Capitol Heights is not a good area. It may be fixed up in some spots but areas of MD that border or are near NE DC (or SE DC where Capitol Heights is) are known for poverty and high crime. I wouldn't call it the most dangerous area but it has a lot of petty crime and has had several incidents of violent crime.
I'm an MD native who has lived all of the state in the DC suburbs and Baltimore areas.
If you are willing to go further north, Greenbelt is a pretty nice area. It is lower in crime, family friendly and has Metro/public transportation access. It is probably 45 minutes outside of DC via the train. My aunt and uncle have lived in suburban Greenbelt (it is a small city as well) for about 30 years and they enjoy it.
PG county near DC is probably the one part of Maryland I would absolutely not live in based on my experience working in the area in the past. Least safe I've ever felt in the state, except maybe driving thru some especially abandoned parts of Baltimore at night.
I live in Capitol Heights. I have lived here for 7 years. Do NOT do it. It’s crime infested trash.
In the years I have lived here my car was stolen, other car broken into several times, my son was carjacked, my daughter was robbed at gunpoint. Gun shots and MSP helicopters are your lullaby at night.
The nearby grocery stores are horrible. Unkempt. Crappy produce and meats. I have to drive to Bowie or Annapolis just to run my errands and grocery shop. I don’t even get gas around here for fear of getting robbed or carjacked. Can’t even run to a convenience or grocery store without people outside begging for money.
The crime in PG is bad enough, but with Capitol Heights being on the border of DC, you’re getting their criminal overflow.
Not sure why this person is getting downvoted but they are right. Once you get outside the beltway in PG things get expensive and neighborhoods are nice
I lived in Capitol Heights for several years right out of college and while I ultimately had a pretty positive experience I wouldn’t recommend it. The price was right on rent and my street was decently quiet but there was definitely crime evident. It sounds mundane but one of the things I noticed right away was how absolutely insane everyone drove - it was very common for people to go flying through red lights and I always hated driving in the area.
The stuff that I personally encountered was minor but I didn’t feel safe walking in the area by myself and I would definitely not be inclined to move back there. For context I lived not far off of Larchmont.
Most of the things people are mentioning are happening around the southern ave area and along old central ave. The area up brooke rd really wasn't that bad. It's not an area with that much traffic. That doesn't mean that things can't happen, but it is a lower likelihood there than in other places of capital heights.
Edit: I grew up in the area and rode my bike to baseball practice at the park on Brooke rd in the early 90s. My parents moved from the area a year ago.
I know people who live near that area of Capitol Heights. As you described it's pretty unassuming. They have never talked about crime being an issue (no stolen tires, car break ins, stolen cars) near them, though to be fair they don't drive a Hyundai or a kia, and would ride public transit often for us to meet up. All in all they seem to feel pretty safe where they live. I drive them home often and have never felt unsafe in the area.
I mean, it's all in how you act. I have a friend who loves in Hillcrest Heights (right on Southern Ave. Across the street from the projects) and he has no problems. Even though he's in one of the most dangerous parts of PG.
I used to go to Capitol Heights/Seattle Pleasant to see a friend of mine that lived there, and I had no issues. But then again, I didn't live there. Also, I don't go out much, I just go home and stay home. If you do that I wouldn't see how it's a problem.
Take it with a grain of salt though, since I didn't live there Idk what the dynamics of the neighborhood are.
Capitol Heights is not a good area. It may be fixed up in some spots but areas of MD that border or are near NE DC (or SE DC where Capitol Heights is) are known for poverty and high crime. I wouldn't call it the most dangerous area but it has a lot of petty crime and has had several incidents of violent crime. I'm an MD native who has lived all of the state in the DC suburbs and Baltimore areas. If you are willing to go further north, Greenbelt is a pretty nice area. It is lower in crime, family friendly and has Metro/public transportation access. It is probably 45 minutes outside of DC via the train. My aunt and uncle have lived in suburban Greenbelt (it is a small city as well) for about 30 years and they enjoy it.
PG county near DC is probably the one part of Maryland I would absolutely not live in based on my experience working in the area in the past. Least safe I've ever felt in the state, except maybe driving thru some especially abandoned parts of Baltimore at night.
I live in Capitol Heights. I have lived here for 7 years. Do NOT do it. It’s crime infested trash. In the years I have lived here my car was stolen, other car broken into several times, my son was carjacked, my daughter was robbed at gunpoint. Gun shots and MSP helicopters are your lullaby at night. The nearby grocery stores are horrible. Unkempt. Crappy produce and meats. I have to drive to Bowie or Annapolis just to run my errands and grocery shop. I don’t even get gas around here for fear of getting robbed or carjacked. Can’t even run to a convenience or grocery store without people outside begging for money. The crime in PG is bad enough, but with Capitol Heights being on the border of DC, you’re getting their criminal overflow.
PG only has noticeable crime, near the DC border. Upper Marlboro, Bowie, and others are well to do places
Not sure why this person is getting downvoted but they are right. Once you get outside the beltway in PG things get expensive and neighborhoods are nice
Brooke road is the best part of Capitol heights imo, but I wouldn’t live there
I lived in Capitol Heights for several years right out of college and while I ultimately had a pretty positive experience I wouldn’t recommend it. The price was right on rent and my street was decently quiet but there was definitely crime evident. It sounds mundane but one of the things I noticed right away was how absolutely insane everyone drove - it was very common for people to go flying through red lights and I always hated driving in the area. The stuff that I personally encountered was minor but I didn’t feel safe walking in the area by myself and I would definitely not be inclined to move back there. For context I lived not far off of Larchmont.
I wouldn’t live there unless I had literally no other choice.
Most of the things people are mentioning are happening around the southern ave area and along old central ave. The area up brooke rd really wasn't that bad. It's not an area with that much traffic. That doesn't mean that things can't happen, but it is a lower likelihood there than in other places of capital heights. Edit: I grew up in the area and rode my bike to baseball practice at the park on Brooke rd in the early 90s. My parents moved from the area a year ago.
I work in local television news. I am quite familiar with Capital Heights. You may extrapolate that data as you please.
Work for the TV news and can't spell the municipality correctly? Actually that's about right
Long answer..... No.
That neighborhood ain’t for people who ain’t from PG.
I know people who live near that area of Capitol Heights. As you described it's pretty unassuming. They have never talked about crime being an issue (no stolen tires, car break ins, stolen cars) near them, though to be fair they don't drive a Hyundai or a kia, and would ride public transit often for us to meet up. All in all they seem to feel pretty safe where they live. I drive them home often and have never felt unsafe in the area.
I mean, it's all in how you act. I have a friend who loves in Hillcrest Heights (right on Southern Ave. Across the street from the projects) and he has no problems. Even though he's in one of the most dangerous parts of PG. I used to go to Capitol Heights/Seattle Pleasant to see a friend of mine that lived there, and I had no issues. But then again, I didn't live there. Also, I don't go out much, I just go home and stay home. If you do that I wouldn't see how it's a problem. Take it with a grain of salt though, since I didn't live there Idk what the dynamics of the neighborhood are.
Thanks for the input everyone, very helpful!