Anonymous wrote:There is really a lot of variety block-by-block on the hill. Personally, I would prefer to live west of 14th St, south of F street NE, and not near Potomac Gardens or Options Charter School. As someone said above, generally the further west and the closer to the NE/SE border, the "safer" the neighborhood is, although there are no guarantees.

You are right on point, every block is different. I would avoid house directly by: 12th G the potomac garden, or right next to the stadium metro. I would suggest u do some researches, I always find it funny how buyers buy or make offers base on the property's size, but not its location thinking that its within the zip code and that wrong. All in all Capitol Hill is a nice area to live and like most of the dc property value, it will only increase or hold its value pretty good.

Do schools matter to you? Because I live nearby in southwest, have done for ten years, and haven't been impacted by crime at all. It's more residential but I also think the projects just aren't as shady as in parts of the Hill. I'm very comfortable walking back and forth from metro later in the evening and so forth. There is some street crime but my sense is it's a lot quieter than the Hill. On schools, though, the good news is that SW is zoned for Wilson. The bad news is that before that, there's Amidon and Jefferson, neither of which are, I don't think, considered all that good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This feature by the Washington Post might be insightful for you:

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/investigative/homicides/?tid=rr_mod

This would not help me.

I am not concerned about homicide, but street crimes like muggings and rape and home invasion and property crimes.

The odds of being murdered are pretty slim. The odds of being mugged are another story.

Agree. Potomac Gardens neighbor again. What you should look at, OP, are muggings and burglaries. Most murders are between people who have issues with each other - drug turf or domestic violence. Not saying you shouldn't worry about the homicide rate but I always worry the most about muggings - and the number of muggings can rise or fall depending on whether the muggers think there are victims with money in the neighborhood. That's what is tricky about gentrification.

The problem with looking at current crime patterns when buying is that they change. Things go in waves. I actually live near Potomac Gardens, which is in SE Capitol Hill but the impression I am getting from police reports, listserve traffic, and WaPo reports is that there is more crime occurring in NE Capitol Hill closer to H St NE because of the bar and restaurant traffic. Lately it also seems like there's been more muggings north of Pennsylvania Ave SE than down here by Potomac Gardens and to the west near Barracks Row (8th St).

But a) this is only an impression - haven't actually done the research and b) even if it's true, these things change over time. About 2 or 3 years ago, there was a guy who lived on 1000 block of 15th St SE who was breaking into lots of houses in the neighborhood. They caught him and things have been quieter since then but it could pick up again if some guy decided to start working the neighborhood again.

We also had two summers a few years ago where kids were actively harassing people and throwing rocks. While the muggers and burglars don't necessarily live in the neighborhood, the kids who threw rocks did appear to live in Potomac Gardens or use it as a base. It's been quieter in recent years but it's always a possibility that it could start up again. (FWIW, I raised a kid a block from Potomac Gardens and we've done okay but we're very careful.)

Question for you, OP: Everything I read about Adams-Morgan makes it sound like there's a lot more street crime up there than down in Capitol Hill. Are you looking to move to a safer neighborhood or are you under the impression that Capitol Hill is more dangerous than Adams-Morgan? Cuz I was always under the impression that crime is worse up in Adams-Morgan based on what I see in police reports.

Anyway, here's my guess. I think the closer you are to the Capitol, the safer you are except I would avoid living near the bars and restaurants on 8th St and Pennsylvania Ave. Some (maybe most) muggers are going to focus on people leaving those bars and restaurants - which I think is also happening up at H St NE. BTW, H St is really cool but I think now it's more of a target for criminals than it used to be. They follow the drunks with money!

Good luck with your research!

Anonymous wrote:This feature by the Washington Post might be insightful for you:

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/investigative/homicides/?tid=rr_mod

This would not help me.

I am not concerned about homicide, but street crimes like muggings and rape and home invasion and property crimes.

The odds of being murdered are pretty slim. The odds of being mugged are another story.

Anonymous wrote:I live in the Eastern Market area and although I love the area I am surprized by the violence. In my area it doesn't happen to women and children, but still, it does happen. I recommend considering the area area Yards Park-- Navy Yard. It was incorrectly listed as the most violent neighborhood in the country(!) in a national magazine a coupel years ago-- the stats were totally screwed up. In any case there is so much new housing in the area for a better value than for the older homes in the capitol hill area. If you want a bigger house, that is the place to look! The ice skating rink, the baseball stadium, the whole Yards Park area is just really vibrant and new. not sure about schools in the area, but maybe that isn't an issue for you. there are lots of families, but I'm not sure where they go. Very close to Brent, so maybe there? Also close to Tyler.

good luck!

The only problem with that area is that CSX is going to expand the railroad tunnel that runs under Virginia Avenue and there is a good chance there will be an open pit along Virginia Ave for a number of years. Look closely at what is going on there before buying near Virginia Ave.

Anonymous wrote:I understand that Capitol Hill has changed a lot in recent years and that gentrification continues to spread north, east, and south. Am considering a move to the area with young children. I understand that crime happens within so-called safer areas, but what would you consider to be the boundary streets for the safer area within Capitol Hill? Currently live in Adams Morgan so I am not unaware of what city living entails.

The Hill's proximity to Wards 7 and 8 and easy, quick access to Pa Ave and the South East/South West Freeway make it unique among DC neighborhoods. Some areas may seem more safe than others but it's really just the illusion of safety.

There have been two horrible crimes in the last six months and one of them happened in the best section of the Hill, further proof that the safest part of Capitol Hill is Georgetown.

Anonymous wrote:There is really a lot of variety block-by-block on the hill. Personally, I would prefer to live west of 14th St, south of F street NE, and not near Potomac Gardens or Options Charter School. As someone said above, generally the further west and the closer to the NE/SE border, the "safer" the neighborhood is, although there are no guarantees.

This is pretty accurate IMO.
A good rule of thumb is to look at the prices. If the house is reasonably priced, the neighborhood is not great. If it is terribly overpriced, then you are in a nice section of Capitol Hill.

I live in the Eastern Market area and although I love the area I am surprized by the violence. In my area it doesn't happen to women and children, but still, it does happen. I recommend considering the area area Yards Park-- Navy Yard. It was incorrectly listed as the most violent neighborhood in the country(!) in a national magazine a coupel years ago-- the stats were totally screwed up. In any case there is so much new housing in the area for a better value than for the older homes in the capitol hill area. If you want a bigger house, that is the place to look! The ice skating rink, the baseball stadium, the whole Yards Park area is just really vibrant and new. not sure about schools in the area, but maybe that isn't an issue for you. there are lots of families, but I'm not sure where they go. Very close to Brent, so maybe there? Also close to Tyler.

good luck!

There is really a lot of variety block-by-block on the hill. Personally, I would prefer to live west of 14th St, south of F street NE, and not near Potomac Gardens or Options Charter School. As someone said above, generally the further west and the closer to the NE/SE border, the "safer" the neighborhood is, although there are no guarantees.

OP, here. The WaPo feature is helpful. The DC crime map is not available at the moment. Moving to get more space.

This feature by the Washington Post might be insightful for you:

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/investigative/homicides/?tid=rr_mod

Generally speaking, the closer to the Capitol, then safer it gets. Why are you leaving Adams Morgan?

Look at the dc metro police crime map - you can get really granular info instead of people's random impressions.

I understand that Capitol Hill has changed a lot in recent years and that gentrification continues to spread north, east, and south. Am considering a move to the area with young children. I understand that crime happens within so-called safer areas, but what would you consider to be the boundary streets for the safer area within Capitol Hill? Currently live in Adams Morgan so I am not unaware of what city living entails.