Mount Rainier

, For many decades prior to the founding of Mount Rainier, Bunker Hill Road , one block north of this location , and Bladensburg Road to the south provided the local farms with access into the District of Columbia and to the port of Bladensburg., The District's streetcar tracks crossed into Prince George's County in 1898. Today's bustling Rhode Island Avenue began as an unpaved pathway adjacent adjacent to those tracks. With reliable access to employment in the District, a "streetcar suburb" of homes and businesses sprang up around the District Line station that stood a few yards from this location., Real estate developers purchased several of the nearby farms, including 100 acres north of Bunker Hill Road that had belonged to Thomas and Anna Clemson prior to the Civil War. The subdivision was given the name "Mount Rainier" in honor of the mountain in Washington State. New streets and houses sprang up around the Clemson's old spring at today's Shepherd and 33rd Streets., The citizens of several adjacent subdivisions joined together in April 1910 to approve the Charter for the Town of Mount Rainier. The new town was one of the largest in the surrounding region with its population of 1,242., Although known today for its progressive and inclusive nature, the town's original Charter prevented African Americans from registering to vote and for many decades property ownership was reserved for whites only., With the rising popularity of the automobile in the 1920s, the original streetcar station was removed to make room for the paving of Rhode Island Avenue., A new station , located adjacent to Potts Hall on the opposite side of today's traffic circle , served both streetcars and buses. The streetcar era ended in 1958. The station was razed in 1980, but Mount Rainier continues as a busy transportation hub for automobiles and buses., Mount Rainier experienced a growth spurt in the 1940s with the addition of several large apartment complexes, and in the 1950s from the post-war "baby boom.", With the rising popularity of new suburbs further from the District, Mount Rainier's population declines. Many homes and businesses stood abandoned or neglected., In the 1980s, Mount Rainier's easy access to the District of Columbia, affordable housing, and tree-shaded streets once again attracted new homeowners and businesses. A new generation of artists, progressive activists, environmentalists, and historic preservationists embraced diversity and inclusion. City voters elected the first African American councilmember in 1985., City leaders made a pivotal decision to build a new City Hall on Rhode Island Avenue in the city's business core, spurring further redevelopment, including construction of the traffic circle. Mount Rainier and the neighboring municipalities successfully embraced the arts as a revitalization tool, resulting in many successful projects surrounding Memorial Park., The citizens of Mount Rainier in the 21st Century welcome diversity and are proud of their multicultural home., [Caption:] , The view from Memorial Park towards the District Line streetcar station and Prince George's Bank in the 1920s. The Prince George's Bank is a county historic site and contributing resource to the Mount Rainier National Register Historic District.,