When Mayor Adam Ortiz says Edmonston, Md., is a “bridge community,” he is referring to more than the span across the Anacostia River that connects the east and west sides of the town. He also is talking about how the town brings together different ethnic and economic cultures and is moving forward toward a more environmentally friendly future.
“Anyone who likes diversity would be happy in Edmonston,” said Ortiz, who added that the town of 1,500 offers affordably priced housing attractive to working families and young professionals ready to give up loft life in the District.
The recession helped make Edmonston’s homes more affordable, says Julio Pena, a real estate agent for Keller Williams who has listings in town. Pena said there are short sale and foreclosure homes available in the $140,000 to $150,000 range.
At a glance
March 2010 -Average sold price in the 20781 ZIP code: $151,767
-Average list price in the 20781 ZIP code: $167,128
-Average days on market for homes sold: 63
March 2009 -Average sold price in the 20781 ZIP code: $272,000
-Average list price in the 20781 ZIP code: $299,950
-Average days on market for homes sold: 126
Edmonston, in Prince George’s County, was named after Capt. James Edmonston, who purchased 60 acres of land in the area in 1742. About 2.5 miles from the District, the town was developed in the early 1900s, evolving from subdivisions named Palestine, for Palestine Farm on which it was built, and East Hyattsville. In 1924, the town founders incorporated the enclave, naming it after a prominent Bladensburg family.
The town has supported diversity from the beginning, selecting Kinjiro Matsudaira as mayor in 1927, reportedly the first Japanese-American citizen elected to that office in the United States.
The pride of the community today is the Decatur Street Bridge, which has been adorned with murals painted by students acknowledging up to 20 cultures, Ortiz said, including those of the countries of El Salvador, Ghana, Ireland, Nigeria and Vietnam.
“The mural is the [town’s] biggest statement [of diversity] and it’s right in the center of town.”
A more subtle statement is that all of Edmonston’s departments have bilingual staff.
“We’re a small neighborhood and you know your neighbor,” Ortiz said. “It was pretty clear we had a lot of newcomers, so it was up to us to see to it that they can participate in the government.”
The theme runs deeper, though, because under the span is a project bridging past and future. Decatur Street is being transformed into a cutting-edge “green street,” where about 90 percent of rain runoff will be naturally filtered by trees and plants, Ortiz said.
In a traditional storm drain setup, street water flows into an underground system and is dumped into the Anacostia River, which extends to, and can pollute, the Chesapeake Bay. The bioretention system traps rain runoff and puts it through natural filtration, Ortiz said.
“We’re proud of our environmental stewardship,” he added. The town won a Green Highways Partnership award for its green streets program.
Plans for Decatur Street also include restoring the native tree canopy, including oaks, maples and sycamores, and attracting more watershed birds to help the ecosystem. The street and sidewalks are being redesigned as much as possible to use recycled materials that will be more welcoming to walkers, joggers and bikers.
Edmonston already has parks that cater to a variety of recreational activities. Veterans Park offers a path along the Anacostia River for biking, jogging and hiking. Nearby Fletchers Field Community Park has several picnic enclosures for family or group events as well as sports facilities.
Resident Blaine Landa says people in town watch out for each other and help the local police keep the town safe.
“While residents may not know everyone who lives in the town, we know who lives on our block,” he said adding that such small-town neighborliness creates a “really good” community.
