Truxton Circle

There has been a recent rediscovery of a small out of the way North West DC neighborhood called Truxton Circle named after an old traffic circle that no longer exists. The boundaries for this neighborhood New Jersey Avenue NW, Florida Avenue NW, and New York Avenue,NW. Today, the neighborhood is more the shape of a triangle.

Truxton Circle was built in 1900. Apparently, the traffic circle caused problematic traffic congestion as well as contributing to many car accidents. The circle was demolished in 1947.

Location and beautiful old brick row houses is one reason why this neighborhood has gained much interest. This neighborhood is close to downtown, located between Bloomingdale-LeDroit Park, Shaw and Mount Vernon Sq. People who live in this location can walk to the Mount Vernon metro stop. The Shaw metro stop is also nearby and Howard University is not far.

Dunbar High School, the first all black public high school is located in this neighborhood as well as several parks and playgrounds. There are also 2 active civic associations ; The Bates Area Civic Association and the Hanover Civic Association.

I recently learned about this hidden neighborhood by visiting a lovely small street called Morgan Street, NW. This is a one block quiet street that is lined with quaint Federal style brick row houses that date back to the beginning of the 1900’s. At the end of the street is a newly renovated playground and basketball courts. Right across the street from the playground is Dunbar High School. Dunbar is in the middle of a renovation and huge beautiful addition.

Truxton Circle has a checkered past and a promising future. It has long been absorbed in the minds of the people by Shaw and some other bordering areas, but recently has regained its separate identity. Like too many places in DC, the rocky eighties didn’t do it any favors. Fortunately however, many of the beautiful row homes have survived, and they make up the bulk of the housing stock in the neighborhood. There are a few condos as well, and these are the result of a bit of redevelopment. For a long time Truxton Circle has been plagues by violence, and fortunately this does seem to be changing. Likewise, the drug dealers and hookers are no longer so prominent on street corners.
Truxton Circle has been a Black neighborhood for a long time, but it is integrating this way as well. This isn’t always well received, because the changing demographics all too often drive up prices in the area. For now though, we do see a return of children playing in the neighborhood. They no longer have to stay inside out of fear for their safety. Overall, this is a decent place to consider, just keep in mind it isn’t perfect yet.

Truxton Circle is a neighborhood of approximately 4,817 residents located in the northwest section of the city. The borders of the neighborhood are New York Avenue N.W, Florida Avenue N.W. and New Jersey Avenue N.W.. In 2010 the average price for homes sold in this neighborhood were $384,930. Homes appear to be primarily attached row homes, but a few single family homes can be fund here as well.

Dunbar Senior High School, Kipp DC:Will Academy and the Dorothy I Height Community Academy PCS are the three schools within Truxton Circle. Residents will enjoy a wide variety of eating as there are at least 12 restaurants located here. Shopping opportunities are not quite as robust, but residents have several markets in the neighborhood. In addition, you will find at least 12 places to worship in the neighborhood. Public transportation is good with numerous Metro bus stops here as well as New York Avenue Metro Station and Mt Vernon Square Metro Stations being located nearby, but not in the actual neighborhood. New York Avenue / Dunbar Recreation Center is available to residents. Green space is limited to the New York Playground. Many residents will appreciate that there is a gas station within the neighborhood as well.

Crime can be a problem here with recent statistics indicating that a mixture of crimes against people and property are common. As alway check the most recent crime statistics and make an informed decision about the risk of crime before moving in to any neighborhood.

Shaped much like a triangle, Truxton Circle is a small neighborhood in Northwest DC. Although “Truxton Triangle” would sound great, the area is called Truxton Circle after the long gone traffic circle it originally grew up around. After causing more than its fair share of accidents, the traffic circle was removed just after World War II.

Still a primarily African American community, Truxton Circle features some lovely houses and schools from the turn of the 20th century. For instance, Duke Ellington graduated from Truxton’s Armstrong Manual Training School, while the Dunbar High School was America’s first public high school of African Americans.

Today Truxton is made more attractive by her lovely green spaces. Though a small neighborhood, she has several parks that attract local children and families. You can see and hear them playing on the playground or just running in the fields on warm summer evenings.

Although Truxton is proud of her strong history, she is not resting on her laurels. Residents struggle every day to keep crime out of their community. While they are not always successful, they believe that they will ultimately triumph against the modern evils of drugs and theft.