Georgetown, Washington - Washington, D.C. - Historic City Neighborhood Attracts Young Residents to Area with Some of the Oldest Homes

The neighborhood of Georgetown, Washington is bordered by Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW and to the South by the Potomac River. The city was founded in 1751 as part of the Maryland colony as a tobacco port, some 4 decades prior to the founding of the District of Columbia which it is now a part of. Georgetown has some of the oldest and well maintained colonial style brick residential houses in the city. In the 1960's local attention turned to Georgetown's social life which was frequented by the young Kennedys. It is here at Billy Martin's Tavern that JFK proposed to Jacquie Onassis.

More than 2 dozen restaurants and specialty food shops like bakeries and sweet shops as well as several liquor stores can be found in this neighborhood as well as the Jesuit run Georgetown University. Dozens of hair salons and some ten spas and fitness centers can also be found in here among the numerous local small businesses on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

The D.C. circulator bus and Metro buses enter Georgetown while the nearest Metrorail stop is at the edge of the neighborhood at Foggy Bottom stop near the offices of the U.S. State Department. Unlike much of the city there is fairly abundant street parking in this area.

The National Historic Landmark of the C&O Canal, completed by the Chesapeake & Ohio Company, runs through the length of this neighborhood. The canal is 185 miles in all. A footpath runs along the narrow water way.

Dumbarton Oaks Estate is here on 32nd Street; the gardens of the historic estate are open for strolling through in warm months while paintings on loan from the National Gallery are always on display in the mansion. On Fridays and Saturdays concerts are performed in the music room. Guided tours are available of the mansion and the grounds.

Near Dumbarton lies the 19th Century Oak Hill Cemetery, the last resting place for many leaders and soldiers in the Civil War era.

The Kreeger Museum is also found in Georgetown, Washington. This is a private non-profit art museum showcasing paintings and sculptures from 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes works by Miro, Picasso, Kandinsky, Monet and Van Gogh to name a few of the well known artists.

Tudor Place is another attraction to fans of art and history. The mansion, constructed by the granddaughter of Martha Washington, has a collection dating from 1750-1983. The older objects include clothing and artifacts belonging to the nation's first President.

At 3015 M Street stands the Old Stone House, the oldest standing building in all of the District of Columbia, which dates from 1765.

52% of the area residents rent their homes. More than 80% of the residents of Georgetown are U.S. born and the overwhelming majority consists of young adults. While the cost of living is high for the national average, Georgetown residents earn well above the average within the Washington D.C. city boundaries. The median age here is just under 30, nearly 5 years younger than the median age for the District of Columbia on the whole.