There’s a rule of thumb that people won’t walk more than a half mile to a transit station.

It’s a handy way to gauge how many people might live or work in the area around a given stop, so we thought we’d see how it applies to the Prince George’s Plaza Metro stop in Hyattsville.

(Real estate agents usually describe it as “Steps to Metro,” mainly to avoid the phrase “walking distance” out of concern it might be considered discriminatory language.)

We created this map to take a closer look. Here’s what we found:

• Housing: Apartments: Mosaic at Metro, Post Park, 3350 at Alterra, Toledo Plaza, Belcrest Plaza. Condos: One Independence Plaza, Plaza Lofts 22. Student housing: Towers at University Town Center. Assisted living: Independence Court, Sacred Heart Home.

• Retail: The Mall at Prince Georges (Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Target, Old Navy, Marshall’s, Ross, etc.), Giant supermarket, upcoming Safeway and beer/wine store at University Town Center, Home Depot, Staples, L.A. Fitness.

• Entertainment/Dining: Regal Cinemas, Carolina Kitchen, Hanks Tavern and Eats, Old Dominion Brewhouse, Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Five Guys, Qdoba, Golden House, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts.

• Other: Hyattsville Public Library, Prince George’s Plaza Community Center, Prince George’s Community College extension, Zipcar station.

Overall, the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station has a pretty good mix of options within walking distance, although in practice many of those places are designed more around cars. (We doubt many people take the Metro and then walk to Outback.)

Still, a lot of the area is underutilized from a transit perspective, another reason why the new Safeway and 3350 at Alterra developments are important.