History

New Carrollton is built on the former estate of a horse racing figure, Edward L. Mahoney. After Mahoney's death in 1957, the land was acquired by developer Albert W. Turner, who sought to create a planned suburb. He had received a charter for a City of Carrollton from the Maryland General Assembly four years earlier, on April 11, 1953.

Carrollton was named after early Maryland settler Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a delegate to the Continental Congress and signatory of the Declaration of Independence. As two other Maryland communities were also named Carrollton, a voter referendum on May 2, 1966, approved the renaming of the community to New Carrollton.

By car

The most prominent highway serving New Carrollton is Interstate 95/Interstate 495 (the Capital Beltway). I-495 follows the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C., providing access to its many other suburbs. I-95 only follows the eastern portion of the beltway, diverging away from the beltway near both its north and south sides. To the north, I-95 passes through Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston on its way to Canada, while to the south, it traverses Richmond on its way to Florida. Direct access to New Carrollton is via Maryland Route 450. Maryland Route 410 and Maryland Route 433 also serve New Carrollton.

By public transportation

The New Carrollton station is located just outside the city limits to the south. It is the first Amtrak station on the Northeast Corridor that is north of Washington Union Station. It is also served by the Penn Line of the MARC commuter rail service. The adjacent New Carrollton station of the Washington Metro is the eastern terminus of the Orange Line.