the new subdivision.
In 1896, it became the seventh incorporated municipality in Prince George's County. In 1967, it adopted its town seal, which contains three acorns. In 1986, it was awarded the Tree City USA title.
In 1888, according to Wikidata. Berwyn Heights’ post office opened in 1890, and the census of 1930 counted 228 people here.
How does Berwyn Heights rank for history?
Berwyn Heights is more historic than 35% of U.S. towns, #123 of 261 in Maryland. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Berwyn Heights?
One place: the O'Dea House (listed 1987).
How old are the homes in Berwyn Heights?
5% of Berwyn Heights’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1958.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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