There is some ambiguity and crossover between Near Northeast and NOMA & Stanton Park. To avoid overlap in this evaluation I included the areas between 4th Street NE, Florida Ave., H Street (from 4th NE-8th NE) and Maryland Ave. (from 8th NE to Florida Ave).
The Near Northeast remained undeveloped and sparsely populated through the end of the 19th century. Development picked up in the 1890s with the construction of a streetcar line down H Street. Commercial development then began to fill in incrementally during the early 20th century. Demographically the Near Northeast evolved into a mixed ethnic district becoming a major center Afircan American center of DC. The district also attracted many immigrants form Ireland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jews from Eastern Europe. Sadly the Near Northeast was devastated by the race riots that ripped Washington for three days following the death of MLK in April 1968. It experienced some of the worst looting, vandalism, and arson in the City. This setback the neighborhood for several decades as it become a very poor African American enclave. Things began to improve in the Near Northeast in the early 2000s starting with the revitalization of H Street followed by increasing residential rehabs. By 2020 most of the district had been stabilized other than a couple missing teeth and vacant storefronts on H Street.
From an urban perspective this is another solid DC neighborhood with good density, walkability, great public transit access, convenience to Dwtn, and wonderful bike infrastructure. Improvements certainly include more affordability but the neighborhood could use more park amenities, and a local public library and post office.
URBAN STRENGTHS:
* Good density and public transit access.
* Convenient access to Downtown among all modes. Great bike infrastructure.
* Excellent connectivity and less confusing diagonal roads than most DC neighborhoods.
* Great racial diversity and decent economic.
* A fair amount of public housing remains in Near Northeast.
* Good cultural amenities in Near Northeast include a great array of bars, decent # of restaurants & cafes, a couple live music venues, a performing arts center in an old Art Deco theater, a handful of art galleries, a couple of local museums, and the cultural amenities available at Gallaudet University.
* Good retail amenities including 3 full-service grocerias, Union Market vendors, a couple drug stores, several boutiques & consignment stores, a book store, several banks, many gyms & dessert joints.
* Good array of many well rated schools.
* Solid historic and modern-infill architecture. More ornate historic bldgs on the neighborhood’s western and southern borders.
* Great tree canopy.
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
* Not many families with Children here.
* For sale housing is expensive but still some moderate priced hsg. Lots of 1-bed flats sell btwn 350-500K. Also some more expensive. 2-beds sell anywhere btwn 450K-1 M but some product is more expensive. 3-beds generally sell btwn 750K-1.5M. 4 & 5 beds sell for a bit more, maxing out at around 2M.
* Studios lease in the high 1Ks, 1-beds high 1Ks and 2Ks, 2-beds lease btwn the high 2Ks-4K, and 3-beds lease for 3-4s. Some 4-bed product leasing in the 4 & 5Ks.
* Good access to many small parks/parkettes and a recreation center. But no medium or large parks here.
* No public library of local post office, several churches. No local hospitals either.
* Generally a safe neighborhood but some gritty spots remain along H Street and eastern edge of the district.
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 