Fairlawn

Fairlawn is a neighborhood of approximately 3443 residents located in the southeast section of the city. The neighborhood’s boundaries are generally defined as being within the footprint of Good Hope Road S.E., Naylor Road S.E., Minnesota Avenue S.E., Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. and Anacostia Drive S.E. In 2010, the average price of a home sold here was $290,637 with 38% of the homes being owner occupied. Homes here tend to be the typical attached “row house” style homes found in many neighborhoods within the District. In addition, there are numerous multifamily buildings within Fairlawn as well as a commercial component to the neighborhood.

The neighborhood has numerous schools including Orr Elementary, Anacostia Bible Christian School, and Anacostia Senior High School. There are no dedicated recreational facilities located in Fairlawn, however Hillcrest Recreation Center is not too far away. Restaurants and shopping are located within the neighborhood, but are focused primarily along Minnesota Avenue S.E. Many residents may choose to venture out for more choices. Public transportation is available with numerous Metro Bus stops being located in the neighborhood. Dedicated green space is available in Anacostia Park, which is very nice, as well as a couple of small public parks. Fairlawn offers at least 7 places of worship.

Recent crime statistics indicate that crimes against people and property are frequent and many may deter many from living here. As always check the most recent crime statistics and make an informed decision as to the crime risk in any neighborhood.

Fairlawn is part of wards 7 and 8, the poorest ones in the District. However, unlike some other neighborhoods, there isn’t such a sense of despair or resignation. Rather, Fairlawn residents desire something better. Some long term residents offer a bit of stability, but unfortunately there is a lot of public housing. Fairlawn is one of those neighborhoods which changed during the “white flight” era, and went through the crack epidemic in the 80’s. In spite of this, the neighborhood is recovering, and has begun to attract development and better residents. Recent improvements in public transportation are helping to break the isolation.
Schools are mediocre at best, like the vast majority of DC public schools. But, somehow the kids graduate. This is a hopeful sign. Generally speaking, there are plenty of stores, and the streets have plenty of places to go. However, residents do not like to walk the streets with their families, as the liquor and porno shops are all too common. Instead, they take the bus, taxis or private cars to get most places.
If you do not have much money to spend on housing, you can certainly do worse than Fairlawn. However, I would have to recommend your buying/renting the nicest residence you can, preferably with some form of controlled access.

Fairlawn is one of Washington’s many poorer and lower middle class neighborhoods. It was developed during the housing boom of World War II, when contractors rushed to throw up cheap housing for workers coming into the city to serve in the war effort. It was supposed to be linked with the rest of the city by its own metro station. However, concerns arose over the effect such a project might have on the neighborhood’s older structures, so the station was never built. Instead, a trolley system, more in keeping with the community’s historic character, was built.
While Fairlawn does have public middle and high schools, families who can prefer to send their children to the private Naylor Road School through 8th grade.
The community is dominated by Marbury Plaza, a low-income apartment complex that provide housing to many of the neighborhood’s families. Unfortunately, it is also a source of much of the crime and drug trafficking in the area.
The federal government is represented by the Anacostia Gateway building, where the D.C. Department of Housing and Economic Development is located. Families looking for recreational opportunities can visit the nearby Fort Dupont or Fort Stanton Parks.