Washington City Paper: D.C. Neighborhood Guide - Mayfair Parkside, Eastland Gardens, River Terrace, Greenway

Drive-Over Country

Demographics

Population: 21,034
Percent Black: 97.3
Percent White: 0.5
Percent Hispanic: 1.1
Percent Foreign-Born: 1.6
Percent Children: 29.2
Poverty Rate: 32.5 percent
2005 Median Home Sale Price: $277,417
2007 Violent Crimes Per 1,000 Residents: 20.0
2007 Property Crimes Per 1,000 Residents: 41.2

Sources

Touchstone

Eighteen holes will cost $30 on a weekend at Langston Golf Course (28th Street and Benning Road NE), which opened to meet demand for an African-American golf course in 1929.

More Touchstones

D.C. Neighborhoods Flickr Pool

Mayfair Parkside, Eastland Gardens, River Terrace, Greenway

This is a part of the District that is very black, very poor, and doesn't look much like the promised land former Mayor Anthony A. Williams talked about when leaving office. The nabes' greatest asset–their unreconstructed country character—has been compromised by the highway, a power plant, railroad tracks, and battered Great Society housing projects.

Read Justin Moyer's Full Essay

Photograph by Darrow Montgomery

Arbitrary Rankings

Kid-Friendliness: 5

Parents won’t love Drive-Over Country’s ghettoish qualities: crime, crumbling infrastructure, and pollution. However, some neighborhoods’ large yards and well-maintained parks provide ample space for boys to be Huck Finn and girls to be Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Housing: 6

The area has its share of projects, sure, but it offers a wide variety of housing options at lower, east-of-the-river prices. Of course, these prices may not last: A one-bedroom in Mayfair Mansions used to rent for under $600, but after planned remodeling, prices will be going up. Drive-Over Country’s homes are a bargain: Even before the subprime crisis, median prices didn’t crack $275,000.

Eats: 0

Unless you’re looking for fast food, takeout Chinese, or a Moon Over My Hammy at the only Denny’s in the District (4445 Benning Road NE), head across the river.

Consumer Goods: 0

Minnesota Avenue redevelopment has attracted some national names, but most businesses here are local, low-profile, and low-budget.

Nightlife and Culture: 0

Quiet residential neighborhoods and frightening blight do not an arts district make.

Intangibles: 3

Shed a tear for the go-go enthusiasts who used to hawk bootlegs near Benning Road Station. It’s yet another American musical tradition undone by digital downloading. But don’t cry so hard that you forget to watch out for potholes on Benning Road, one of the District’s bumpiest.