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I often hear on these forums DC referred to by quadrant, rather than by neighborhood. After hearing so many bad things about SE I ask the question. I also understand that the NW is gentrified now, like around Howard? I figured I'd get the truth from some of the locals, as people that don't live there will tell you just about anything.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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It is not simple as far as quadrant. For Southeast, mostly West of the Anacostia River is minimal issue. In fact the part around the Marine Barracks is my personal favorite part of the city. Crossing the bridge over to the other side of the River is more complicated. I have friends who live near 29th and Pennsylvania who can’t say enough nice things about all the change that is happening there. Branch Ave SE has gotten some positive reviews. Hillcrest has a solid reputation.
Spots like along MLK Ave and Malcolm X Ave are still a little rough. Disclaimer; I drove for Lyft and this is only a visual analysis of my stops there.
SE Navy Yard, Capitol Hill no problem and border of NW/SW, no problem.
But Southwest Southwest, Eastern East DC, Northeastern NE DC are dangerous places to me. I’d definitely go and check it out. I was nervous of certain parts of DC based on the interwebz that panned out not to be true. Some places I read were gentrified didn’t feel nearly gentrified enough and I ended up in an area I felt very dangerous. Check it out beforehand if you’re buying or renting. Some places unfairly have a bad rap, some places are overselling how it has gentrified and safe.
I also found some liberals (I myself am very liberal) who have those rosy vision of ghetto and downplay how dangerous they can be, the lack of opportunity, the lack of safety or upward mobility these struggling communities are. So they like to gloss over some areas are pure crap holes and no one would choose to stay if they didn’t have to. I’ve never in my life heard anyone prefer to stay in a Favela or a ghetto. I have Heard people admire where they came from, the community around them and fight for a better future. But that’s different than “oh, ignore the articles of people being shot up, low upward mobility, etc”
SE as a whole isn't a good area. However, some areas are going through gentrification. Navy Yard is a desirable area nowadays and Anacostia is going through gentrification now as well.
The Hillcrest and East Washington Heights neighborhoods of older single-family homes along Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. appear very attractive (for example, they have a garden club). Take a look at Westover Drive, S.E....You can buy a stately, stone house there with a large, manicured yard, for a fraction of what the same home would cost, say, in Chevy Chase, upper Northwest, or North Arlington.
The downside is, that Hillcrest is a relatively small area within an overall very poor school district, with few shopping or services,
and is surrounded by poor people in all directions a short distance away.
Central historic Anacostia has seen some progress with the recent opening of a few sit-down restaurants, a Busboys and Poets cafe', a small art gallery, etc...... Until a few years ago, the entire Southeast area east of the Anacostia River (home to between and 150,000 and 200,000 people) hadn't a single full-service restaurant, movie theater, or bookstore, and only a handful of banks and supermarkets. A large, badly-needed organic grocery opened several years ago in the Fairlawn section of Pennsylvania Ave. several years ago, then closed due to lack of business.
The very farthest south (Congress Heights, Bellevue, and Washington Highlands) and very farthest east (Marshall Heights) sections of D.C. remain very poor in every respect, with overall few services, and little shopping. "The ARC" tennis and learning center on Mississippi Avenue -- and Trinity University's outreach campus in Anacostia -- are positive changes.
Last edited by slowlane3; 05-28-2019 at 07:33 AM..
It is not simple as far as quadrant. For Southeast, mostly West of the Anacostia River is minimal issue. In fact the part around the Marine Barracks is my personal favorite part of the city. Crossing the bridge over to the other side of the River is more complicated. I have friends who live near 29th and Pennsylvania who can’t say enough nice things about all the change that is happening there. Branch Ave SE has gotten some positive reviews. Hillcrest has a solid reputation.
Spots like along MLK Ave and Malcolm X Ave are still a little rough. Disclaimer; I drove for Lyft and this is only a visual analysis of my stops there.
This. "Near Southeast" (IE west of the Anacostia) is one of the most gentrified areas in the region (though with some blocks a tad different). Whether its renovated THs on the Hill, or the new midrise mixed use in Navy Yard area.
Southeast east of the Anacostia is different. It DOES have some traditionally stable AA areas (which now attract some other people looking for good deals and not needing to be walking distance to urban amenities, I think) and the historic Anacostia area which has a few of those urban amenities - but also some of the poorest and most challenged areas in DC.
I just saw an article about the numbers of shootings over the long holiday weekend. All of them happened at SE addresses from what I could see...just saying.
The quadrant system is of course not perfect, theres parts of NW that aren’t gentrified or plain rich and theres areas of SE that arent the hood, but theres a reason people use it..its a rule of thumb thing.
Put it like this, SE east of the river had 78 murders with about 150k. That's similar to Jackson, Mississippi or a smaller Baltimore.
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