Crop shop: The Farmers' Market in Mount Rainier offers an assortment of veggies, fruits, breads and even homemade ice cream.
Mount Rainier in Prince George’s County is a city so unique that in 1990 it was named to the National Register of Historic Places. According to the 2006-08 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimate, 8,543 people live here, and a good number of them undoubtedly live in buildings constructed before 1939, because the place is flooded with pre-WWII housing.
This small city sits right beside Washington, D.C. Heck, take a good somnambulant stroll one night, and you’ll wake up in the capital wondering what the devil is going on. So if you can walk to D.C., just think how easy it would be to drive there … not to mention to parts beyond? Even better, Mount Rainier sits only a mile away from the WMATA Metrorail West Hyattsville station on the Green Line. If you’re looking for apartments in Mount Rainer, you’ll find it a readily accessible burg.
There are quite a few things to do in Mount Rainer that have nothing to do with mountains. I myself was quite disappointed, but I figure there are many more readers out there who don’t live such a non-metaphoric existence and will readily understand.
A pretty progressive little place, the city offers a community tool shed (this is not a joke), a bike co-op and a library. It also sports the curiously-named GLUT Food Co-Op, a store specializing in vegetarian natural foods. Veggie-conscious people will also love the Mount Rainier Farmers’ Market, which is held from early June through late November, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. It’s a producer-only market that offers meats and baked goods to go along with the usual fruits and vegetables. Mount Rainier is also reportedly very tree-friendly, and I for one believe it. And being so close to Washington, D.C., and its assorted suburban towns gives one a lot of shopping options.
The city is also part of the Gateway Arts District, an arts-based economic development initiative that targets the revitalization of a two-mile area just north of Washington, D.C. A centerpiece is Joe’s Movement Emporium, a community performing arts studio that focuses on dance.
The city also offers the Mount Rainier Nature/Recreation Center, the county’s only urban nature center, which features live animals, hands-on exhibits and the self-guided Mount Rainier Tree Trail. Skaters will delight in the city skate park.
Finally, Mount Rainier also has its own television station: Mount Rainier Television (accessible on Comcast Channel 71 and Verizon Channel 21), which provides 24/7 programming.
