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Fort Washington, Maryland
A view of the main gate of Fort Washington Park from a nearby hill, in October 2004.
A view of the main gate of Fort Washington Park from a nearby hill, in October 2004.
Location of Fort Washington, Maryland
Location of Fort Washington, Maryland
Country  United States
State  Maryland
County Prince George's
Area
 • Total 16.57 sq mi (42.92 km2)
 • Land 13.79 sq mi (35.73 km2)
 • Water 2.78 sq mi (7.19 km2)
Elevation
105 ft (32 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 24,261
 • Density 1,758.81/sq mi (679.08/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
20744, 20749
Area code(s) 301, 240
FIPS code 24-29525
GNIS feature ID 0598313
Fort Washington 1812
Fort Washington

Fort Washington is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It borders the Potomac River, situated 20 miles south of the downtown Washington, DC. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 24,261. The Fort Washington community is located west of Maryland Route 210, with some additional area to the east of the highway.

History

The Fort

Soliders-at-fort-washington-park
A group of historical re-enactors at Fort Washington in April 2008.

The community is named for Fort Washington, which upon its completion in 1809 was the only defensive fort protecting Washington, D.C. The fort is a stone structure and offered a good field of range for cannon fire at enemy advances on the Potomac River. During the War of 1812, the fort was quickly abandoned during a British advance. In 1844, a cannon exploded on the USS Princeton as it was passing Fort Washington. During World War II, the US Army's Adjutant General's School was located at the fort, and had billeting for 362 officers and 2,526 enlisted persons.

The site is now part of a very extensive park with views of the Potomac River and hiking paths. It is a scenic place for picnicking, fishing and outdoor recreation. (Admission is free to people entering after business hours and before sunset.)

War of 1812

During the War of 1812 Fort Washington, built to protect the capital from enemy advances on the Potomac River, was captured by the British under the command of Admiral Gordon, three days after the burning of the capital.

Civil War

Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War, fearing for the safety of Washington in case of attack, Secretary of the Navy Isaac Toucey ordered a detachment of US Marines to garrison the fort.

In May 1865 Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles ordered the Potomac Flotilla reduced to half strength due to cessation of hostilities. This included the removal of the Marines from Fort Washington.

Twentieth century to present

Near the fort are many riverfront homes, two marinas, two community pools, and National Golf Club. The area was rural until about 1960 when suburban growth began and is continuing to grow, adding new, large family homes in small developments next to older existing developments. Until the founding of the Oxon Hill post office about 1960, the Fort Washington area generally used the mailing address Washington, D.C., except for the few years that Friendly had a post office. About 1980 the postal service split the Fort Washington area from Oxon Hill, defining it as a separate town name. At that time, to make mail sorting easier, they drew the boundary between the two communities to conform to already existing zip code boundaries. The end result sometimes confuses people, since the northern end of the Fort Washington postal area (near the Beltway) identifies more with the communities Oxon Hill or Temple Hills / Camp Springs but still uses a Fort Washington mailing address.

Geography

Fort Washington is located at 38°44′37″N 77°0′37″W / 38.74361°N 77.01028°W / 38.74361; -77.01028 (38.743481, -77.010383).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 16.57 square miles (42.9 km2), of which 13.79 square miles (35.7 km2) is land and 2.78 square miles (7.2 km2), or 16.8%, is water.

First-time visitors are often confused by the several "Livingston Roads" which repeatedly crosses Route 210, as well as by the two separate "Old Fort Roads", causing them to make wrong turns off of Maryland Route 210. Eventually all roads intersecting Route 210 in the Fort Washington area (from the Beltway as far south as the highway 210 curve at Piscataway Creek) are planned for upgrading to controlled-access interchanges (eliminating all traffic signals) gradually during the 2020s decade.

The fort’s land originally included 347 acres, which was last surveyed in June 1944.

Community institutions

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) maintains the Harmony Hall Regional Center [1], including the John Addison Concert Hall, site of community theater ("Tantallon Community Players"), art shows, frequent concerts, and a variety of classes for all ages. A YMCA fitness center operated from 2005 until 2016, and a community center facility opened in 2013 in Fort Washington Forest. The 12,000-member Ebenezer A.M.E. Church is noteworthy, as is a large nursery/landscaping business and a popular motorcycle shop. There is a small 50-bed hospital (Fort Washington Hospital). Many highly successful African-Americans live in Fort Washington; there are also some Ethiopian residents and a large, long-established ethnic Filipino population.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1990 24,032
2000 23,845 −0.8%
2010 23,717 −0.5%
2020 24,261 2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
2010 2020

2020 census

Fort Washington CDP, Maryland – Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 2,690 2,170 11.34% 8.94%
Black or African American alone (NH) 16,576 15,334 69.89% 63.20%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 51 32 0.22% 0.13%
Asian alone (NH) 2,154 2,227 9.08% 9.18%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 8 17 0.03% 0.07%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 56 179 0.24% 0.74%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 617 828 2.60% 3.41%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,565 3,474 6.60% 14.32%
Total 23,717 24,261 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

Per the 2020 census, the population was 24,261.

Education

Fort Washington is under the Prince George's County Public Schools district.

Zoned elementary schools serving the CDP are:

  • Fort Foote Elementary School
  • Fort Washington Forest Elementary School
  • Indian Queen Elementary School
  • Potomac Landing Elementary School
  • Rose Valley Elementary School
  • Tayac Elementary School

Zoned middle schools serving the CDP are:

  • Oxon Hill Middle School
  • Isaac J. Gourdine Middle School
  • Accokeek Middle School

Zoned high schools serving the CDP are:

  • Friendly High School
  • Oxon Hill High School

The following private schools are located in Fort Washington

  • The Beddow Montessori School, Fort Washington Campus

Transportation

Potomac Airfield is in Friendly CDP, with a Fort Washington address. Several Metrobus routes serve the area.

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Fort Washington (Maryland) para niños

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