West Lanham Hills

West Lanham Hills

by Jim Gunther

West Lanham Hills is a community of 255 single-family homes located next to the New Carrollton Metro Station in an unincorporated area of Prince George's County, MD.

Construction of the community began in 1939 with neighbors banding together in 1941 to form the West Lanham Hills Citizens' Assn., Inc. Residents recognized the need early on to stand together to seek and obtain the advantages of a stable, well-maintained and serviced modern community.

Since that time the residents of West Lanham Hills have continued to speak with a strong voice as they faced the various challenges that arose down through the years.

New and better roads, new housing and business construction and the coming of the New Carrollton Metro station were all concerns addressed by residents.

Similar challenges face West Lanham Hills today and the community remains firm in its efforts to preserve its identity and its unique character.

Email us
jimgunther@msn.com

About our association

Serving the Community Since 1941

On March 11, 1941, a group of West Lanham Hills residents met to form an organization whose purpose would be to represent the interests and concerns of the community. Roads, street lights and sanitation were issues of the day.

Residing in an unincorporated area of Prince George's County and thus lacking a mayor or city council, residents of West Lanham Hills took it upon themselves to band together to give the community a strong, unified voice to represent their interests when dealing with government and private agencies. The Association was incorporated in 1945.

In the early years, many of the basic community services we take for granted today were fought for by members of the Association: better streets, reliable electrical and home-heating oil service, a public sewer system and improved public transportation. During World War II, Korea and the Cold War, residents were involved in such efforts as plane-spotting, civil defense and aid to families of military personnel serving overseas.

As the area became more developed, members of the Association participated in various decisions affecting the community, such as the construction of the New Carrollton Metro station and the surrounding transit district overlay zone, a special zoning category designed to encourage commercial development adjacent to Metro stations.

It has been a continuing tradition of the West Lanham Hills Citizens' Association, Inc., to sponsor events and activities that currently include a bus trip, dinner dance, family fun day, Christmas and Halloween parties, and similar activities. The Association also publishes and distributes a community newsletter and directory.

All services of the West Lanham Hills Citizens' Association, Inc. are provided free to residents. This is possible because residents in the past purchased parcels of land in an effort to construct a building to be used for community activities. Circumstances prevented the completion of such a structure and the parcels of land were sold. The proceeds from these sales were sufficient to generate an interest income that allows the Association to operate without the need for fund-raising activities.

In the computer age, the association uses the Internet to monitor the activities of government and private agencies that might have an effect on the community. Development issues, transportation projects and zoning matters are all areas of current concern.

Email us
jimgunther@msn.com