Beltsville's rich history dates back to 1649, when the land was part of an 80,000 acre land grant given to Richard Snowden I by Lord Baltimore of England. As the Federal Government grew, in 1910 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began to purchase land in Beltsville for its Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the main in-house research arm of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Beltsville continues to thrive into the 21st century because of its location on the Rt. 1 corridor, just north of the University of Maryland flagship campus in College Park and near the Washington Beltway, (I-495). The area is very diverse, with churches of all denominations, schools, activity centers for both children and adults, and civic organizations. This area is one of the more affodable ones for homebuyers in the D.C. area, with many smaller single-family homes built in the 50's, 60's and 70's.