Park-like master-planned community in Bowie
HOA-maintained walking paths, community centers and tiny green spaces create a park-like setting that attracts homebuyers to Fairwood, a master-planned community just outside Bowie, Maryland. “People move here specifically because it's very quiet and suburban, and there are so many amenities,” says Floretta Davis, a Realtor with Samson Properties, who has sold several homes in the area. “There’s always people out walking their dogs, and you can easily take your kids to the pool or a playground.” Locals can eat at chain breakfast restaurants in the neighborhood shopping center and go to concerts at Fairwood Community Park. Commuters will also find a few nearby public transportation options, and Washington, D.C., is a 16-mile drive west on U.S. Route 50.
Fairwood homes sell fast
Homes built between 2005 and 2010 dot Fairwood’s sidewalk-lined streets. Colonial Revivals and New Traditional houses, typically made of red brick and vinyl, often sit on quarter-acre lots. Houses usually have four to six bedrooms and garages. Prices tend to be higher than Prince George’s County’s average $400,000 selling price. Buying here can cost between $650,000 and $1 million. Townhouses typically sell in the $450,000 to $600,000 range. Despite these higher prices, Davis says Fairwood homes sell fast. “It’s one of the quickest selling neighborhoods in the city because they’re newer builds, and everyone wants to move into a new build.” Fairwood’s CAP Index Crime Score is 1 out of 10, with 10 indicating highest crime. That’s much lower than the national average of 4.
Playgrounds, a pool and a summer concert series in Fairwood
There are monthly HOA fees in Fairwood. Single-family homeowners pay $200, while townhouse owners pay $250. These fees help maintain the neighborhood’s recreation spaces. For instance, tennis courts, a putting green and a swimming pool sit behind The Sycamore Club, the neighborhood community center on Fairwood Parkway. About 8 miles of trailway stretches under dense deciduous forests and behind neighborhood homes. As locals walk or bike along the asphalt trail, they’ll pass grassy openings with benches, like Greenfield Square off Ogles Hope Drive, and playgrounds, like the one on Bartletts Vision Drive. The path also leads to Fairwood Park, which is managed by the Prince George’s County Parks & Recreation Department. It has basketball courts, soccer fields and a rope-climbing playground, but the park is best known for the Summer Performance Series. “People from Bowie drive to Fairwood for this concert series, so it’s nice that people in Fairwood can just walk to it,” Davis says. On Sundays between June and August, locals carry picnic blankets and camping chairs to the park, where they can watch jazz, funk and R&B artists perform under the wooden concert pavilion.
Several golf courses are less than 5 miles south of Fairwood. The Country Club at Woodmore offers an 18-hole course designed by renowned golf course architect Donald Ross in 1923, while Enterprise Golf Course is another 18-hole option, though it’s public. Northwest Stadium, home of the Washington Commanders, is about 9 miles southwest.
Driving to D.C. may take a bit for Fairwood commuters
Route 50 stretches along Fairwood’s southern edge, making downtown D.C. a 16-mile drive west. Davis warns that commute length depends on the time of day. “If you leave before 8, you can get to D.C. in like 15 minutes,” she says. “But if you’re driving during peak rush hour, it may take an hour.” The neighborhood has several Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus stops, offering rides directly downtown. Interstate 495, locally known as the Capital Beltway, is 5 miles west. The Seabrook Maryland Area Rail Commuter station is 5 miles northwest. It follows the Penn Line, reaching downtown D.C. and Baltimore in about an hour. Baltimore is a 32-mile drive north on Maryland state Route 197.
Freeway Aviation is a flight training school south of the neighborhood. The nearest commercial flights are at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, 20 miles west. Dulles International Airport is about 40 miles in the same direction. The closest hospital is Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, less than 7 miles northwest.
Fairwood Elementary School will open in 2027
Children can attend Glenn Dale Elementary School and Thomas Johnson Middle School, both graded a C by Niche. They can continue to C-plus-rated DuVal High School, which offers an Aerospace & Aviation Program and other specialty programs like culinary arts, computer information systems and interactive media production. Prince George’s County Public Schools is currently building Fairwood Elementary School on Fairwood Parkway. The school is scheduled to open in 2027, providing a closer option for kids in Fairwood. The first historically Black public university in Maryland, Bowie State University, is 5 miles north, and the University of Maryland is 10 miles west.
Belair Mansion has an exhibit about its enslaved peoples
Fairwood was built on land once part of Maryland Gov. Samuel Ogle’s 18th-century tobacco plantation. About 2 miles west stands Belair Mansion, Ogle’s Georgian-style home. It’s now a historic site where visitors can tour antique furniture and walk the grounds, home to the original horse stables of two Triple Crown champions. The museum doesn’t ignore the site’s history of slavery; it features an exhibit titled “African American Slaves at Belair” that tells the stories of those who were enslaved there.
Breakfast and groceries in the Fairwood shopping center
Locals will find a Safeway grocery store and a Gold’s Gym at the shopping center on the neighborhood’s northwestern edge. There are also two breakfast eateries in the same strip. PJ’s is a New Orleans-based coffee spot known for beignets, while Milk & Honey is a regional brunch spot serving southern comfort food. “People walk to those two breakfast places in the morning. They’re super busy on weekends,” Davis says. Bowie Town Center, 4 miles east, is an outdoor mall with stores like Macy’s, Barnes & Noble and Off Broadway.
