Anacostia - Ft Dupont

The area known as Anacostia is often confused with the entire area touching the Anacostia River. In reality, it is much smaller than that. Anacostia is located in the 8th Ward and bordered by the Anacostia and Potomac rivers on the west, Southern Avenue on the east and Good Hope and Naylor roads to the north.

Anacostia’s history travels back to the early 17th Century when Captain John Smith arrived at the area and stumbled upon Nacotchtanke, the Native American Trading Village. The people of the area, the Nacotchtanks, were fisherman and farmers that occupied the land bordering the Anacostia River. After this point, Europeans were encouraged to migrate here for the fertile land.

In the 19th Century, famous faces like Frederick Douglas called Anacostia home. Douglas was known for buying the “Cedar Hill” estate in 1877 where he lived until he died; it is now a tourist destination.

Anacostia was designed with business and trade in mind, due to its proximity to the river. Up until the 1950’s there were still areas of Anacostia that were segregated, but in 1954 the Uniontown area, now the Historic District, was incorporated as part of Anacostia with the intention to be a home for the Navy Yard workers. This shift turned Anacostia into one of D.C.’s first suburbs.

Amongst the 71,000 residents in the greater Anacostia area, there is a sense of community. Many residents are proud to have lived in Anacostia for their entire lives. The streets look much like they did 50 years ago with frame row houses and apartments that are mostly Italianate and Cottage style. There are commercial areas around Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue.

Anacostia is close to National's Stadium, which is just two metro stops away on the Green line. In addition to National’s Stadium a $10 billion restoration and revitalization project is planned for the waterfront.