Apartment Showcase Blog

There is a great possibility that the apartment renter in College Park, Md., will either be attending the University of Maryland or teaching there. Let me tell you friend, the University of Maryland has a lot going for it.

In 2009, some 37,195 students attended the school, making it not only the largest university in the state but the largest in the entire Washington metro area. It’s also pretty big land-wise, with 1,250 rolling acres to its credit.

The University of Maryland tied for 53rd in this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings of the best national universities (including an impressive tied-for-18th among public universities). As the flagship university in the state, you would expect the school to have some accolades. Here are but a few … the University of Maryland is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University-Extensive; it is a major public research university and has 38 faculty members appointed to the National Academies, with four current Nobel laureates on staff; and all of this while housing quite possibly the most fearless diamondback terrapin in existence, the mighty Testudo.

Yeah, yeah, OK, that’s all fine. But, what about sports? During the past decade, the school has produced no less than nine NCAA champions in varied sports with the most notable – for long-suffering roundball fans – being the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in 2002. The football team nose-dived last year after a rejuvenating run during the decade, and the men’s soccer, women’s basketball, lacrosse and field hockey teams all won at least one national championship as well.

For all you golfers out there, you’ll have to check out the University of Maryland Golf Course, which is open to the public.

Sports are good, but so are the concerts (Weezer and Ben Folds played in Byrd Stadium in April) and cultural events the school puts on for the public. Living next to a huge university has its advantages, eh?

The University of Maryland campus is one of the visual highlights of College Park.

College Park, MD, is known for the flagship University of Maryland campus within its borders, and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a nice calling card to have a world-class state university within your city limits.

But renting an apartment in College Park has a lot more going for it than the town’s scholarly appeal. The 2006-08 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimate puts College Park’s population at 27,455. But with a student enrollment of 37,195 (as per 2009 statistics), the town grows quite a bit when classes are in session.

Like you’d imagine, College Park has its own WMATA Metrorail stop on the Green Line, so commuting to work downtown or anywhere in the metropolitan area is a lot easier than if you rented farther out in the hinterlands. Of course, it’s not uncommon for apartment renters to work on campus, so you may not need the train at all.

College Park actually has another claim to fame: its historic airport. Established in 1909 – just a handful of years following the Wright brothers’ first foray into the skies – College Park Airport is the oldest still-operating airport in the world, hence its informal designation as the “Cradle of Aviation.” One more tip: When you rent here, be sure to check out the lavish College Park Aviation Museum. Won’t find that in the average college town, eh?