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Brief History
 Brief History
The Takoma/Langley Crossroads overlaps the borders of Montgomery and
Prince George’s Counties. The area was named the Takoma/Langley
Crossroads during the 1980s by a group of community business leaders
who referenced, not only the characteristic of the intersection between
the, University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue corridors, but also
as an opportunity to bring the communities of Langley Park in Prince
George’s County and Takoma Park in Montgomery County together. This was
especially significant because until 1997, Takoma Park was a City
straddled between the two counties.
Over the past half a century, the Takoma/Langley Crossroads
area has developed into a densely populated place with a mixture of
single-family residences, multi-family units, offices and retail
spaces. For a period of almost thirty years, the region has served as a
destination for immigrants from Central America, South America, the
Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. Given the community’s diverse racial and
ethnic makeup and the eclectic collection of businesses, which cater to
the neighborhood’s multicultural residents, the Takoma/Langley
Crossroads has become an integral part of Maryland’s International
Corridor.
Challenges to Takoma/Langley Crossroads
The Takoma/Langley Crossroads suffered through a period of
decline especially during the 1980s. The community struggled with
blighted residential and commercial areas, as well as with the effects
of the illegal drug trade. Residents in some apartment complexes in the
community were subjected to open air drug markets and other criminal
activity. Long time residents and the new immigrant communities were
both victims of crime. Some homeowners organized to address
neighborhood concerns about rising crime. The elementary school
implemented bus service for children who lived in walking distance to
school, as a method to ensure their safety. Police also increased their
presence in the community. Apartment complexes, under new management,
initiated safety measures to discourage drug activity such as
installing new lighting, security doors and maintaining general upkeep
of their properties. In the late 1990s, police in Prince George’s
County conducted multiple raids in various communities, including
Langley Park, in an effort to shut down drug activity in the county.
Because of its uniqueness, Langley Park has also been presented with
many challenges for how to serve its established and new residents.
Organizations are working with the county government to address these
issues and improve upon the community’s existing assets.
In the past, the Takoma Langley Crossroads has been an area
overlooked by outsiders. Today the Takoma/Langley Crossroads community
is at a point where strong community leaders are making progress and
public and private investment is on the horizon. The bi-county sector
plan will initiate a process to harness the community’s progress and
develop a unified vision for the future of the Takoma/Langley
Crossroads. The community will have the opportunity to think about the
effects of change, and how best to integrate the community’s past with
its future. The sector plan will be a tool to balance future growth
with neighborhood priorities and preferences.
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