What do you know about the Hillcrest Neighborhood in SE DC?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
Agggghhh, we have been looking at this neighborhood for quite a while but there has been nothing decent coming on the market in Hillcrest. Hey PPs, why don't one of you move?? 
|
Anonymous
| There's nothing new on the market, Hillcrest or otherwise. The only people that can afford to sell are long time owners. |
Anonymous
If you haven't figured it out, "sense of community" is a euphemism. And not a good one. |
Anonymous
| What are the borders of Hillcrest? Suitland, Branch, and Southern? |
Anonymous
| I'm curious, Hillcrest is adjacent to Suitland, which has a reputation for crime. Any spillover? |
Anonymous
Indeed. That is partly because several prominent sections of 'Hillcrest' were built by Lord & Stone, the same developers who built Crestwood (upper 16th St, NW), Woodridge Gardens (lovely homes lining S. Dakota Av NE) in the mid-1930's. The homes are comparable in every way. |
Anonymous
The crime doesn't spill over in any significant way that should concern anyone who is inclined to live anywhere 'within a city'. Is crime higher than in Gaithersburg? Sure. But crime in suburbanesque Hillcrest is far lower than the daily nuisance crimes and muggings my friends living in Dupont Circle, Columbia Heights, Bloomingdale or Petworth (urban neighborhoods in NW that have been deemed 'safe'). Here's the best way to think of it. The lovely upper NW neighborhood of 'Crestwood' is less than half-a-mile from parts of Georgia Ave/Petworth that still have significantly more crime. But for the most part, that crime doesn't impact Crestwood residents. The same dynamic applies in Hillcrest, where for the most part, the higher-crime areas that people hear about on the news are two to four miles north or south of the quiet areas of Hillcrest, Dupont Park, Penn Branch. Every couple or four years there will be an up-tick in car break-is. But when the police (who are very responsive to this very involved, pro-active neighborhood) catch the two or three teen-aged culprits (who invariably don't live in the neighborhood) it's pin-drop quiet again for years. Btw... for the record, I'm speaking as a happy 19 year resident of the 'Hillcrest' and 'Penn Branch' neighborhoods, whose father still resides in the McLean, Va split-level I grew up in. I'm well acquainted with quality neighborhoods and the Hillcrest, Penn-Branch, Dupont Park area ranks high among them. |
Anonymous
Here's the 'cheat-sheet' to the borders of 'Hillcrest'. First, it needs to be clarified that ambitious real estate agents have been using the better-known 'Hillcrest' name to market everything south of Fort Dupont National Park along Massachusetts Av SE; east of 28th St. SE; and west of Southern Ave as being in 'Hillcrest'. The reason they can do it successfully is that there are actually four comparably quiet, attractive neighborhoods bordering Pennsylvania and Branch Aves. Starting from that intersection, the boundaries are roughly as follows: HILLCREST (20020) - Generally speaking, 'Hillcrest' is on the south side of Pennsylvania Ave, with Southern Ave being its south-eastern border. The original borders of 'Hillcrest' are set back from Pennsylvania Avenue by a stretch of the 'Fort Circle Park' system. As such, Hillcrest's north-eastern border begins south of the 'greensward' at 28th Street where (upon entering 'Hillcrest') it turns into Hillcrest Drive. Traditionally, the curving residential streets of Fort Baker Drive and Park Drive constitute the 'edge' of Hillcrest, but practically speaking the neighborhood now extends all the way to Naylor Road, encompassing the Skyland Town Center Mall (now under construction). PENN BRANCH - The north side of Pennsylvania Ave fanning north and east to 38th Place on the west, and Pope Branch Park on the north. Many real estate agents 'pass off' Penn Branch as better known 'Hillcrest'. It's so easy to do because it not only shares a zip code, but is of almost identical character (quiet, lovely homes from the 30's-60's). Many homes in Penn Branch also retain better views of downtown DC/The Mall (where the tree-canopy has obscured some of these views in Hillcrest). DUPONT PARK (20019) - bordering 387 acre 'Fort Dupont National Park' south of Massachusetts Ave between Alabama Ave and Randle Circle, this enclave is very quiet, if the homes are decidedly more modest than Hillcrest and Penn Branch. Most of the mid-century modern ramblers and split levels date from the late 1950's to mid-60's. But there are also a number of colonials and capes that date from the 1930's when the park contained a golf course (now the still enjoyed Ft. Dupont Amphitheater). Surrounded by Fort Dupont Park on the north, and Pope Branch Park (a 'ravine' really, only navigable by wildlife), deer are a daily sight in this quiet section. Several homes also have sweeping views of DC. RANDLE HIGHLANDS - Bordered on the north by Minnesota Ave and Pennsylvania Ave; on the west by Naylor Rd, on the south by Texas Ave; and on the east by Branch Ave. Originally (1900-1928) all of the above mentioned neighborhoods were considered part of Randle Highlands, with the new developments (Hillcrest, Penn Branch, Dupont Park...) gradually taking on new names and starting their own neighborhood associations. Closest to the main thoroughfares (Pennsylvania/Branch Aves) Randle Highlands took on the most 'urban' character, once having many restaurants, an A&P, a cinema, etc. During the housing shortage of WWII, many owners of older edwardian, bungalows and other homes built small apartment buildings, etc. Unfortunately making for a less cohesive streetscape on side streets. However, there remain some beautiful properties on White Place, Park Place, Q St, Naylor Road, some with great views of DC. It does tend to have significantly higher crime than the above three areas. That said, vaunted Westover Drive (while considered part of 'Hillcrest') is officially part of Randle Highlands. |
Anonymous
| Hillcrest is beautiful! What a gem of a neighborhood. Will definitely be the next big thing. |
Anonymous
Next big thing is a stretch but it will be one of the first areas targeted by the whites who venture over the river first. SE will be SE for at least the next 30 years |
Anonymous
| Every time I turn around, I see a new white family moving into my EotR neighborhood in NE. It's a little crazy, actually. |
Anonymous
Still a long way to go |
Anonymous
Except for the parts of SE that are already >$1 million. Not sure what you mean by your comment. Have you never been to Capitol Hill? Sounds like you should try leaving the suburbs sometime (once you're no longer high on oxycontin). |
Anonymous
|
Born and raised in Hillcrest where my family has resided for the last 50 years. Any comment about the neighborhood that refers to crime being a problem is a comment from the uninformed or ignorant. I still could walk through this neighborhood safely at any hour of the day or night. The neighborhood is largely unchanged with the exception of the baby boomers that dominated the landscape as kids when I grew up there and I can still point out the residents that I grew up with in the 70's because many of them are still there. There are other DC neighborhoods that have great reputations, but they also have crappy schools now. When I grew up we went to Anne Beers for Elementary School and that school was like a private school in public school brick and mortar. Hillcrest was and is a true oasis in DC that most have driven through thinking that they were already in Maryland. We had dear, raccoon, possum, and even a park that had horses. Yes SE DC has a secret and it's called Hillcrest!
|
Anonymous
Not everyway |