The Neighborhoods
Washington DC is a city of vibrant urban neighborhoods, each having its own particular rhythm. Here are a few of Dare's favorites.
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An engaged community infused with history.
The neighborhood began over two hundred years ago at the same time as Washington DC, and was the first place to house members of Congress and their families. Today it’s one large historic district, filled with people experiencing the nation’s capital for the first time. And from Pennsylvania Avenue to Eastern Market and Barrack’s Row, Capitol Hill’s shops, restaurants and cafes continue to charm locals and visitors alike.
Historic heritage meets urban renewal.
Shaw was mostly developed in the early 1900s with urban residential streets and bustling commercial districts, side by side. It was the home to cultural luminaries before the Harlem Renaissance and has held on to that proud heritage despite economic decline in the 1980s. Today’s Washington residents are experiencing a renaissance of their own here thanks to Shaw’s combination of historic and modern homes alongside revitalized retail, trendy restaurants, and pulsing nightlife.
An elegant and artistic haven.
Dupont Circle was developed during the Gilded Age as a home for Washington’s elite and moneyed class. Stately mansions built around the elegant circle and along Massachusetts Avenue were showpieces for many of the nation’s wealthiest industrialists, earning the stretch the nickname “Millionaires Row.” It became Embassy Row after the stock market crash emptied the mansions and foreign governments moved in. The neighborhood next became a center of the city’s bohemian and alternative scene, and it still knows how to let its hair down today with a mix of popular galleries, restaurants, bars, and clubs.
A commercial and residential hub restored.
The Logan Circle neighborhood started as Civil War-era encampments and was developed in earnest during the exuberant post-war period. Grand row homes and mansions sprung up around the new Circle, and 14th Street later developed as a major commercial corridor known for its new auto showrooms. After a period of economic decline, Logan Circle has bounced back at a breathtaking pace, and today it’s one of the city’s most desirable and vibrant neighborhoods.
The center of DC nightlife and culture.
Known as Washington’s cultural center at the turn of the century, U Street has long been a backbone of the city’s homegrown jazz, arts, and civil rights movements. Once bearing the scars of riots and protests, today it has regained its rightful place as the street to showcase DC’s vibrant cultural life, from music and food to activism and art.
A charming village and exclusive enclave for the toniest of Washingtonians.
Georgetown was founded more than fifty years before Washington, DC as a tiny port town in what was then the colony of Maryland. Although it was later absorbed into the federal District, it has always maintained its own sense of individuality with a strong community. In more recent times, this fashionable neighborhood on the Potomac has become world-renowned in culture and film. Yet for the people who live here, it’s an enchanting place they call home.
Space, tranquility and transportation just east of the Hill.
Due east from the Capitol Hill historic district, but west of the Anacostia River, the neighborhood known as "Hill East" provides slightly lower housing prices compared to Capitol Hill. Living is easy here - it's a bit quieter but still very metro accessible along the blue and orange lines - and encompasses Potomac Avenue and Stadium Armory metro stops. Hill East is seeing a burst of development along Pennsylvania Avenue with many more shops and cafes in the pipeline for immediate future.
Great value and a beautiful new community center right off the streetcar line.
The Kingman Park/Rosedale neighborhood is just beyond H Street/Atlas District and south of Trinidad. This neighborhood is filled with small charming houses on quaint narrow neighborly blocks. It's centered around the Rosedale Recreation Center , which is just a few years old, and has a new library, community center, swimmming pool and playground.
Convenient to H St/Atlas District Without the Prices!
The Trinidad neighborhood is situated north of the eastern end of H Street and just east of the beautiful Gallaudet University campus and Union Market. There has been a lot of recent residential development here ... the neighborhood is filled with a mix of newly and recently renovated houses and condos.