Washington DC: Difference between revisions

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Many of the shops and nightclubs in Adams-Morgan are Ethiopian-owned, but most of DC's large Ethiopian community has moved into U Street in the Shaw neighborhood, D.C's historically-black nightlife corridor, named for Capt. Shaw of ''[[Glory]]'', which is rapidly being gentrified and taken over by yuppies and college students. Just twenty years ago, it was a high-crime area, and 14th street NW was considered a bright red line which affluent Washingtonians would not cross. North of Shaw is a series of ethnic communities which stretches north to the Maryland border. [[Shell-Shocked Veteran|Walter Reed Army Hospital]] is located here.

* '''Upper Northwest'''~~<br~~ />West of Rock Creek park is the exclusive white province known as Upper Northwest, an area of broad boulevards, embassies, private schools, and the National Cathedral. It is also, perversely, the home of D.C.'s [[Hardcore Punk]] scene, which helped break out [[Alternative Rock]] in the late 1980s. Further into the Upper northwest, D.C. extends into Maryland in an unbroken corridor of affluence: private schools, research institutions, and centers of learning. Nearby Bethesda, Maryland is a shopping and dining destination. Chevy Chase, which sits on the border of Upper Northwest DC, as well as M Street in Georgetown, is Washington's version of [[Blue Blood|Rodeo Drive]].

* '''Upper Northwest''' West of Rock Creek park is the exclusive white province known as Upper Northwest, an area of broad boulevards, embassies, private schools, and the National Cathedral. It is also, perversely, the home of D.C.'s [[Hardcore Punk]] scene, which helped break out [[Alternative Rock]] in the late 1980s. Further into the Upper northwest, D.C. extends into Maryland in an unbroken corridor of affluence: private schools, research institutions, and centers of learning. Nearby Bethesda, Maryland is a shopping and dining destination. Chevy Chase, which sits on the border of Upper Northwest DC, as well as M Street in Georgetown, is Washington's version of [[Blue Blood|Rodeo Drive]].

* '''Anacostia'''~~<br~~ />D.C. is an amalgam of people from around the United States and sits on the dividing line between the North and South, which is still very bright for some residents who refuse to cross the Potomac River except to go to a ballgame. The further south and east you go, the more it resembles a Southern town, such as [[The Big Easy|New Orleans]]. The houses are small and working class, the neighborhoods mostly black.

* '''Anacostia''' D.C. is an amalgam of people from around the United States and sits on the dividing line between the North and South, which is still very bright for some residents who refuse to cross the Potomac River except to go to a ballgame. The further south and east you go, the more it resembles a Southern town, such as [[The Big Easy|New Orleans]]. The houses are small and working class, the neighborhoods mostly black.

South and east of Capitol Hill is the Anacostia river, hemmed in by levees and old industrial sidings. This marks the boundary with [[Wrong Side of the Tracks|the hard lands]], known to some people as "Simple City".<ref>(because the choice between life and death is very simple there)</ref> The [[Super Fun Happy Thing of Doom|Department of Homeland Security]] has cheerfully decided to build its national HQ in a [[Abandoned Hospital|converted mental hospital]] in Simple City, just south of Anacostia's [[Dissonant Serenity|surprisingly quaint]] main drag. This part of town is also the home of D.C.'s other native music, go-go.<ref>no, not ''[[Stripperiffic|that go-go]].''</ref> It is a lo-fi cross between funk and hip-hop that is played with guitar and dozens of percussion instruments.

* '''Suburban Maryland'''~~<br~~ />Going north, into Maryland, it often resembles [[Joisey|New Jersey]], and is populated by staunchly liberal Yankees, such as the college professors, [[New Age Retro Hippie|hippies]], and multi-cultural immigrant neighborhoods in and around Takoma Park, Silver Spring, and Mount Rainier, Maryland. This is where you can find all the delis, antique stores, and curry shops. Riverdale, Maryland is Little Mexico.

