College Park dates to 1856, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 59% of U.S. towns · #66 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of College Park was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 718 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1950.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives College Park’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, College Park is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #66 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of College Park’s 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 College Park’s 209 sits above most of its state (87% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 721 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1856.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 College Park’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The earliest evidence of human activity in the College Park area was found at an archeological site just south of Archives II. Projectile points of Clagett and Vernon styles dating from 3000 to 2600 BC were recovered, a notable find given their location away from a river. This finding together with other similar ones indicate that the native American population became more sedentary in the Late Archaic period as the availability of local food supply increased, and social complexity grew. By the time Europeans first arrived and colonized the region in the early 17th century, the various native American groups had aligned themselves into a chiefdom under the Piscataway people.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1856, according to Wikidata. College Park’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1950 counted 11,170 people here.
How does College Park rank for history?
College Park is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #66 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 College Park?
4 listings: 1 building, 2 historic districts, the Calvert Hills Historic District and the Old Town College Park, with 718 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 721 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in College Park?
6% of College Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 the Library of Congress (5), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
![University of Maryland, [College Park, Maryland]](https://images.townratings.com/story/7496/d717e63bddb63c20e894-s.jpg)
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