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I'm sure you guys never get these kinds of threads. But new to DC. Staying in temporary housing in Columbia Heights. I kinda dig the area. Its not too far from downtown, and it seems to be integrated. Plus there is an Empanada Restaurant right behind me.
My question? Does anyone know anything about this area, pros and cons beneath the surface. Is it overpriced, etc.
Thanks.
Maybe I'm changing, but the Target and Best Buy are attractive. Plus the Giant Foods off of 14th. Any thoughts????
It's an area that has seen some bad times but is coming into its own at the right time. I think if you can get something in CH right now, the sky's the limit to what the future may hold. The area is quickly gentrifying, however there is still some crime. I think it will be the next "it" spot in DC.
That's what they told me about Brookland eight years ago, damnit!
Seriously, Col. Heights should be fine for you seeing as you already dig it.
Below the surface, there is a crime problem. I've especially noticed that it leads all other neighborhoods in "unruly, disrespectful, potentially violent youths," but whatever.
Columbia Heights is one of the most fascinating neighborhoods in the city. Its story is sort of a microcosm of the growth, decline and resurgence of the District itself over the past few generations. As such it reflects many of those dynamics in one place. It's not really just a "good" or "bad" neighborhood but rather one with several continuing stories going on at once in one place.
Columbia Heights is an up and coming area that's had a ton of money invested into it of late. It's a relative newcomer to the list of the "hot" neighborhoods in D.C. and along with the Shaw neighborhood directly to the south it's probably seen the greatest economic, cultural and social Renaissance of any area in the city over the last 10 years. The green line metro extension really jump-started development in the area and the neighborhood was a beneficiary of increasing property values throughout the city. In terms of change and development it's probably one of the most exciting areas in town.
However, not all is rosy. Beneath the surface there is still the reality that the area was not too long ago one of the worst crime areas of the city and gangs are still in the area and crime is still sporadic around there even today. This neighborhood, along with Shaw, used to be a middle-class black area until World War II but rapidly declined soon thereafter and was one of the areas worst hit by the 1968 riots. For decades afterwards it was littered with vacant, drug and prostitute-littered lots. Later on the crack epidemic of the 1980's and early '90s poured lots of salt on that wound. Around that time working-class Latino residents from Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant who were getting pushed out by the higher rents there started moving in and establishing themselves in areas directly east like Columbia Heights and later Petworth (that's reflected in many of the businesses you still see). Until about 10 years ago the area was predominantly African-American with an emerging Latino presence.
During Mayor Anthony Williams' administration there was a great emphasis on opening up more neighborhoods to new development outside of just the traditional ones like Chevy Chase and Georgetown. With the city's finances stabilizing in the late '90s and the local economy taking off the neighborhoods in and around Downtown started attracting better residential and commercial development. The administration established the National Capital Revitalization Corporation (NCRC) to direct investment into areas like U Street, 14th Street, and Columbia Heights. They worked with community groups like the Development Corporation of Columbia Heights to bring in new businesses and developers. There were several new projects that included condos, apartments, moving the Giants store to a newer facility, restoring the old Tivoli Theatre, built the facility for the Dance Institute of Washington and brought the massive DC USA project with the Target and other stores which finally opened up this spring.
Though the area has been cleaned up greatly the area still reflects its troubled past. There are a lot of pressures associated with "gentrification" or the movement of new wealthier, mostly white residents coming into an area long dominated by lower middle-class African-American and Latino residents. With the softening economy and real estate market those pressures have become more pronounced.
I would say Columbia Heights is a really cool area to live in and explore right now, especially while you're young. However, I would keep an eye and be wary about staying long-term. Despite all the shiny new stores it's still very much a "transitioning" neighborhood and at the moment the momentum for more development seems to be starting to run out.
Here are some good links if you want to get some more information on Columbia Heights and the state of its development.
Great feedback. I sensed there was more to the neighborhood than met the eye. It reminds me of whats going on in Harlem. As a matter of fact, that's exactly the same feel I get without the African stores, and preeminent black culture/social icons.
I noticed some pretty high profile residential projects up, like Highland Park. With its promise of "coming soon" high-brow restaurants on the ground level, I can see the vivid contrast with that and the homeless shelter next door.
A 1BR there starts at 1800, and I thought that to be a bit pricey. I don't know, I'll keep my eye on it. I'm new, so I'm sure there are other nice neighborhoods I haven't discovered yet.
Yeah, Harlem and its development would be a pretty good parallel in some ways to Columbia Heights. In fact, DC USA's developers were the same ones who worked on the Harlem USA project in Harlem. The only noticeable difference might be that D.C.'s neighborhoods aren't quite as ethnically delineated as some neighborhoods in New York and other older Northeastern and Midwestern cities. However, similar to Harlem the neighborhoods of U Street, Shaw, and Columbia Heights used to be known as the "black Broadway" back in the pre-World War II era.
I'd be a bit wary of real estate ads that promise high-brow restaurants and other development "coming soon" to transitioning neighborhoods. The economic and real estate climate right now is getting soft and developers might be trying to cash in on the great momentum of the past 5-10 years. Many of the fancy projects left to be built now in the city were drawn up a few years ago.
In terms of transitioning but up and coming neighborhoods in the city that are still (somewhat) affordably priced I'd look at the area around H Street Northeast, Brookland, Shepherd Park, Navy Yard, NOMA, Petworth and LeDroit Park.
I think Mikeyo has given some really good advice. My only difference would be that, in the long term (5+ years), I'd still be quite optimistic about the prospects for neighborhoods like Columbia Heights. Gas isn't getting cheaper, Northern Virginia's transportation system is crashing, and gangs are popping up in the suburbs. You can overstate all of this of course, but there's long-term pressure to live close to downtown which will not fade away.
Columbia Heights has always seemed more amorphous to me than other neighbhorhoods. Maybe there's just more abuse of the name by real estate agents, but I can't figure out where it ends and where other areas begin. It also seems a little overpriced, considering crime and amenities.
Though it's less convenient to the rest of the city, the H St. area seems nicer to me and it's cheaper. "Seems nicer" isn't that helpful, I know.
The Columbia Heights neighborhood boundaries are Florida Avenue to the south, 16th Street to the west, Spring Road to the north and Sherman Avenue to the east.
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