* '''Suburban Maryland''' Going north, into Maryland, it often resembles [[Joisey|New Jersey]], and is populated by staunchly liberal Yankees, such as the college professors, [[New Age Retro Hippie|hippies]], and multi-cultural immigrant neighborhoods in and around Takoma Park, Silver Spring, and Mount Rainier, Maryland. This is where you can find all the delis, antique stores, and curry shops. Riverdale, Maryland is Little Mexico.

The two Maryland counties that surround DC are Montgomery County to the North and West, and Prince George's County to the South and East. Montgomery County is the richest county in the State, Prince George's county not so much (but not the poorest). An old joke about the importance of Montgomery County was that "The legislature in Annapolis considers its job to pump money out of Montgomery County and into the City of Baltimore."

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Northeast along the high-speed tracks going towards [[New York City|New York]] is a marginally unsafe dead zone of tire salons and automobile dealerships. Everything west of the railroad tracks can be considered an extension of Upper Northwest and is just as affluent, with quaint Victorian homes. Metrorail service is also much more extensive on the Maryland side, and most of the suburbs have actual downtowns with a train station, restaurants and shops.

* '''Northern Virginia'''~~<br~~ />If DC is a tale of two cities, then the third part is Virginia, across the Potomac River—a haven for [[No Such Agency|infotech workers and military]]. This is where the heroes in political and spy thrillers live (If you hear the word "Langley", you immediately think of the CIA). Many north of the Potomac consider it the edge of the [[Deep South|American South]], at least outside Arlington, which is heavily urbanized (and, perhaps, Alexandria and portions of Fairfax County as well?). Many, if not most, modern NoVa-ites tend to consider themselves more "Yankee" than anything else, however - much to the chagrin of their southern neighbors in the rest of the state. The Pentagon and National Airport are there. Northern Virginia is actually larger than DC, but much more spread out. Refugees from major modern wars (Korean, Vietnam, and all the Middle Eastern conflicts) tend to settle there due to military connections as well as immigrants from many other regions (for example, NoVA has large Hispanic populations mostly from Central America, including the largest Bolivian American community in the country). Along with the growing number of young urbanites moving into the region, they help [[Friendly Local Chinatown|dilute the old southern influence]].

* '''Northern Virginia''' If DC is a tale of two cities, then the third part is Virginia, across the Potomac River—a haven for [[No Such Agency|infotech workers and military]]. This is where the heroes in political and spy thrillers live (If you hear the word "Langley", you immediately think of the CIA). Many north of the Potomac consider it the edge of the [[Deep South|American South]], at least outside Arlington, which is heavily urbanized (and, perhaps, Alexandria and portions of Fairfax County as well?). Many, if not most, modern NoVa-ites tend to consider themselves more "Yankee" than anything else, however - much to the chagrin of their southern neighbors in the rest of the state. The Pentagon and National Airport are there. Northern Virginia is actually larger than DC, but much more spread out. Refugees from major modern wars (Korean, Vietnam, and all the Middle Eastern conflicts) tend to settle there due to military connections as well as immigrants from many other regions (for example, NoVA has large Hispanic populations mostly from Central America, including the largest Bolivian American community in the country). Along with the growing number of young urbanites moving into the region, they help [[Friendly Local Chinatown|dilute the old southern influence]].

The most affluent portion of the region, Northern Virginia has some of the wealthiest and most well educated counties in the country. South and west, the communities of Arlington, Alexandria and Tysons Corner, with no high-rise limits, resemble [[SoCalization|Los Angeles]] or the southern city of [[Atlanta]], with crushing traffic on 8-lane roads, towering high security office complexes (populated by government contractors known as "Beltway Bandits"), and vast office parks. Wilson Boulevard provides a vaguely-human scaled "main street" to the area. Columbia Pike, a former suburb for enlisted military, is one of many small pockets of ethnic diversity. Old Town Alexandria is a quaint historic district, located just north of George Washington's home (in the world's best commuter incentive, he arranged for the District to be built near his house). Some roads in Alexandria area are still named after [[Values Dissonance|Confederate]] [[The American Civil War|Generals]]. Going west on I-66 leads to the exurbs of Chantilly County. While only the very wealthy own homes in D.C. proper or Arlington/Alexandria, many on the very next rung down on the income ladder own homes in Chantilly.