Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #178 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of East Riverdale was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1970.
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Riverdale is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #178 of 261 in Maryland. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 East Riverdale’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: our sources. 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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how East Riverdale’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Riverdale. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Riverdale.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of East Riverdale yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
East Riverdale is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 18,459 at the 2020 census.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 15,509 to 18,459 (+19%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
20202020-08-25 15 26 39 View east along Maryland State Ro…
20202020-08-25 14 34 56 View west along Maryland State Ro…
20202020-08-25 14 28 51 View east along Maryland State Ro…
20202020-08-25 14 23 48 View west along Maryland State Ro…
20192019-09-10 12 30 10 View south along Maryland State R…
20192019-09-09 11 04 30 View south along Maryland State R…
20192019-09-08 13 57 38 View north along Maryland State R…
20162016-09-13 16 07 36 View west along Maryland State Ro…Grew from 8,941 people in 1970 to 18,459 in 2020.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on East Riverdale’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in East Riverdale itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
East Riverdale is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #178 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.
7% of East Riverdale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1959.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (8), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
