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the only exception in the entire city to the west of 16th and south of Mass Ave rule would be Logan, if you're north of Mass east of 16th, but still west of 11th and south of U, you're in an area that has been homicide free this year
One barometer to use is the presence of chain retailers. The chains won't come to a neighborhood until the income is high enough and the risk of theft/violence is low enough to make it economically worthwhile. CVS is often the first such chain to come into a newly gentrified neighborhood. Then the grocery stores start rolling in. If and when a Starbucks shows up, you know that the area is generally accepted as safe. In terms of local businesses, the yuppies are firmly entrenched when boutique coffee houses, vegan food options, and wine bars begin to open.
It's a bit surprising just how few Starbuckses there are in NE DC even now.
That is, unless you live in Eckington, Brookland or Michigan Park. There are exceptions to every rule.
difference too if you're looking at home price appreciation and not just current crime levels, prices are rising even in Trinidad, so if you move in next to the McSketchersons on Bladensburg Rd NE, you could be making a good investment
In the 1980s and for part of the 90s, few middle class and affluent folks had any need to travel outside of a small part of northwest DC. Even parts of the downtown business core were very sketchy. The rule was to stick to tourist destinations on the Mall, the "Golden Triangle" business district, and tony parts of Northwest like Georgetown and Cathedral Heights.
In the late 1990s, urban revitalization started to hit neighborhoods east of the traditional dividing lines. A Whole Foods even opened up east of 16th St. (I believe it was the first WF within the District.) With the real estate boom earlier this decade, a lot of no-go areas became very popular. The trouble for a newcomer is that some newly safer areas have sprung up like islands or as peninsulas growing out of popular areas. As a nearly life-long resident of DC, it's a challenge for me to come up with a "rule" for safe areas of DC. I have met young, educated professionals who choose to live in areas of DC that would be "no-go" based on the analysis given in this thread.
Generally speaking, however, always stay west of the Anacostia River. There are some cute homes and developing neighborhoods east of the river, but you really want to know what you're doing before you move over there. In real estate listings Capitol Hill has come to mean a very, very large area of land. Pennsylvania Avenue used to be a dividing line that one would not travel south of. Also, few people would venture east of about 10th St. SE. Now, anything near Barracks Row is fine. It wouldn't be my first choice, but the Ballpark/Navy Yard area has also become popular. (It used to be strip clubs, nightclubs, and warehouse buildings just a few years ago.) On the north side of Capitol Hill, 30-somethings seem to be flocking to the area near H Street. Some blocks there are great, others sketchier. It's best to go walk the neighborhood yourself to see how it feels to you. Brookland, Ledroit Park, and Bloomingdale area other transitioning areas in the north central part of DC that some folks really like.
One barometer to use is the presence of chain retailers. The chains won't come to a neighborhood until the income is high enough and the risk of theft/violence is low enough to make it economically worthwhile. CVS is often the first such chain to come into a newly gentrified neighborhood. Then the grocery stores start rolling in. If and when a Starbucks shows up, you know that the area is generally accepted as safe. In terms of local businesses, the yuppies are firmly entrenched when boutique coffee houses, vegan food options, and wine bars begin to open.
H street needs a damn CVS. We already have the boutique coffee houses and wine bars! I'm sure there's a vegan restaurant in there somewhere... glad there's no starbucks tho.
H street needs a damn CVS. We already have the boutique coffee houses and wine bars! I'm sure there's a vegan restaurant in there somewhere... glad there's no starbucks tho.
I thought there was a Rite Aid at 8th and H?
and a CVS at Bladensburg Road at Heichinger Mall?
The Rite Aid is ok, but its pretty run down. Also, I just dig CVS. They have Arizona Tea Arnold Palmer's. Also, the one near Hechinger Mall isn't really near the center of the neighborhood, and actually getting to it involves walking over a number of hellishly large roads... not really my idea of a good time.
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