Hilly homes bordering the District
Coral Hills is an incorporated community south of the larger metro community of Capitol Heights, Maryland. The neighborhood sits on the Maryland-D.C. border, the road Southern Avenue SE. Residents here have Brooke Road Recreation Center, John Howard Community Center and Oakcrest Community Center for places to play or attend fitness classes. Coral Hills is anchored by a handful of generational local restaurants and a modest shopping center for general grocery or retail needs. “The property values are moderately priced compared to other areas in Prince George’s County, so it’s an affordable community,” says Floretta Davis, a Coral Hills local and Realtor with Samson Properties, “the property taxes are lower than other areas here as well.”
Homes from the '30s through the 2000s
Home values in Coral Hills range from $250,000 to $525,000, varying by age, square footage and remodel status. “Coral Hills is a very established neighborhood with older homes; a lot of them [are] being purchased and rehabbed by local investors and resold,” says Davis, “It’s also how a lot of people start their homeowning journeys.” There are cottages, brick townhouses and ranch-style homes dating as far back as the late 1930s, while new millennium builds are also available. Davis mentions that the neighborhood’s hilly, elevated terrain may mean some folks might have inclined front yards with steps leading to the stoop. Streets are grid-patterned and tend to slope up or down with the landscape. Since Coral Hills is part of the greater Capitol Heights area, it falls under Prince George's County's Enterprise Zone, an area with state income and property tax credits to incentivize new businesses and health centers to come to town. This results in lower property taxes compared to other neighborhoods in the county.
Barbecue at Johnny Boy Carryout
Residents can head to Coral Hills Shopping Center and get groceries at Shoppers or pick up prescriptions from the CVS across Marlboro Boulevard. Along Southern Avenue is White Corner Restaurant, a mom-and-pop spot serving homestyle breakfast dishes and coffee. Further down the street is Johnny Boy Carryout, a barbecue joint that serves ribs, smoked chicken, and pulled pork sandwiches from a no-frills diner with bright neon yellow signage and interior décor. The restaurant is an institution that has been in the community since 1961. For a more comprehensive selection of brand-name retailers, Coral Hills residents can drive less than 4 miles east to Centre at Forestville, sometimes locally called the Forestville Mall, to shop at Target and JCPenney or grab a snickerdoodle cookie from Heaven’s Bakery.
Oakcrest Community Center for local recreation
Coral Hills residents can exercise at Oakcrest Community Center, a public facility which has baseball diamonds, an indoor multipurpose room and gym, and basketball and tennis courts. The center also offers fitness classes for all ages and creative writing courses. Brooke Road Recreation Center sits a few blocks north and has a neon-colored playground in a tree-dotted field for kids. Further south are John Eager Howard Community Center’s pickleball courts, picnic tables and courses in digital photography and career readiness, offering tips and tricks to folks navigating the job market.
Capitol Heights area county investment
Davis says the neighborhood isn’t usually the place to go for retail, saying, “Coral Hills is very small. It’s a place you call home. People go to work, and they come home here.” Capitol Heights is less than a mile north of Coral Hills and is primed for redevelopment, after several malls have closed in the area over the last couple decades. County officials hope to bring new retail centers along the Blue Line metro corridor, just a mile from Coral Hills. The county also plans to create affordable housing options to prevent economic displacement. Several churches are also within Coral Hills, as Davis says, “[There are] big ministries in Coral Hills that give back to the community.” Grace Bible Fellowship hosts a summer 3-on-3 basketball tournament. There’s also Saint James Baptist Church, Bethany AME Church, and Grace Church of the Nazarene.
Prince George's County Schools facing renovation
Students can attend Bradbury Heights Elementary and Suitland High, both with C-minus overall Niche ratings, and Drew-Freeman Middle, also rated a C-minus. The public William H. Hall Academy, a school teaching kindergarten through 8th-grade students, rests within Coral Hills on the Oakcrest Community Center campus. Suitland High School is getting a completely new building, with a $335 million construction project set to be finished by 2026. The new campus will be around 344,000 square feet and will host the school’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts and Career Technical Education programs.
Residents take the Blue Line metro or drive to D.C.
Part of Coral Hills’ appeal is that it is an outlying metro community. “It’s conveniently located by car or metro to the District and a lot of Downtown museums,” says Davis. The Capitol Heights metro station is less than 2 miles north of home, allowing Blue and Silver Line access through Prince George’s County, Downtown D.C. and northern Virginia. Locals can catch a Washington Commanders game or a concert at FedEx Field, less than 6 miles east. Commuters can also drive along Massachusetts Avenue and take the Philip Sousa Bridge to reach employers downtown in 8 miles.
