Grant Park

Grant Park is a neighborhood of approximately 3,382 residents located in the northeast section of the city. The neighborhood's boundaries are generally defined by Division Avenue N.E, Blaine Avenue N.E., East Capitol Street S.E, Dix Street N.E. and Clay Place N.E. The average price for a home that sold here in 2010 was $118,415, with 35% being owner occupied. Homes are a mixture of attached and detached single family homes as well as a numerous multifamily apartment buildings.

This is another neighborhood that is hard to stay positive about despite the low cost of housing. Here you will find few neighborhood amenities, such as shopping, restaurants and dedicated green space. The Arts & Technology Academy, as well as the Richardson Elementary School, are located here. The Evans Recreation Center is located just outside of the neighborhood and is available for residents. In addition, residents with children will enjoy the Watts Branch Playground. Public transportation is good with numerous Metro Bus stops being located in the neighborhood as well as the Capitol Heights Metro station. Currently there are 3 places of worship here.

Crime statistics indicate that crimes against people and property are common. A homicide has occurred within the neighborhood recently. As usual check recent crime statistics and make an informed decision as to the crime risk with any neighborhood. I am going to need to give this neighborhood a pass for now due to the crime and really feel bad for the people that own homes here.

Typical of most of Anacostia, Grant Park is a very poor, mostly residential neighborhood. Sitting right on the Maryland border, it is served by the Capitol Heights metro station. There are very few services, and the crime rate is sky high. In fact, there is plenty of crime and a load of drugs, since Grant Park went through the crack era in the 80’s and 90’s. Schools are very poor, and quite a few residents not only live below the poverty line, but depend to some extent on public assistance. This is not a place where you want to be hanging out after dark, unless of course you are looking for trouble. If you live here, expect to drive out to Prince George’s County, MD to do your grocery shopping and get other tasks accomplished.
Perhaps the only thing of note which goes on in Grant Park is a bit of local controversy: the neighborhood is home to a very run down nursing home. It is the kind of place you take your loved one to be neglected until he or she dies. In fact, the local health department placed them under investigation for excessively poor treatment of patients. Naturally, a lot of those goons probably live in the area. So much for caring for your neighbors. With industry like this, you can’t expect much better of the neighborhood at large.

Grant Park is a small residential neighborhood in southeast Washington D.C. Like way too many of the neighborhoods in that part of town, Grant Park has very little to recommend itself. The one observation that I will make as a historian is that it is ironic that a community named for one of history’s most blood thirsty generals is, itself, plagued by violence.
No doubt there was once a time, long ago, when people moved into this community full of hopes and dreams for the future. However, those days are now long gone. In their place remains little but desperation and fear: of hunger, of failure and, most of all, of crime. In the past week alone there have been more assaults, thefts and robberies than the average suburban community experiences in an entire year.
So, is there anything good about this neighborhood? I’m sure there is. I just don’t know about it. I suppose I could mention that there a nursing home in the neighborhood, but I don’t know enough about it to recommend it. And there are a couple of parks, each at opposite ends of the neighborhood, but they are not places I’d take my own children.
So, I’m sorry. I’d like to have some encouraging word to offer, but I just don’t have one.