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DHistory
History · Woodlawn

Half of Woodlawn’s homes were built after 1959

More historic than 13% of U.S. towns · #208 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Most of Woodlawn was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1980.

0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
Quick answers

About Woodlawn’s history

How historic is Woodlawn?

D

More historic than 13% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Woodlawn’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Woodlawn is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #208 of 261 in Maryland. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Woodlawn’s overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 13%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 20%

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 Woodlawn’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.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points).

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 →

What stands out about Woodlawn’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Woodlawn’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Woodlawn’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
On the map

Woodlawn on the map, 1900 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Woodlawn. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Woodlawn on the 1900 USGS mapWoodlawn on the 1934 USGS mapWoodlawn on the 1979 USGS map1900Washington 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 Woodlawn.

The story so far

Woodlawn, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Woodlawn yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Woodlawn is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,541.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,334 to 7,541 (+19%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Woodlawn, decade by decade

People over time

Woodlawn, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,000198020002020Peak: 7,541

Between 5,306 and 7,541 people in every census since 1980.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Woodlawn’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Woodlawn

Nobody well known was born in Woodlawn itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Defense Heights

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Questions about Woodlawn’s history

How does Woodlawn rank for history?

Woodlawn is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns, #208 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.

How old are the homes in Woodlawn?

4% of Woodlawn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1959.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (1), 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.