Stanton Park

Stanton Park is beautiful and stately enough to stand alone as its own very small town, reminiscent of a quiet shire in England, that is instead tucked away in an unbothered corner of Washington. Several of the structures here are awe-inspiring in their loveliness, but still modest. For all its amenities, it is also a very affordable part of the city. Best of all, it is walking distance from Capitol Hill, and Union Station.

Revitalization efforts have paid off in spades: the neighborhood has come leaps and bounds from where it was a couple of decades ago (what neighborhood in DC can't boast that?). The only con, besides perhaps being slightly too high for some price ranges, is that it is only convenient for those who work on the Hill. If you are looking to go farther out into the city, you will be met with slightly more difficulty.

If you lived in the DC area during the eighties and nineties, you probably remember Stanton Park as one of those “not too nice” areas near Capitol Hill. There were plenty of drugs and crime, among other things to worry about. Now however, this isn’t the case in Stanton Park. Instead, its proximity to both Union Station and the government areas of the city have helped revitalize the neighborhood into a nice, middle-class integrated locale. Apparently, it was once home to Obama before he became President.
In spite of its location though, Stanton Park is still reasonably priced. One reason might be that its proximity to Union Station, along with the paucity of on street parking, keeps some people away. After all, car owners would like to be able to live somewhere without paying an arm and a leg for the privilege of parking it! And tourists tend to be really rude about parking where they shouldn’t, too. Regardless of the reason though, the best reason for living in Stanton Park is its strong sense of community. Many people have lived here for quite some time, and the strong community association was what ultimately revitalized the place. Residents demanded attention from law enforcement and eventually got it. Just comes to show how even a corrupt city government can be motivated.

Stanton Park is a small neighborhood built around the park with the same name. It is near Capitol Hill, and popular among senators and other congressional officials looking for safe, upscale housing near the nation’s center of power. Then Senator Barack Obama lived there prior to his run for the White House.

Stanton Park itself is unique among DC parks in that it is one of the few that was originally planned back when Washington was designed and built. It features a lovely playground at one end and an area popular among dog lovers at the other. I should probably mention that though this “dog area” is not an official dog park, and so pets cannot be allowed to roam about unleashed.

The Stanton Park Neighborhood Association is active in the community and regularly hosts community social events. They also support local charities and reach out to neighbors in times of need. Perhaps most generous of all is their provision of college scholarships for high school students graduating from local schools.

It is a pleasure to recommend this neighborhood to those who can afford it. It is a lovely and convenient place to live in the city.