April 2020

If you don’t want to have to depend on a car to get around, DC is a great place to live. While some neighborhoods rely on public transportation, other neighborhoods are extremely walkable.

DC as a whole ranks extremely well for its walkability. In fact, DC’s WalkScore ranking is number seven in terms of the most walkable large cities in the nation.

In recent years, Redfin put DC in 4th place when it comes to its list of ‘The Best Cities for Living Without a Car’. Some neighborhoods also rank particularly high all on their own in terms of walkability.

For example, Dupont Circle is a great place to get around by walking. Most residents have an easy stroll to the closest Metro station, plus the neighborhood also includes a number of restaurants

Photo: Ted Eytan

It’s definitely one of the DC area’s most unique landmarks, and it’s been that way for well more than a half-century. The descriptively named “Big Chair” stands nearly 20 feet tall and does anything but blend in with its surroundings.

The chair towers high above the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and V Street SE in Anacostia. Much like other roadside attractions, the Big Chair is an icon of sorts for the local community.

First constructed in the late 1950s, the original chair was designed as an advertisement for a local furniture company. The chair was supposed to be a replica of a Duncan Phyfe dining room chair.

Originally constructed out of African Mahogany, the chair weighed in at a whopping 4,600 pounds. At one

Filled with charm, Cameron Station enjoys the grace of yesteryear, and the conveniences of today. The unique community may have been built up starting in the late 1990s, but it takes its design pointers from a time period going back generations.

The award-winning designs of Cameron Station were built to complement the 18th and 19th centuries, with an old-fashioned, yet recreated, small town setting. You’ll find tree-lined brick sidewalks in Cameron Station, pocket parks and colonial streetlamps throughout the area.

At home on the west end of Alexandria, Cameron Station is a master-planned community full of single-family homes, condos and townhomes. Just as popular with families as retirees, Cameron Station continually delights new residents,

Once home to mostly office parks and light industrial warehouses, Merrifield may likely be the next hot neighborhood in the DC area. The Merrifield of a decade ago barely resembles the urban neighborhood of today.

That’s because it was only about eight years ago that the Mosaic District first came to Merrifield. It brought with it new shopping, dining, housing and more, all wrapped up in a walkable, urban setting.

The vibrant area is now considered one of DC’s most innovative entertainment and retail communities. Unlike some other cookie-cutter communities out there, Mosaic is made up of a hand-selected mix of grocers, dining spots, independent boutiques and premiere national retailers.

You will also find some specialty shops and services, as

Photo: Sarah Sampsel

While celebrated for its charm and its history, Alexandria also holds the title of one of the friendliest cities in America. According to the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards for 2019, Alexandria is the second friendliest city in the nation.

Conde Nast points out Alexandria’s proximity to Washington DC, yet also distinguishes its more relaxed atmosphere. It additionally makes mention of its tourist friendly locations, including its rich collection of shopping and dining spots.

Savannah, Georgia comes in second place, while Boulder, Colorado takes third place. Charleston, South Carolina and Chattanooga, Tennessee round out the top five.

The very same reader survey that put Alexandria is the number two spot for

For boutique-style living with a view, consider the condos of Lawrence House. The property overlooks Meridian Hill Park, with large windows opening up to park views from each of the front-facing residences in the complex.

This also makes it easy to step right outside and stroll across the street to the park’s abundant green space. A popular spot for yoga classes and for jogging, the park also features benches, fountains and it hosts a Sunday drum circle.

The scenic location additionally has the advantage of sitting merely one block away from 14th Street. This puts residents close to shopping and dining, as well as nearby art galleries, theaters and nightlife.

To further admire the views without even leaving home, the property offers a

Photo: Courtesy of OpAL DC

One of DC’s latest conversion projects results in the exclusive opportunity to purchase a large multi-level home with historic roots. The Little Red Chapel originally dates back to the turn-of-the-century when it housed the St. Michael’s congregation.

Flash-forward more than 100 years and the free-standing chapel has since been remade into a pair of semi-detached townhouses. The unique Capitol Hill property still retains some of its original appeal, including some refurbished stained-glass.

At the same time, the building has adopted some newer additions, including a second floor and a loft in the original building. There’s also now a modern two-story addition around the back of the property.

Each of the homes comes

Rendering courtesy of Roadside Development/Nash

Described as an “urban village”, a massive new redevelopment named City Ridge is underway in Northwest DC. Construction began in late 2018 to transform the old Fannie Mae headquarters into hundreds of new apartments and hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial, office and retail space.

Crews plan to reimagine more than one million square feet of the former Fannie Mae campus into a large mixed-use development. In preserving the historic Fannie Mae building and its front lawn, crews aim to remake the building and its outdoor space into one of DC’s most exciting new sites.

Plans call for transforming the large lawn into community green space, which will eventually be open to the public and

A true hidden gem in the DC area, Dupont Park offers the appeal of nearby green space and the allure of a number of different housing styles. From townhouses and apartments to bungalows, Colonials and Foursquares, you’ll find it all possible living in the neighborhood of Dupont Park.

Named after the nearby park, the Dupont Park neighborhood is partially bounded by Fort Dupont Park. With hundreds of acres of forested trails for hiking, it’s a great location to go on a nature walk, do some biking or take in some live music during the park’s summer concert series.

Many homes in the neighborhood are within walking distance of the park. There’s even a local ice arena for year-round ice-skating and hockey.

The neighborhood also offers easy access

Stretching from Pennsylvania Avenue to Dupont Circle, DC’s Golden Triangle sits right in the heart of the region’s business district. These days, however, it’s much more than just a place to work. It’s also a place to live.

Just minutes away from some of DC’s top sites and attractions, the Golden Triangle serves as home to parks, shops, restaurants and more. In fact, it’s also the place to find live entertainment, historic museums and fine art on display.

Recently the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District became the first BID in the entire world to also be named a LEED-certified community. The non-profit aims to continually work to retain existing businesses, while at the same time attracting new businesses to the area.

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