Neighborhoods

While Washington DC proper has less than six hundred thousand residents, the surrounding area bumps up metro DC to several million people. In our discussion of DC neighborhoods, however, we’ll start within the city limits and work our way out.

 

·        Downtown: DC tourist trips focus mostly on the downtown area, which is home to most of the major sites, including the White House, the presidential memorials, and Capitol Hill.

·        Dupont Circle: Dupont Circle is the area just north of downtown and has a reputation of being a vibrant and cultural community. Restaurants, shops, interesting architecture, and energy abound.

·        Foggy Bottom: Foggy Bottom is just south of downtown and is best known for the infamous Watergate break-in of 1972. For the most part, office buildings, such as the Department of State headquarters, dominate the area.

·        Adams-Morgan: This is a young and ethnically diverse neighborhood, and many of the young professionals coming to work for the government end up living here.

·        Georgetown: Georgetown is the most expensive area of Washington both for living and shopping. Georgetown University, which is well known in both academic and basketball communities, is in this area.

 

If you are willing to have a thirty minute commute, you can find cheaper housing and more residential communities in both Maryland and Virginia than you can in DC. On the north side of DC are Maryland communities such as Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, and College Park. Bethesda is home to the Bethesda Naval Hospital and College Park boasts the University of Maryland.

 

On the south and west side of DC are the Virginia suburbs, highlighted by Arlington and Alexandria. Historic Alexandria has a quaint Old Town as well as the homes of George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Arlington, on the other hand, is just south of the city and includes Crystal City, a popular housing spot for federal workers, and Arlington National Cemetery. Other Virginia suburbs include McLean, Tyson’s Corner, and Fairfax.