Georgetown
College Students
So Georgetown is the most obvious starting point for the collegiates to check out. Tons of nightlife, centrally located to activities, and even the Potomac River if you’re feeling like getting out on the river and doing some paddling. The downside? It’s freaking pricey. If you’re looking to be closer to George Washington U then check out Dupont Circle or West End. Both have tons of bars and restaurants, cheaper housing than Georgetown, and are less than a mile from GWU. The city has a lot of different neighborhoods that are less than or just over a mile from the big campuses but these are some of the biggies.
- Georgetown
- Dupont Circle
- West End
- Foggy Bottom
Adams Morgan
Young Professionals
D.C. neighborhoods have gone through more changes than perhaps any city in the country outside of Brooklyn. Gentrification, the good and the bad of that trend, have brought wealthy young professionals into neighborhoods long dominated by working class communities of color. Adams Morgan is kind of the poster child for this type of change and it remains one of the cities most jumping neighborhoods. The main commercial corridor is 18th Street, which is lined with restaurants, bars and music venues. The weekend nightlife here is not kidding around. There are also tons of classic rowhouses and apartment buildings for those who don’t need a ton of room but want the emphasis on good walkscore social opportunities.
The newest “Adams Morgans” to receive the growth experience are the U Street Corridor or Columbia Heights. As with Adams Morgan they have lively social scenes and plenty of new and classic housing for the youngsters.
- Adams Morgan
- U Street Corridor
- Columbia Heights
- Petworth (https://www.popville.com/)
Dupont Circle
LGBTQ+
Dupont Circle is the historical LGBTQ+ neighborhood in D.C. It still has a good mix of bars, restaurants, and other businesses supporting the community on 17th Street. It is also the meeting point each June for Capital Pride, an annual GLBT pride festival that bills itself as the nation’s fourth-largest event of its kind. More recently though Logan Circle has emerged as the most popular neighborhood with some of the city's best LGBTQ+ bars and nightlife.
Glover Park
Young Families
Glover Park is one of the fastest growing family neighborhoods in the city. It’s a short walk to Georgetown for city experiences but also has great homes, a booming food scene, tons of baseball/softballs fields, incredible community support systems and perhaps most importantly, the highest rated elementary school in the city (Stoddert Elementary). The Palisades is another great option. It’s extremely quiet filled with single-family homes with tons of community activities, and has some of the top ranked elementary, middle and high schools in the city.
- Glover Park
- The Palisades
- Friendship Heights
Chevy Chase
Established Families
There is no neighborhood in D.C. more “famous” than Georgetown. It’s beautiful, expensive and has some of the best elementary and secondary schools in the city, many of which have academic ties to Georgetown University and George Washington University. The row houses aren’t big by suburban standards but if you can cough up the coin, Georgetown offers an amazing experience for the kiddos. Other neighborhoods, like Chevy Chase and Spring Valley are more quiet than Georgetown and give you a more suburban vibe in the city.
- Georgetown
- Chevy Chase (the neighborhood in D.C. not the suburb in Maryland)
- Spring Valley