Petworth

An ex of mine lives over here, which gives me some sour feelings about it, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it. Petworth is a pretty great location, with lots of cute townhouses and a surprising number of local and chain restaurants and stores. Local favorites are Domku, with a unique European menu and the best almond cake I've ever had (also probably the only almond cake I've ever had..), and Wonderland, a great big popular dive bar.

It's metro accessible, well equipped with schools, parks, and community recreation buildings. This is a great neighborhood for young people, and especially young families. But there are of course a couple streets you don't want to turn down, or catch yourself alone on in the middle of the night. In the daylight, though, this place is a great place to live, and even charming in some parts. Definitely worth a second look, this place is on the up and up.

Petworth is a neighborhood of approximately 19,699 residents located in the northwest section of the city. The neighborhood’s boundaries are generally defined as being within the footprint of 16th Street N.W., Emerson Avenue N.W., New Hampshire Avenue N.W., Rock Creek Church Road N.W. and Spring Road N.W. In 2010, the average price of a home sold here was $297,787 with 54% of the homes being owner occupied. Homes here tend to be the typical “attached “row house” homes found in many neighborhoods within the District. As with many neighborhoods there is a commercial component to the neighborhood as well.

The neighborhood has five schools including the Preparatory School of D.C., Roosevelt Senior High School and Center City PCS – Petworth Campus. Recreational facilities are located at the Emery Recreation Center. Numerous restaurants and shopping opportunities are located within the neighborhood including a Safeway grocery store. Public transportation is very appealing with the Georgia Avenue Petworth Metro station, as well as numerous Metro Bus stops being located in the neighborhood. Excellent dedicated green space is available in the Raymond Playground, Petworth Playground, Grant Circle Park, Sherman Circle Park, Upshur Park, Twin Oaks Community Garden and Piney Branch Park. Currently the neighborhood has over 30 places of worship!

Crime is where the neighborhood may lose its appeal to many. Recent crime statistics indicate that crimes against people and property are frequent. As always check the most recent crime statistics and make an informed decision as to the crime risk in any neighborhood. Hopefully crime can be reduced so the neighborhood can reach its potential, because it has lots to offer.

If you want to be close to everything, and still have plenty of space to escape to, Petworth is a good place to look. Located on both the green and yellow lines, Petwoth is primarily residential. Most of it is single family homes, with a smattering of apartments close to the Metro station. However, in spite of its mainly residential character, Petworth does have a small amount of commercial property. You can buy groceries and medicine here, and as of recently there are some sit down restaurants. These are mostly your down-home, unassuming style eateries that cater to the typical family taking a time out. Petworth isn’t quite up against Rock Creek Park, but from most places in the neighborhood it is within walking distance.
What Petworth is best known for is its overall neighborliness. Residents love to sit out on the front porch and wave at the neighbors as they walk by. Summer brings nice backyard barbecues, and the local teenagers will happily babysit your kids so you can get a night out. Most of the population is professional, but they either prefer more green space or can’t afford more prestigious neighborhoods. Often, families live together in the neighborhood, both in the same residence and distributed over multiple properties.

Petworth is a residential neighborhood in Northeast DC bordered on the west by Georgia Avenue, North Capitol Street to the east, Rock Creek Church Road to the south, and Kennedy Street NW to the north. Predominately residential, the area is a mix of single family homes and townhouses. Prominent in the area are brick houses constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. The area is served by the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Station on the Green Line of the District's Metro system. As with many of the neighborhoods in Northeast, Petworth has not seen the redevelopment that has occurred in resent years in other areas of the District, including the area of Southeast in the Anacostia—Navy Yard waterfront area. Most businesses have been small ethnic or chain restaurants. There's not much in the way of other employment opportunities for young professionals. As of now there has been no mixed-use development projects announced, so anyone living in the area is forced to commute outside the neighborhood and surrounding area for employment. Because of the lack of services and educational alternatives, Petworth may not be attractive to people looking to move into an urban area to be close to their work.