Barbara Pejokovich raised two children in Cheverly who, as teenagers are prone to do, swore they couldn’t wait until they grew up and moved on. But something about the small hamlet in Prince George’s County, right across the Washington line, draws people back.
“Both of my children married and bought homes in Cheverly,” said Pejokovich, who has lived there for 44 years. “They are still friends with the kids they went to grammar school with. It’s something you don’t find too often.”
Nestled between the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Route 50, Cheverly is a town of about 6,500 residents. The 1.27-square-mile city was founded in 1918 by Robert Marshall, an Ohio investor and stockbroker. He came to the area during World War I with a vision of creating a restricted, carefully planned residential community, convenient to the city by rail and road but retaining the beauty of its natural surroundings. According to the town’s Web site, Marshall tried to save as many trees as possible and designed its streets to follow the rolling contours of the land.
January 2010 Average sold price for homes sold in ZIP code 20785: $136,468
Average list price for homes sold in ZIP code 20785: $152,773
Average days on market for homes sold: 83
January 2009 Average sold price for homes sold in ZIP code 20785: $209,236
Average list price for homes sold in ZIP code 20785: $251,162
Average days on market for homes sold: 253
Top reasons to live in Cheverly
Location Cheverly is served by a Metro station and sits between Routes 295 and 50. “If anybody wants a good location in this area, you can get into D.C. on Metro very fast or you can drive downtown,” said longtime resident Barbara Pejokovich. “You can get to Baltimore very quickly. You can get to so many areas so fast because you have major roads close.”
Community With about 6,500 residents, often it can feel like most people in Cheverly know one another. Neighbors look out for each other and seem to genuinely care about their friends.
Services Because it’s incorporated, Cheverly has its own police force and public works department, which means residents get a high level of service.
Cheverly incorporated in 1931 and since then has been home to people who take pride in their town.
“It’s a quiet community with an old-time feel,” said David Warrington, the town administrator. “The houses are fairly affordable, and people like the convenience.”
The Cheverly Metro stop, on the Orange Line, is a drawing card for many, as is the town’s location close to the District and its major arteries. Seventy-five percent of its housing stock is single-family homes, while the rest are multiunit dwellings.
The heart of town is Legion Park and the Cheverly Community Center, which houses the town offices, including the police and public works departments, and a full-size basketball gymnasium. The mayor and town council are elected, but are not full-time positions. Classes for children, including karate, also are held at the center.
Cheverly is proud of its past. A display case in the city building lobby holds aging copies of the old town newspaper, The Citizen, a Cheverly Citizens Association newsletter and a Cheverly Women’s Club program book.
Outside the community center is a park with tennis courts, a handball wall, a playground and a pavilion that often hosts picnics. There is also a swimming pool in town.
“There are lots of sports and activities for the children,” Pejokovich said. “It helps to develop camaraderie with all your neighbors.”
Each year the town puts on Cheverly Day, a celebration compete with music, food and activities for the kids. This year it’s scheduled for May 22. Every five years, the festivities include a parade, and they always conclude with fireworks.
There’s only one major section of retail, which features a Giant Food store and Kentucky Fried Chicken. But other Prince George’s shopping spots are close by.
“It’s a very neighborhood-type of community,” Pejokovich said. “You go to functions and people know one another. It has a wonderful small-town feel.”
That’s a sentiment with which most Cheverly residents, including children, no doubt agree.
